My surgery experience

Thank you!

Congarts! Your are post-Op less than 2 days, and already you are writing this fabulous report for our benefits. Thank you so much. Can you do another title "Zeiss at LISA Trifocals" (still not available in the U.S.A.) so google can bring many more others to this site to share your experience as well; I mean vicariously of course. 

Thank you for the good thoughts.

Truthfully, it was a case of the best option available here (Mexico) and a very strong confidence in the doctor who recommended Zeiss. The trifocal was my decision after seeing hubby's incredible recovery. Since my vision is better than it's been in probably 40+ years,  I'm really happy. Again, I know it's early days, but I don't think there's anything that could have been improved. I'm actually seeing better than 20/20, but I don't know exactly what since they don't measure that way here. Let's just say that I don't walk into walls when I get up at night!

From what I've glreaned from the internet, both atLARA EDoF and ATLISA Trifocals are choice lenses. One never know if a lens exchange may be necessary in the future for post-cataract patients. Already at least one surgeon had done a lens exchange on a patient one year past his cataract surgery. If our NA made monofocals & EDoF lenses somehow kaput (touch wood), I want that Mercedes.

Glad you’ve had an excellent outcome.  All the best for a great outcome.   

So to clarify you had initial lens replacement?  Not an IOL exchange?   Wondering why doc suggested both same day?   Glad it worked for you.

All the best in recovery.

HI Sue.An. You were one of those whose postings I really appreciate since they're always so informative.

Yes, it was a regular cataract surgery (but cataracts were only beginning), not an IOL exchange. I got trifocal IOLs, but I didn't realize what I'd written until after the fact. Since I hadn't a clue how to edit the original posting, I just added that note. I'm truly a technodino.

The doc didn't suggest both in the same day; I was the one who asked if they could be done in the same day, as did hubby. For me, the benefits outweighed the difficulties. One of my biggest reasons is the correction needed for my eyes. Whenever I had to switch to glasses (prior to eye appointments, etc), the headaches and feeling of disorientation was just miserable. I knew that if only one eye was done that I'd have something similar and the risk was truly worth it to me. I don't recommend it for others; it was just the right decision for me. This is why I felt positive going in.

One other thing...I know that past results don't guarantee future ones, but the doc that I used in high demand in the expat community and we talk a lot on a local forum. If someone is less-than-honorable or has a high "oops" rate, it goes out like a flash. Dra. Claudia has nothing but high marks and believe me when I say that that's rare.

Yes so very important to have a top notch surgeon.  For some cases same day may be best as you say.  And since you were going with trifocals rather than monofocals with a mini monovision in mind and need to see where first eye heals first that no doubt went into that decision as well.  With those multiple issues you were facing sure must be a relief to see the light at the end of the tunnel (pardon the pun).

I see absolutely no circles or rings when looking at lights at night. When looking into the distance at street lights, I see the same round glow that I've always seen. Everything is still really sharp and clear. Of course, Ihave to remember that this is still very early, but so far, so good.

Honestly, my vision hasn't been this good since I was in the womb. I'm beyond delighted.

Hi again! Actually, I'm 26 days out, but who's counting? :p

For a quickie update:

--My vision still amazes me. I can't stop looking out of the window at individual leaves on trees in the distance. Each one is so clear. I pick up cans and packages just to read the tiny print. OK, I'm easily amused!

--I have noticed concentric circles every so often. This is more of when I hold my head at a weird angle and look up, but not a nighttime issue. I must be honest and say that it doesn't bother me because I had much worse issues when wearing contacts.

--Nighttime is definitely not a problem. No halos, no circles, no unusual lighting issues.

--There is no adjustment when looking down, then up, and then at a distance, or any combo. Again, no circles or blurry points of in-between. It feels like I have the eyes of a child...except mine were never this good.

--I still have to stop myself from popping out my lenses before I go to sleep. 44+ years of a contact lens habit is hard to break. The same is true for readers. I keep reaching up to the top of my head to slide them onto my nose before going online or watching a video on my tablet.

--I keep expecting my eyes to get blurry like when my contacts got protein deposits on them. I'm shocked when I watch a sad video, tear up, and don't have to stop and clean my lenses.

--This one is my favorite...I now cry when slicing onions! I never had a reaction before, but now I do. It's so strange that it makes me laugh.

In a nutshell, I am one very happy and very fortunate gal.

Thank you for the update.  I am so glad for you on your speedy recovery. It is called a Premium Lens for some good reasons.

I've been browsing around and read that the optical quality of Premium IOLs provides sharper vision. Also Premium IOLs contain added magnification in different parts of the lens to expand one's range of vision so one can see objects clearly at all distances, with or without glasses.

My husband is also very pleased with his Symfony lenses. He has had crisp clear vision from Day 1.

 

So very happy for you britkennels!

I can relate to those welcome changes in habit.  I am one year out with first surgery and every so often when I go to bed late tired but turn the TV on for a bit I reach for glasses automatically.  Then I realize I don’t need them.

Yes it is a whole new world!  Enjoy!

Your results are amazing.  You mentioned before that you have large eyes (pupils), so large pupils are not a pb for some to achieve clear corrected vision. Do you remember if your eye-surgeon used ORA and laser to remove your cataracts?

The concentric circles are minute and visible when he stares directly at the traffic light against a dark sky according to my husband. He was driving within a few days after his cataract surgeries, and drove at night once past the two weeks. He did not drive at night earlier as he had to wear eye-shield for two weeks and decided to sleep early.

Does your husband drive much at night?   Summers it stays light out well past 9pm but winters it is dark by 4:30 so I am driving home after work  from November to February in the dark.  Also walk nightly.  The circles are hard to miss - 10 of them around traffic lights, cars when brakes are applied and around certain LED porch lights.  I see them at about 50 yards from light source starting at dusk.  As I approach the light they disappear.  Those early weeks I didn’t see them at all after surgery but I noted strong glare - which I surmise now hid the concentric circles which are much lighter.  The inner circles are brighter than the outer circles.  Although annoying - prefer to see well at all distances so have adapted and now a year out they are part of my landscape and I just ignore them.  On roads without overhead street lighting I keep my eyes focused on painted white line to the right rather than on oncoming cars (those newer blue-white lights are especially bothersome.  They bother my husband who doesn’t even have cataracts or IOLs!

I am sure one day they will perfect the premium lenses so there are no nighttime halos.  But sure is nice to see well again!

Those were his thoughts but expressed differently. However, his is not bothered by the minute concentric circles around light against a dark background. The headlights of oncoming cars are much more distracting to him, which was the case even before his cataract surgeries especially those blinding glare of headlamps on high beam. After his 1st eye surgery, he was able to watch the tv news that night. The very next day, he drove to Costco Optical to retrieve another pair of his glasses with one Rx lens popped out to be replaced with a non-Rx lens; all the while he was wearing a spare pair of glasses with one Rx lens for his unoperated eye.  I wish he could share his experience here, but I could not get him to post his gratitude to our eye-surgeon online; he does not have any accounts on facebook, google+, pinterest, twitter, youtube. LOL.  Our summers are longer and winters much shorter than yours. I wonder what it would be like driving on a dark winter night, would the snow throws up blinding glare?

Sue.An, did you have to go through a full medical checkup (complete with lab tests) prior to surgery? We had to, each time.

Snow doesn’t cause any additional issues with glare etc.  Just what anyone would experience I suspect driving in snow.  Our blizzards are something else here in Atlantic Canada.  We have days whole city shuts down and we don’t come out of our houses till it’s over.  Can’t even see house across the street in the midst of one of those!

No no medical checkup necessary prior to cataract surgery.  What is the reasoning you both had to go through that?   Hospital were surgery took place doesn’t even do an IV.  Your eye is dilated and frozen - that is it.  They will give you an Ativan if you want.

For pre-tests went once to the opthamologist to have eyes dilated and examined and once I had chosen Symfony lenses they had me come in to do another eye test in front of a machine - had to look at lights without blinking - 10 seconds each eye.

Also had to go into the hospital optical Center for pre-tests - eye mapping etc.  But no other lab tests.  What sort of lab tests did they do for you and your husband?  Blood work too?   Perhaps if an anesthesiologist is present for surgery and IV is administered those need to be done - not sure.

Yes same as your husband - oncoming headlights worse than concentric circles and I didn’t like them before I had cataract surgery.  Better if highway is divided but here in Atlantic we have lots of highways that aren’t divided.

We only have Hwy1 here.   Driving day or night here isn't a problem.  Not sure why we needed it while you did not need a pre-Op medical checkup. All the optical pre-tests (mapping etc) were done at our eye-surgeon's clinic.

I'm so happy to read of you hubby's great results! It really saddens me to read of those who're having problems. I would give up my other senses as long as I had my eyes, so I can't imagine living with some of the issues that others have had.

I'm also going to make a confession. When hubby had his trifocals, he walked into it pretty blind --no pun intended. It was a case of 2 options and he went for the better one. We both had a lot of faith in Dra. Claudia, so while it all worked out, it was a bit naïve. When it was my turn, I'd found this site and also did a LOT of research...sort of. I knew that my eyes were crappy, so I went for the best available and hoped that I'd get at least what I'd had with contacts. Obviously, it's so much better. The crisp vision from day 1 was just so unexpected, but an absolute gift.

I was told that it's actually large eyeballs, not pupils, something that high myopics are prone to having. If I understood correctly, this could have negatively affected the retinas (with all of the degeneration, lattice, and holes, oh my!). I don't know what the surgeon used to remove the lenses because I was pretty out of it. The cataracts were just starting, but the surgery was done at this stage since my eyes were so bad and weren't going to get any better in the future. It was a bit more in-depth, but that was the bottom line.

I didn't have to wear any eye shield, other than the sunglasses the day of surgery and that night, and then just was very, very careful...sleeping on my back, using the drops, not picking up my lard-butt of a dog, etc, etc. I honestly could have driven the following day, but waited a week until after my second follow-up with the doc.

You're absolute right; my results are amazing and I'm incredibly grateful that for the first time in my life, something has turned out right when it comes to my eyes. I know I'm lucky because the nighttime vision hasn't changed and driving isn't an issue. Yes, concentric circles pop up at certain angles, but it's so similar to what I had with contacts that I'm quickly learning how to slightly adjust my gaze and they disappear.

I would do it again in a New York second!

Boy, you're sure right I didn't realize how much I'd been missing until I was able to see it again.