Only one good eye and it needs cataract surgery..

hope to get replys from all experts ... am really depressed and nervous as this surgery is my life and death situation 😦. I am 34 years old and my whole family is dependent on my income 😦.. pls provide your opionions as I see from forums seems non toric mono focal seems to be best in my case which need to be set for distance and I am ready to use glasses for near vision... please please advise..

Hi vjkrish,

It must be very stressful to have this occur at such a young age. Did you wear any type of correction for that eye previously? It would be helpful to know. Since you are probably too young to have lost near vision, it might be difficult for you to imagine what it's like to have a reduced range of vision. You will likely get varying opinions here, but I would strongly advise against a multifocal/EDOF since 1) They have a higher incidence of permanent artifacts of various types; and 2) You do not have the other eye to help offset any residual artifacts. 3) The risk of detachment is likely increased in the good eye already; posing the possibility of future compromised retinal condition. Yes, with a "perfect" result these 'premium' lenses seem ideal and enticing; with the promise of good vision in a wider distance range. However, in your situation I would take the safest option possible for that one good eye.

That leaves a monofocal option, which will likely require you to wear correction at some distance(s). Correcting for perfect distance (20/20 or near -0D) means you might need glasses for extended computer work, and reading. Correcting for near (say around -2D?) would allow you to read, but necessitate correction for seeing far away, and perhaps computer use. An intermediate (-1D) would likely be best for computer use, but distance would be a little blurry and reading fine print might be a strain without glasses. My personal preference is for the intermediate option. I ended up with -1.25D (monofocal) in my cataract eye and feel I have great "all-around" vision. I do have the advantage of binocular vision (other eye ended up at -1.5D following retinal detachment, and only has a small cataract so far) which helps a lot, so I really don't know what it would be like with monocular vision. However, I can say that targeting -1D seems like a good compromise because it allows you to walk around most of the time without correction, would be good for intermediate/computer use, and may be adequate for some near vision as well. Driving and other activities requiring perfect distance vision would likely require glasses, as well as reading fine print.

Your doctors are obviously the best resource to address your unique situation, but I have to agree with the surgeon recommending the more conservative monofocal approach. There are no guarantees here with any cataract surgery; just best risk/benefit predictions based on your individual factors, and large-scale studies. It does not seem to me to be worth it to risk permanent visual artifact in exchange for the promise of being free of glasses. As far as which distance to target, that comes down to personal preference and lifestyle. Best of luck to you.

thank you bellad and soks for the response. i currently wear -10 glasses for my correction.my near vision.. i am a softwear engineer and work on computer whole day so my current preference is go for intermediate distance with monofocal and ready to wear glasses as required.. i am just praying god my surgery goes well

i have evaloution scheduled on 29th and most likely surgery will be around mid of December. will keep you posted all on this.. After the surgery can i go back yo work after a week ? i understand results and recovery vary per person but just asking

So sorry to learn of your situation. Hard enough to decide on lens options for cataract surgery with 2 eyes let alone one.

Has either doctor said what caused your early cataract to form in your good eye at 34?

I had a cataract diagnosis at 53 - early too for cataracts. My doctor indicated there is a link between atopic ezcema and early cataracts due to steriod use. Never knew about that and it may have influenced my choice of ezcema treatment had I known. Those creams have not been much help anyways for ezcema.

I assume both surgeons were aware of your unique situation? The safer option for you would be the monofocal lens and given you work with a computer all day targeting it for intermediate distance would allow you to have walk around usable distance as Bella explained would be most helpful.

The multifocal or EDOF (extended depth of focus lens) if all goes well is great but they do have drawback of more night time glare and halos. They ate also considerably pricier. i do wish you all the best for your upcoming surgery.

hi all

i had my preop todau and we decided to go for -1.5d monofocal standard lens..wish me all the best..my surgery is on 20th dec. Praying all goes well..

so i will wear progressive glasses after the surgery