PCO Effects
Posted , 7 users are following.
I'm am wondering if I may be starting to get PCO effects with my right eye that had cataract surgery almost 6 months ago.
Today my right eye has been quite blurry giving me worse than 20/40 vision which I haven't had that bad in that eye since the intiial month or two after surgery. It does get better some for a minute if I use a drop of lube eyedrop, but that doesn't last. I shall see if it gets better tomorrow after a night's sleep.
But if its PCO, should it get cloudy/blurry and just stay that way and not vary daily or could it be blurry one day and not the next?
0 likes, 11 replies
at201 Night-Hawk
Posted
It is possible that the issue is due to the PCO as well as the dry eye, the later contributing to the variation during the day.
it is best to get it checked out.
lance01698 at201
Posted
Is it true that if it was only a case of PCO then there would be no variation?
If it's dry eyes, then are the drops temporary or going to be a necessary part of life forever? How often do these drops typically need to be applied?
brizy Night-Hawk
Posted
I had pco and that's exactly how mine started. Like you I thought it should be the same at all times but I think eye drops help clear your vision anyway so will briefly improve your vision no matter what. Well, that's my theory anyway. Either way it is simple to spot for any optometrist.
diane48177 Night-Hawk
Posted
I’m 5 weeks post op and my right eye is still 20/40 but every time I use eye drops my vision is perfect for a few minutes.
Night-Hawk diane48177
Posted
Months ago I bought a standard wall eye chart, available from amazon and other sources.
I taped it on a wall where I can stand back 20feet to view the eye chart and can check each eye daily and at different times of the day.
Usually my right eye is best early in the morning, many days its been 20/20 or better then and then degrades some in the afternoon and evening but its usually been 20/25 or 20/30 at worst later in the day.
But today its been 20/40 or worse, overall blurry/hazy since this morning. Only a drop of lubricating eye drops improves the vision but only for a minute or two, so its not long enough to help.
I had this same issue during the first month or so after surgery when my cornea was still healing - and back then often after a night's sleep the vision would be good again the next day.
The humidity here is quite low today, so it might be another dry eye effect. I will clean my right eye lid with a Occusoft pad tonight since in the past that has helped too. May have to do that regularly if it helps.
If not, if it stays 20/40 or worse for several days in a row then I would know its probably something else, perhaps the start of PCO that I will then have checked at the eye doctor. Can an eye doctor with a dilated exam see the capsule and determine for sure if its PCO? I don't want to go thru the YAG procedure unless PCO is certain.
at201 Night-Hawk
Posted
As a side comment, having some PCO is not by itself enough of a justification for getting a YAG laser treatment to get rid of it. Unless that is a major reason for your vision degradation, the decision to get rid of it is not straightforward. Like any surgery or procedure, there are potential advantages and disadvantages. Speaking for myself, I have had a small amount of PCO in my left eye for 15 years or so, but have chosen to not have a YAG laser procedure because the potential slight improvement in the vision is not worth any potential risk (my ophthalmologist has never pushed for it).
Night-Hawk
Posted
My right eye vision started to improve last night and today so far after a night's sleep its been back to 20/25 to 20/20. Still using lubricating eyedrops since today again its very low humidity here.
at201 Night-Hawk
Posted
ethel1955 Night-Hawk
Posted
diane48177 Night-Hawk
Posted
I still think I have 20/40 vision in my right eye after surgery almost 6 weeks ago. I'm curious though, when I put lubricating drops in my eyes. My vision actually feels 20/20. If lubricating drops can do this, does this mean the eye is not done healing? Or is it typical for drops to provide better vision and if thats the case wouldn't it be nice to have a steady drip of lubrication? lol
at201 diane48177
Posted
No one's cornea is completely smooth. Of course, some people's cornea is more smooth than others.
The less-than-desired cornea smoothness results in the focus at the retina being not as good as it can be. Thus, instead of seeing 20/15, one may see only 20/30 or even 20/40 even with the best lens power.
If one's eye is not dry or if one uses lubricating drops, a very thing layer of tear drop covers the cornea and fills up the rough areas in the cornea, which makes the cornea smooth and results in a better focus and vision.
Of course, if there is too much water on the cornea, that won't help either. That is why if one is crying, the vision will be a little blurry for a while. Even some eye lubricants will make your vision blurry for 2-3 minutes before the vision becomes good again.