Problem after cataract surgery
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hi! I had cataract surgery on my left eye 2 weeks ago. Was fitted with mono vision Alcon lens. Had 4 post-op visits and was told that everything is perfect. And it was. I had 20/20 vision in the operated eye on the forth day after the surgery. Tonight I was looking at the black street sign with with white lettering and noticed that I see second row of letters on the top of the original ones. I have no problems reading, watching TV or working on the computer. But seeing this second row of letters scared me. Did anybody experienced something like that? Please help!
0 likes, 38 replies
Sue.An adele26642
Posted
i assume you meant monofocal lens was implanted. monovision is a strategy where one eye is targeted for distance and other eye is targeted for near so that one is less reliant on glasses. So assuming you just needed one lens implanted due to a cataract and a standard monofocal lens was used.
Prior to surgery did you wear glasses for both distance and reading? Also did you have any astigmatism prior to cataract surgery and if yes was it corrected with surgery (sometimes the surgery itself causes astigmatism)?
Without knowing the answers to these questions there could be a couple of explanations.
soks Sue.An
Posted
Those two explanations are very valid especially if you noticed at night when both your eyes will be active due to the dark. I have just one eye that has been operated on and if I don't wear glasses for the other eye which is -2D then my night vision is quite blurry unless I put my glasses on.
I also have mild astigmatism -0.5/178 in the operated eye. While it does sharpen stuff in the distance when corrected it is not strong enough to cause double image.
adele26642 Sue.An
Posted
Thanks, Sue.An!
I had monofocal lens for distance implanted. Before the surgery I used glasses for reading. I am using them now, while waiting for the other eye's surgery, which is in 2 weeks. Before the surgery ophthalmologist told me that I do have mild astigmatism. I never knew I had one.
adele26642 soks
Posted
So, it could be the sign of astigmatism? My husband has astigmatism and he said that he also sees the second line on the that street sign.
But I read somewhere that it could be the dislocation of the lens. I am so confused!
Sue.An soks
Posted
soks do you only notice it with white lettering on black backgrounds? I too have slight astigmatism. .50 in LE and .25 in RE.
I too notice slight ghosting or highlighting with white lettering on black backgrounds. Mainly on backlit devices.
soks adele26642
Posted
It very likely is astigmatism albeit even a slight one. Green stop lights are elongated vertically and almost double for me. But when I use the astigmatism lens they straighten up. My optometrist has given me an astigmatism lens to try out for a week. That lens also makes me 20/10 in visual acuity.
soks Sue.An
Posted
The subtitles on the tv or text on tv have a border. They are white on black background. It is ghosting on all sides. With refraction error it is a shadow on one side only. But this is like slight border around the entire letters and it goes away when I use an astigamtism lens. I am not going to try an correct it. I will get the glasses to correct it to use for night time driving.
adele26642 soks
Posted
Hi Soks,
I also think that this is astigmatism. I'll wait for the second eye's surgery and see how it goes. But today I notice this "doubling" more. Maybe because I am looking for it, who knows!
Sue.An soks
Posted
yes I have slight astigmatism too but only got that correction in my sun glasses. I fo notice slight ghosting with white lettering on dark backgrounds (TV) not on iphone (perhaps due to distance)?
Ghosting is on bottom of lettering - not sides or above so likely due to LE power being slightly off. Distance calculated 20/25 in that left eye as opposed to 20/20 for right eye. With both eyes open I see 20/20 so never bother with glasses. Ghosting is very faint.
adele26642 Sue.An
Posted
Ghosting I see also, mostly, on the bottom of the lettering. Sometimes it is on the top. I also don't see it on the cell phone.
I have monofocal lens, calculataed for distance. My distance vision is 20/20 without glasses and I am using +1 glasses for reading. Before surgery I used +2.75 for reading and +1 for TV.
If not for that ghosting, I would consider results of my surgery as being "perfect" (so far). I remember that, before the surgery, the doctor told me that I will have perfect distance vision without glasses and will need glasses for reading. And she was right, so far. And she also said that I have slight astigmatism. And, if it will bother me, I will get glasses to correct it. I don't know why the doctor that I saw today, said that my slight astigmatism is not the reason of double vision.
steve24102 adele26642
Posted
I was corrected for distance only in both eyes. While waiting for 2nd surgery I had to use one eye to see. Reason was because with one eye glass lens in the non surgery eye and no lens in the operated eye, I had horrible double vision. Without that distance correction using glasses for the one non operated eye it was so blurry made me dizzy...so I just went one eye (cataract replaced) for a few weeks.
Maybe try a contact to balance your non surgical eye until it is done. That will tell you if it is because you are temporarily using implanted lens in combo with glasses. Glasses and eyeball lenses have huge balance difference.
So after all that, an action maybe to ask your surgeon if 2nd eye surgery will eliminate your doubles.
IT can also be astigmatism. Good luck, I'm sure it will be ok.
adele26642 steve24102
Posted
Thank you, Steve24102!
The thing is that I'm seeing this double out of my operated eye. Vision is so foggy in my non-operated one, that I can hardly read letters on that street sign. And a strange thing is that I see doubles only when I am looking at the BLACK sign with WHITE lettering. I don't see doubles anywhere else.
There is another thing that started in about a week after the surgery. Images on my cell phone (letters, numbers, etc.) are, like, jumping a little. Same thing happens when I am looking at something, like a price tag, in the store that has fluorescent lights. I thought that this will go away as soon as my vision settles.
But now, this "jumping", combined with seeing doubles, scares me to death.
Aside of these two things ("jumping" and "doubles"), vision in the operated eye is perfect. I had +2.75 reading glasses before the surgery. I bought +1 glasses after and use them for reading and computer work. My distance vision is crystal clear without glasses.
Sue.An adele26642
Posted
i would not jump to conclusion lens is displaced. If you are noticing slight ghosting/double vision it is more than likely due to reasons I listed. Sounds like you have a second surgery to remove cataract in the other eye. That should balance put your vision so that there isn't a big difference between your eyes. If you didn't need the 2nd surgery I would suggest a contact lens for the other eye. Glasses aren't ideal as the images you see (depending on how nearsighted you are) are too different. i had a 6 week wait between surgeries and poked the lens out of the operated eye. my prescription was -2.75 so I managed but wouldn't have wanted that solution for long term.
If you have astigmatism that would also account for the ghosting. Would you describe it as like the letters are highlighted mainly with white lettering on black? Or is it truly double vision and you notice it even with black lettering on white backgrounds?
adele26642 Sue.An
Posted
Thanks, Sue.An!
My second surgery is scheduled in twelve days.
As to seeing doubles. When I am looking at the black street sign with white letters, I don't see letters highlighted, per say. I see two rows of the same letters, one on top of the other. One (real sign) is bright and clear. And one on the top is like gray and almost transparent. My husband sees this sign exactly the same way I do. He doesn't have cataract, but he has astigmatism.
I don't see it on my white computer screen with black letters or anywhere else. Go figure!
Sue.An adele26642
Posted
this likely will correct itself after second surgery. And if astigmatism is the cause it can be corrected with glasses.
Most times it is a neuro adaptation thing and with only one eye operated on your brain is trying to fuse 2 images. another contributing factor could be the fight for dominance between your eyes. Did your surgeon operate on your dominant eye first?
adele26642 Sue.An
Posted
Thanks, Sue.An!
I have no idea which of my eyes is dominant.
Anyway, I went to the clinic where I had surgery. Just to be on the safe side. They did eye exam, checked intraocular pressure (normal), visual acuity (perfect), etc. Everything is good. Lens is not misplaced or moved or anything like that. They will check how my retina is doing in about 3 weeks.
Regarding "double row". She said that my astigmatism is minimal and it shouldn't give me double vision. She thinks that is has something to do with blocked blood vessels and now, having a clear vision, I can see things that I couldn't before. I am not sure that I am OK with this explanation, but I am not going to dwell on it.
About "dancing images". She said that this will eventually go away. And I won't notice all these things that much after my second second eye is fixed.
She said that brain needs time to adapt. And it could take up to 6 months to recover fully.
soks adele26642
Posted
I am 14 days post op and my vision varies a bit daily. For example today my distance is very clear and I can read stuff that I was a little difficult yesterday. So I am noticing that it fluctuates a bit for both near and far.
adele26642 soks
Posted
Hi Soks,
It seems that we had surgery on the same day, October 25th.
soks adele26642
Posted
Mine was October 24.