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
adele26642
Posted
Right after coming back from the doctor's office I started to see "doubles" while watching TV. It is really annoying!!!
mlcoopa adele26642
Posted
Adele 26642; You may want to consider my situation and ask your Dr if by chance you have a hole in your iris. I had cataract surgery 7 months ago, I have 20/20 in both eyes and use readers. The right eye was textbook perfect. The left eye presented a few issues. I had floaters and ghost imaging as you described. The floaters (RLF- retained lens fragments) resolved after a few months . The ghost image seems to be permanent, although I have adapted to it. It's most obvious at night when viewing lights or as you described white lettering against a black background. I discovered that I could block the ghost image by squinting slightly. My optometrist told me I had a hole in my iris and it could cause an unfocused image to appear on my retina, thus the ghost image. When I squinted, my eyelid just covered the hole so image would disappear. He has seen several patients with that condition after cataract surgery. (My surgeon said the ghost image was an artifact of surgery and I would get used too.) I tried a colored contact lens in an effort to cover the hole and it actually was effective. I am now shopping for a prosthetic contact lens with a black backing and color that exactly matches my eye.
There is a procedure , iridotomy and a condition coloboma which results in a hole in the iris. I am thinking that mine resulted inadvertently from the laser surgery. I text my surgeon to suggest a good prosthetic lens for my condition. He sent text back saying he would get back to me. I am still waiting, it's been about 3 weeks. Just something for you to consider.
adele26642 mlcoopa
Posted
Thanks, mlcoopa!
I will mention this to my doctor.
I am seeing ghost lettering not only on the blacklit devices, but also on TV and computer screen. I must say that this is not really very disturbing. Probably, because my vision is not blurry and it is not like I am seeing double images. It's only letters and only on certain parts
of TV or computer screen.
I will wait for my other eye surgery, which is 10 days from now and see how it goes.
I still think that astigmatism is the culprit.
adele26642
Posted
Hi!
It's 2.5 weeks since my surgery. Today I saw something like white cloud in my operated eye's field of vision. It lasted less than a second and it happened twice today (so far).
Could it be the part of rehabilitation process or is it something more sinister?
Did something like this happen to anybody esle?
Would very much appreciate any response.
adele26642
Posted
Yesterday, after 3 weeks after surgery, my vision started to become cloudy and out of focus. It happened like 3 or 4 times during the day and each episode lasted for about 30 seconds. It scared me and I called the clinic. They told me to come over. I went right away, they checked acuity (20/20), eye pressure (normal), examined with the lamp and the surgeon said that nothing wrong with my eye, everything is perfect. They, again, told me that my blood vessels are responsible.
I can't believe that my clogged blood vessels are responsible for ghosting, cloudiness and out of focus vision. But, what else could it be, if nothing wrong with the eye? Just the rehabilitation process, lens moving and adjusting? Will it pass?
Did anybody experienced similar, brief, episodes of cloudiness and feeling out of focus after the surgery?
Any reply would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks.
at201 adele26642
Posted
Sorry to learn of your double vision issue and now cloudiness issue after the cataract surgery in your left eye.
The doctor's explanation that your "blood vessels are responsible." for the double vision does not make any sense. There has to be a different explanation for that issue and probably the cloudiness issue (there may be different reasons for the two issues. I will strongly suggest that you see a different ophthalmologist to get a second opinion.
By the way, with respect to the double vision issue, do you see the ghost image with the right eye closed? If not, then the difference in the power of the 2 eyes (if you are using glasses) may be the culprit. If you see the ghost image even with the just the left eye open, then it is probably due to the astigmatism in that eye.
As a side note to other members on this forum, I am happy to be back on this forum (for some reason, I just stopped getting the emails from this site a few weeks back and did not take the time to find out why that happened)
adele26642 at201
Posted
at201Thank you very much for your reply!
Thankfully, I did not have any cloudiness episodes since I returned from the doctor's office, day and a half ago. I hope it stays this way. But, who knows!
As to ghost images, I see it with only my left (operated) eye open and with both eyes open. My right eye has a cataract (will be operated next week) and everything is foggy out of that eye.
I hate the feeling like I am constantly waiting for "surprises". It's awfully depressing.
Thanks again for your response.
I really appreciate it.
at201 adele26642
Posted
Wish you the best for a successful cataract surgery in the right eye.
Am glad that the cloudiness in your left eye has disappeared.
My guess is that your seeing ghost images with the left eye is due to astigmatism (since you see those even with the left eye only). Hopefully, with the 2 eyes working together in a week or so, you will see less of the ghost images.
adele26642 at201
Posted
at201 Thank you very much!
I also hope that this week's surgery will be successful.
Cloudiness is not completely gone. Maybe once a day, for the fraction of a second, I can see it. But, I think, it also could be due to the dry eye.
As for ghosting, it doesn't bother me very much. Hope that it could be corrected with eye glasses. But it's a long time until I will be able to get those. I will need to wait until right eye heals.
Thanks again for your kind words. They really help a lot!
Adele
adele26642
Posted
Had my second (right) eye operated on yesterday. Same clinic, same surgeon, same type, monofocal for distance, type IOL.
Was a little upset after waking up today. When I woke up after first surgery, I everything was clear right away. This time I awoke to the same picture as I had BEFORE surgery. Everything was cloudy, plus I saw halos around all sources of light, which I did not have before.
Went to my first post-op visit today. I have very bad case of cornea swelling. They even had a problem measuring my eye pressure. The pressure is OK. They administered glucose drops in my eye, did a shot into the eye, gave me some kind of laser treatment and some other treatment with hand-held machine.
Have to go back tomorrow. In the clinic where I did the surgery, they have 4 consecutive post-op visits, following the surgery. Then, a week after the op and a final visit, after a month.
Now my vision is clearing. It's not clear yet, but it's much better than it was in the morning.
Hope it will get better soon. And I really, really hope that I won't have surprises, like I had with my left eye.
Adele
soks adele26642
Posted
Hi Adele,
Good luck on your healing. When I had my first and only surgery, there was a lady who was getting her second eye done. I met her at the post-op appointment next day and she indicated that her vision was still blurry when the vision was clear the same night of the first surgery.
In terms of halos, with monofocal you should not have too many artifacts. With just one eye with IOL and other eye vision fairly decent, I don't see as much halos. Only when I close the unoperated eye due I see the full effect of halos. So when I have both eyes done the full effect of halos should kick in.
adele26642 soks
Posted
Thanks, Soks! I appreciate your kind reply.
Halos are already gone and vision became much clearer since this morning.
If only I could get rid of ghosting, I would be very happy. Unfortunately, it didn't go anywhere. Or, well. I'll wait for the miracle.
Thanks again.
Adele
Sue.An adele26642
Posted
hi Adele - glad to hear your 2nd surgery was successful.
Is the ghosting only with white lettering on dark backgrounds (TV etc)
It likely means you have slight astigmatism. I have .50 of astigmatism in one eye and .25 in the other and see slight ghosting (below the lettering) . You can get glasses to fix that. I didn't bother but get glasses through my insurance co so added it to my sunglasses even though there is no power (just astigmatism correction).
adele26642 Sue.An
Posted
Hi Sue.An! Thanks for your reply.
I see exactly what you see-slight ghosting below (sometimes over) the lettering. I don't know yet about astigmatism in the eye, operated the day before yesterday. They did not measure it yet (probably will do it today). But in the first eye I have 0.25 and they said that such a small astigmatism can't be the source of ghosting. Which, I think, is a b.s.
By the way, I never spoke to my surgeon. Neither before the op, nor after the op. I saw him only twice, in the operating room. I am seeing only clinic's ophthalmologists. I am being examined and advised by them. The most experienced (in my opinion) was on vacation for all three weeks after my first surgery. I was very happy to see her on my first post-op yesterday. She is very thorough and very knowledgeable. I am seeing her today, on my
second post-op. I will ask her about astigmatism and ghosting.
Adele
mjcg adele26642
Posted
Hi Adele - I'd try not to worry about it since you are only two weeks post-op. I've been told it takes about 6-8 weeks for the eye to settle after cataract surgery. If at that point you are seeing double, you should talk to your cataract surgeon.
adele26642 mjcg
Posted
mjcg
Thank you very much for your reply! I am 4 weeks post-op on my first eye and 1 day post-op on the second one. I will have to wait until the second eye settles. Maybe ghosting will go away by then.
Thanks again.
Adele