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Surgery - Both Eyes at Once

Posted , 11 users are following.

jack109
jack109

Hello to all,

Am very new to cataracts, so please bear with me...

I'm 45 and recently diagnosed with pretty advanced cataracts in both eyes. I wondered why my vision had been getting so bad!

Because of various factors I'm having the surgery done privately - and the surgeon has said he sees no danger in doing both eyes on the same day. I've read a few pros and cons for this approach, so wondering if anyone here has experienced this?

Thanks in advance,

Jack

2 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • tigitigi72
    tigitigi72 jack109

    Posted

    Hi, You must, of course, be guided by the professional advice you have been given but I will say that my father had both eyes done at the same time and was virtually blind afterwards.  He was,of course,much older than you and it was then common practise to do both eyes at the same time. (I didn't think it was now but I could be wrong.)  See what other people have to say. 

    Good luck, whatever you decide.

    • jack109
      jack109 tigitigi72

      Posted

      Many thanks for the reply smile

      Quick question, when you say your father was virtually blind afterwards, do you mean just immediately after the surgery, or long term?

      Thanks again.

    • tigitigi72
      tigitigi72 jack109

      Posted

      Can't really remember but, unfortunately, he was never the same again.  He used to read a lot but never did afterwards.  This was very noticeable by all.  Sorry to sound so pessimistic,but just telling it as it is.  Fortunately things have moved on, so I'm sure if your specialist says it's o.k. it is. Still, I would wait to hear what others say.

      Really hope everything goes well for you, whatever your decision,

  • Bumblebea
    Bumblebea jack109

    Posted

    Jack, Take heed. I did only have one eye done in June 2014, just over a year ago. but they have damaged my eye while doing the operation, and it is a nightmare for me. That is why only one eye should be done at a time. If anything goes wrong you do still have a good eye. I will never have the 2nd one done. I would rather have poor sight in it, than endure the uncomfortabel feeling, and pain I have to endure 24 hours a day, and the endless visits to the eye specialists, to see if it can be rectified. So far they have not even disclosed what went wrong. I think it is irresponsibel of the surgeon to even suggest doing both eyes at the same time. .

  • peter1110
    peter1110 jack109

    Posted

    I had one eye done last Nov and have had problems with it ever since, that have were not resolved with a 2nd surgery and there's been no answer as to why it didn't turn out as expected. Now I'm faced with trying a 3rd surgery with no gurantees it'll help or learn to live with it the way it is. You can see my description of what's been going on, under the thread about "flickering", if you're interested.

    Even though the 2nd eye has a catract that's worsening, I'm very reluctant to have it done for obvious reasons.

    Even though the surgery is supposed to be "slam dunk" these days, it sure wasn't for me. So no way would I say you should have both eyes done at once. Good luck.

  • james12445
    james12445 jack109

    Posted

    I had one eye done at a time. If you have both eyes done at the same time you will have both eyes taped shut for a time. Don't recall how long, but it was not until the next day. I believe it was only until later the same day. My eye that I had operated on was not in sync with the other eye. But by the next day both were in sync and I no longer had double vision. If both eyes were operated on Wow. They explained that the aneshetic used caused the brain to not being able to sync the eyes or focus the same. Other than that I would have had both eyes done at the same time. Now I have the ability to see much better. Not perfect but better. My vision is 20/30 left eye and 20/40 with the right eye. I can see a golf ball when I hit it and follow it most of the way dependent on how well I hit it. I now can see stars at night that were invisible with my cataracts. I can see as I type this without glasses. It is a terrific operation, but not perfect. 
  • gary06773
    gary06773 jack109

    Posted

    Hi Jack

    Im having both my eyes done at once

    next Friday Surgeon has told me that it is quite normal

      Gary

    • Bumblebea
      Bumblebea gary06773

      Posted

      Gary. Dont do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Read all the comments here, and understand why it is a bad idea. In my opinion any surgeon who says it is normal, is one who wants to make money out of you. Both eyes done at the same time would be a huge saving to him, but he will charge you 2x the price of one eye, and it will just be more profit to him. Responsible surgeons, are more caring. Mine was done at a specialised eye hospital, by athe top Professer. When I asked him about doing both eyes, (having no idea of the impications this could lead too.). The Prof. was adamant, that was something no responsible eye surgeon would contemplate, and for exactly, all the different reasons quoted here. Please, just have one eye done, and then go back after a while and have the 2nd done.
    • gary06773
      gary06773 Bumblebea

      Posted

      Thankyou for your reply and concern

      I have taken many months choosing my consultant

      He is lead eye consultant at a city NHS hospital

      He exdsplained to me that the risk of cross contamination was about a million to one As one eye would be done I would be moved to a seperate operating theatre all staff would re scrup and gawn and then the second eye would be done

      He repeated this in a letter  to me after my second consultasion

      The same day or a week later I would imagine he would have to be very carefull of infection

      I will post after Friday and give van honest accout of my exsperience

      to help others visiting this forum for the first time As all your commennts have helped me

          Gary

    • Bumblebea
      Bumblebea gary06773

      Posted

      Gary, You dont have to reply to convince me. I have already been there and got the t-shirt to prove it. My op was also done by a top professor at a specilist eye hospital. My life has been ruined by the operation, and it has absolutely nothing to do with infection or cross contamination. My sight was restored perfectly, but the membrane around my eye was damaged during surgery. I was told by someone from Moorfields, that there is a high percentage of cataract surgerys that have complications Apparently it is quite common for for here to be a bad result from this surgery. While I hope for your sake that it turns out well for you. It is not helpful or morally right, to try encourage others to have both eyes done at the same time,when there is a safer and more sensible approach that could and should be taken..
    • gary06773
      gary06773 Bumblebea

      Posted

      If you think im encourageing others to have both eyes done on the same day

      you have misread my reply

      As neither of us are medical exsperts I would sugest being guided by your surgeon

      Jacks post stated that his surgeon had reccomended both eyes could  be done together

      Perhaps I should have replied SO DID MINE

      If anyone has mistaken my post as medical advise

      I apolagise

      Im not an exspert I wouldnt have joined this forum if I was

         Regards  Gary

    • peter1110
      peter1110 gary06773

      Posted

      My 2 cents. To us who have had problems and almost undoubtedly we're a minority (for one thing most people who don't have problems probably don't go to a forum like this), it seems foolhardy to have both eyes done at once, no matter what one particular doc advises.  Especially when there seems so little downside to doing them sequentially, besides a little extra time. But either way good luck.
    • gary06773
      gary06773 peter1110

      Posted

      Of course its not foolhardy Peter Its individual choice

      Having both eyes done together has been less traumatic than having my teeth capped

      But as you point out Happy campers rarely post on forums

      The possative posts attract little interest

      But then again the private clinics never publish negative comments

      I made the right choice for me

      I thought long and hard about all of this and was not pursuaded either way

      24 hours on I can see further and finer print than I could when I was a teenager So I must be one of the happy campers

      I hope you get your eye sorted out and the second one goes without isue

         Regards Gary

       

    • peter1110
      peter1110 gary06773

      Posted

      Gald to hear what, from my unhappy point view, was still a gamble (if perhaps a low risk one) worked out for you.
    • joel38600
      joel38600 Bumblebea

      Posted

      This reply is for several different posts.

      1.  Bumblebea mentioned that doctors make more money by doing both eyes at the same time.  This is not true if you have insurance!  Medicare and most other insurance companies pay only 50% for the second eye if done at the same time so they make less than doing it on different days.  My daughter is a dermatologist and it is the same thing with biopsies or lesion removals, that is why dermatologists usually ask you to come back to do a second similar procedure.

      2.  Somebody mentioned that doing both eyes in one day is something they did years ago.  Quite to the contrary, if you Google the subject you will see that doing both eyes in one sitting is a newer concept and at least 50% are done that way in Europe and Canada currently.  i suspect that some of this is due to doctors in the US making only 50% for the second eye as compoared to it being done on a different day and in other countries..

      3.  People who post on message boards like this are usually those few who had a bad result--and that can happen regardless of doing it in one day or two days.  Google the subject and see the recent studies from recognized Medical Centers and Hospitals to get a good idea of the difference.  Antidotal comments from a fewunhappy  people do not make a valid study as the great bulk of people having successful cataract surgery do not go on boards like these.

    • charles94562
      charles94562 joel38600

      Posted

      For those who may be reading this thread in the future, everything in joel38600's post is correct. However, do your own research and decide with your surgeon what is right for you.

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