Vision worse after cataract surgery

Posted , 6 users are following.

72 yo healthy male. Severe glare at night, headlights etc. Day vision fine with bifocals all day.

Am now in post op day 3 since placement of Tecnis MF IOL in right eye (first).

Vision worse. More blurry and more cloudy than prior. Worse on eye chart also. No problem other the I am very resistant to dilation; 3 applications necessary for routine exams. HEAVY application prior to surgery.

My reading indicates I should notice almost immediate improvement in visual acuity. I do notice definite increase in brightness compared to left eye.

Is this delay in return to "normal" vision normal, or should I expect longer adjustment period.

I am following all post op instructions.

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    I am assuming that Tecnis MF is one of the multifocal lenses made by Tecnis.

    I am also sorry to learn that you also have an issue with the multifocal lense. Am not sure why in spite of a very large number of people having night vision issues as well as less-than-desirable day vision with them, the surgeons are still recommending and using them for patients. (I had experience with the multifocal contact lenses many years back, hated them, and switched back to the regular contact lenses within less than a week).

  • Posted

    3 days after surgery is way too soon to tell, so yes it's normal (plus everyone is different and some people have worse experiences with one eye compared to the other eye). There have been people who have problems with multifocals, but like I said, it's too soon to tell if it's the lens or not.

  • Posted

    Did you get a monofocal or multifocal IOL?

    I also just had my first cataract surgery in my right eye, 2 days ago (Tue around noon) with a Tecnics toric monofocal IOL for my moderate 3D astigmatism.

    The first day vision was cloudy/hazy in the right eye and worse than 20/50, but the eye was highly dilated all day and night, so even indoor lighting bothered me. I also noticed bizarre rings around many lights like blue LEDS and outside at night even around the moon. Should have taken a nap the rest of that day.

    After a good night's sleep, I awoke the 2nd day to much better vision in the right eye. The haziness was gone, the strange circles around some lights was gone completely and pupil size has gone down almost to normal.  Vision improved to around 20/40, sometimes 20/30 yesterday.  I had my next day post-op checkup that day as well later in the day and said everything was looking good and to expect variations in vision for up to a few weeks before it stabilizes.

    Today (3rd day) again I awoke after a good night's sleep to vision improved, this morning I was seeing 20/25 and at times 20/20. So it appears I must be very close to my target just under 0D for the right eye and hopefully will stabilize at the best vision I've had for short periods today.  Seems like I get a big improvement after each night's rest and no change during the day other than within the range of variation.

    From what I've heard every eye is different and how long it takes and how the cornea heals will vary, so could take a few days or weeks.  Best to have patience and get extra rest.

  • Posted

    Yes, I have Tecnis multi-focal lense in right (dominant eye). Saturday, 5 days post-op, vision not as clear as left eye with glasses. I temoved right lense from my bifocals. Vision is brighter and whiter than left but significant halos still present atound night lights and writing on tv screen.

    • Posted

      Lots of people have written online complaining about multifocals. See if it gets better over time (give it at least a month) and if not, ask your doctor about having it switched.
    • Posted

      After 1-2 weeks vision with Tecnis3.25 multifical had improved to 20/25. (20/50 corrected prior to surg)

      Still improves during day compared to early morning. Still glare/starbursts from headlights and streetlights but this I understand clears up over several months.

      Pleased with results. Have not worn my bifocals for almost 3 weeks. Readers needed for only very tiny print (small pill bottles for example).

      Really appreciate brightness and colors without a yellow-brown tint.

    • Posted

      That's good - also if you ever have any blurriness again, ask your cataract surgeon to check for posterior capsular opacification (also known as PCO). They use a YAG laser to get rid of it.

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