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Want to explant IOL, but doc says it isa bad idea

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hilary13182
hilary13182

Hi. I had cataract surgery exactly 3 years ago. My right eye has a -2 lens (perfect!) and the left has a -3 (eye from hell). The left one has been a nightmare since day 1. I had horrible lasik suicide-like pain for 9 months but this eventually faded somewhat. Now I have very, very hazy PCO in that eye. I've been putting off getting the YAG procedure because I truly made a mistake in the -3 power. I should've gone for a -1 1/2.

If I had my wishes, I'd explant this IOL and replace it. But my doc says there is already too much scar tissue, I might get that lasik pain again, and my eye would be a mess. She thinks it is safer to do a PRK instead.

I keep on hoping for a miracle to save me- lol. I'd like to hear from other people- what happened when the original IOL was exchanged for a 2nd one?

0 likes, 30 replies

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  • jo61855
    jo61855 hilary13182

    Posted

    What is causing the pain in your eye, according to your surgeon? Is it related to earlier Lasik surgery resulting in scar tissue development making the type of IOL you received inappropriate? (It may not be a lens power problem). How would PRK help, according to your doctor? How and when would she treat the PCO?

    • hilary13182
      hilary13182 jo61855

      Posted

      Docs have no definitive idea what caused the intense corneal eye pain. My eye still feels like it is partially out of the socket and gets irritated more easily from dust/pollution than the other eye. This is why I've held out for so long- I really want an exchange, but that post surgical pain was terrifying.

  • jo61855
    jo61855 hilary13182

    Edited

    Found an article published in the AAO organization journal about PRK, which covers the pro and cons. " What is Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK)? " Apr. 25, 2023

  • trilemma
    trilemma hilary13182

    Edited

    1. Does your left eye see well at 13 inches, or at least see its best at 13 inches?
    2. Do you have a recent prescription for your eyes, and what does it show for the left eye?

    I understand your concern that the YAG treatment would make swapping lenses not practical.

  • hilary13182
    hilary13182

    Edited

    I cannot find my most recent glasses Rx. The left eye from hell was approximately -3.25d , right one is 1.75d. Yes, I'm terrified of doing the YAG on the left eye, scheduled on Monday. I'm 50/50 into cancelling it. I'm scared as hell I'm closing a door- well, I am. But I've been only using one eye for the last 3 years because of the PCO milky cloudiness, I'm an artist, so a part of me wants to throw in the towel.

    Remember I had extreme corneal neuropathy-pain (the kind you hear about lasik) for 9 months after the surgery in that left eye, the right one was OK from day 1. Appt after appt, the docs thought I was just complaining about dry eye- I wasn't. I'm terrified of the possibility happening again if I do an explant. My surgeon now thinks the pain was from Epithelial Basement Membrane Dystrophy.

    Do you have a suggestion?

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