Cataracts

[CMur12]

My last trip to the ophthalmologist indicated that I had the beginning stages of cataracts. How fast does this progress and when can I expect to need Cataracts surgery?

Phil, I imagine it's a little different from individual to individual, but my developing cataracts were first identified in 2017 or 2018. I hadn't had my eyes checked in a long time, so I can't say when the condition would otherwise have been first detected.

I had surgery for both eyes in 2022, on the early side. I think I could have gone at least another year or two before I experienced serious impairment from the cataracts.

- Murray

Thank you Murray. That gives me plenty of time to research it. The prospect of not having to wear glasses afterwards is appealing but with my Astigmatisms...maybe not realistic.

Phil, I had a lot of astigmatism, also, and we had determined that I had it both on the lenses to be removed and on the corneas. I was hoping for a bigger reduction in my astigmatism, but it appears that more of it was on my corneas than we had previously determined.

I was hoping for a complete resolution of my myopia (along with up to half of my astigmatism), but due to some idiosyncrasy in my eye structure, the implant expected to resolve my myopia only corrected to 20/50 (in both eyes). I'm glad I didn't get multi-focal implants or try to correct one eye for near vision, because they would have been miscorrected.

- Murray

[brothers]

I had both eyes done in 2014. Cataracts were corrected as well as my vision. In the beginning I had 20-10 vision which was miraculous, considering I started wearing glasses when I was about 10 years old. Then in 2017 I had a "stroke" in the right eye which resulted in a band of nothing but black in the top of the vision which was annoying but did not cause blindness, and after 5 or 6 years the black curtain has slowly but surely actually cleared up and both the specialist and the ophthalmologist were amazed because they never had any patients whose partial loss of vision actually cleared up. I was diagnosed with a tiny kernel of calcium lodged in a tiny vein located inside the eye. The retina specialist said it was very fortunate the kernel didn't involve my brain. Especially because the little kernel had passed all the way through before it stopped. I'm still on blood thinners.

Most lately I've started to lose the extremely sharp and clear vision in both eyes, which is to be expected as I continue to grow older. The next time I visit the ophthalmologist this coming July, I'll ask him if it will be possible to refresh the original 2014 procedure so I can continue to see like a hawk.

[BullGoose]

Phil, I imagine it's a little different from individual to individual, but my developing cataracts were first identified in 2017 or 2018. I hadn't had my eyes checked in a long time, so I can't say when the condition would otherwise have been first detected.

I had surgery for both eyes in 2022, on the early side. I think I could have gone at least another year or two before I experienced serious impairment from the cataracts.

- Murray

Thank you Murray. That gives me plenty of time to research it. The prospect of not having to wear glasses afterwards is appealing but with my Astigmatisms...maybe not realistic.

Phil, I had a lot of astigmatism, also, and we had determined that I had it both on the lenses to be removed and on the corneas. I was hoping for a bigger reduction in my astigmatism, but it appears that more of it was on my corneas than we had previously determined.

I was hoping for a complete resolution of my myopia (along with up to half of my astigmatism), but due to some idiosyncrasy in my eye structure, the implant expected to resolve my myopia only corrected to 20/50 (in both eyes). I'm glad I didn't get multi-focal implants or try to correct one eye for near vision, because they would have been miscorrected.

- Murray

How do they determine where the astigmatism is? Is this something that will show when they dilate my eyes or is it something that won't be discovered until they are into the surgery? It would be nice to have the information ahead of time so I can make the best decision. I'm glad that you chose correctly.

[BullGoose]

I had both eyes done in 2014. Cataracts were corrected as well as my vision. In the beginning I had 20-10 vision which was miraculous, considering I started wearing glasses when I was about 10 years old. Then in 2017 I had a "stroke" in the right eye which resulted in a band of nothing but black in the top of the vision which was annoying but did not cause blindness, and after 5 or 6 years the black curtain has slowly but surely actually cleared up and both the specialist and the ophthalmologist were amazed because they never had any patients whose partial loss of vision actually cleared up. I was diagnosed with a tiny kernel of calcium lodged in a tiny vein located inside the eye. The retina specialist said it was very fortunate the kernel didn't involve my brain. Especially because the little kernel had passed all the way through before it stopped. I'm still on blood thinners.

Most lately I've started to lose the extremely sharp and clear vision in both eyes, which is to be expected as I continue to grow older. The next time I visit the ophthalmologist this coming July, I'll ask him if it will be possible to refresh the original 2014 procedure so I can continue to see like a hawk.

Wow! You dodged a bullet. I look forward to hearing what your ophthalmologist says in July. I hope that you can continue to see like a hawk as well.

[CMur12]

Thank you Murray. That gives me plenty of time to research it. The prospect of not having to wear glasses afterwards is appealing but with my Astigmatisms...maybe not realistic.

Phil, I had a lot of astigmatism, also, and we had determined that I had it both on the lenses to be removed and on the corneas. I was hoping for a bigger reduction in my astigmatism, but it appears that more of it was on my corneas than we had previously determined.

I was hoping for a complete resolution of my myopia (along with up to half of my astigmatism), but due to some idiosyncrasy in my eye structure, the implant expected to resolve my myopia only corrected to 20/50 (in both eyes). I'm glad I didn't get multi-focal implants or try to correct one eye for near vision, because they would have been miscorrected.

- Murray

How do they determine where the astigmatism is? Is this something that will show when they dilate my eyes or is it something that won't be discovered until they are into the surgery? It would be nice to have the information ahead of time so I can make the best decision. I'm glad that you chose correctly.

Phil, I don't know how they determine where the astigmatism lies. My understanding was that they could see it easily enough. I don't recall if the ophthalmologist/surgeon tested for that alone or if my normal optometrist could measure it also.

- Murray

[drmoss_ca]

Astigmatism is detected at optometry, when the big black glasses go on and different lenses are put in. Astigmatism is a cylindrical distortion of your lens, rather than spherical as for myopia or hypermetropia. This means the lens is curved more in one direction than in others. So you put in a cyclindrical lens, rotate it until it looks clearest - you found the axis of the astigmatism - the swap strengths of lens until it is corrected properly. No dilatation for this.

[BullGoose]

Astigmatism is detected at optometry, when the big black glasses go on and different lenses are put in. Astigmatism is a cylindrical distortion of your lens, rather than spherical as for myopia or hypermetropia. This means the lens is curved more in one direction than in others. So you put in a cyclindrical lens, rotate it until it looks clearest - you found the axis of the astigmatism - the swap strengths of lens until it is corrected properly. No dilatation for this.

Understood. My question was pertaining to Murray's situation where he said his astigmatism was on both the lenses to be removed as well as on the cornea. Is there any way to determine this ahead of time?

[drmoss_ca]

Ah, if the intra-ocular lens implants have cylindrical correction, it must be to counter the effects of a cornea that has some cylindrical aberration. Going back to Murray's post I see this was the case. I believe that can be measured externally, otherwise one wouldn't know what kind of lens to implant and how to orient it. I'm not an ophthalmologist, but I think one way might be to use the same kind of ultrasound scan of the cornea to detect thickness, as is done before Lasik procedures.

[BullGoose]

Ah, if the intra-ocular lens implants have cylindrical correction, it must be to counter the effects of a cornea that has some cylindrical aberration. Going back to Murray's post I see this was the case. I believe that can be measured externally, otherwise one wouldn't know what kind of lens to implant and how to orient it. I'm not an ophthalmologist, but I think one way might be to use the same kind of ultrasound scan of the cornea to detect thickness, as is done before Lasik procedures.

Thank you very much for the explanation. It will be an interesting experience. Its amazing what they can do these days. The prospect of not needing glasses is very appealing.

[brothers]

When we got our eyes fixed we never dreamed of anything even remotely related to this train of thought. We presumed our doctors would know about such things, so we had the appropriate medical care and never looked back.

[CMur12]

When we got our eyes fixed we never dreamed of anything even remotely related to this train of thought. We presumed our doctors would know about such things, so we had the appropriate medical care and never looked back.

Gary, I'm not sure if you are referring to anything specific, but even the finest of doctors can't anticipate their patients' every idiosyncrasy. In most cases, the results will match expectations, but every once in awhile someone, like myself, will have something a little different from the norm in their make-up, with unexpected results.

Before the surgeries, I signed a disclaimer that explained different things that could go awry. My own situation fit within those outlined in the disclaimer, so I can't complain. I didn't get exactly what I had hoped for, but I can live comfortably with my own outcome.

- Murray

[brothers]

Good morning Murray. My point may have been a bit obscure. Nothing regarding doctors. As we lounge here in the old gentlemen's parlor we puff our cigars and pontificate in detail about our shared physical maladies, some eagerly participate but others might roll their eyes and concentrate on their own personal medical trials and tribulations!

[CMur12]

Hi Gary -

It sounded like you were saying that you would undertake such a surgery, seeking no additional information and believing that nothing could go wrong. That surprised me, so I responded.

- Murray

[kronos9]

Nothing could go wrong? My ophthalmologist described the risks, not that I'd be dissuaded from going forward. 94% chance of fully successful, a few percent with minor complications, and an even smaller percentage of real complications. Luckily, I was in the 94% group although my blood pressure during the second surgery had the nurses a bit concerned. "Try to relax", the doctor said as I stared up into the femtolaser.

[drmoss_ca]

If people paid attention to the explanation given before signing their consent forms, their consent would be 'informed' as it is supposed to be, and maybe we'd see fewer lawsuits.

C.

[brothers]

68% of humans aged 80+ have cataracts.