Cataract surgery/proceedure ..thoughts suggestions

[Geezer in NH]

Get it done with the implants. For reading you can buy the cheapie ones from the drug store.

[rfd]

i'm 72 and had both cataract surgery (aka "lens replacement") and laser surgery done for each eye, one week apart back in may. no clue what "cataract surgery" was all about and was somewhat apprehensive as expected, but not scared. both eye procedures were a piece of cake. and with each eye, the day after surgery became like looking at a whole new world .... ooooo ... aaahhhhh ... wheeeee. awesome. and for the very most part now, i don't need glasses for anything other than really small print reading.

has it helped my shooting?? HAH!!!!

[jbutts6785]

Had mine done 5 years ago. They were done two weeks apart, and the procedure was amazingly fast.
It did wonders for my shooting with iron sights. For fine print or weird fonts, I need reading glasses, but the cheap drugstore ones do just fine. For most other reading, my arms are pretty much long enough.

[Geezer in NH]

Getting old can be beat back. I have a diabetes related eye problems. Retinal requiring shots every month. Caused by my doctor for 15 years claiming he missed it. New doctor a week later got me stabilized in 6 months.

Eyes were already affected as it will in some. My Eye retinal specialist saved me from going blind. Thank You!

4K per month thank you for insurance!

Laser surgery has kept my right eye at 20-25 not great as I had 20-15 when competing in ML Matches.

My left still getting shots every month till it settles down where the rest of the laser surgey can be completed.

As for the cataracts at this time the DR. Says when the left eye is stabilized we can fix the right eye.
Seems a year away at this time bur I will have it done.

Going blind is a life changing moment I do not want to be at.

Both my wife's sisters have had them don in the last 5 years and wouls do so again. One sister who wore the coke bottle glasses most of her life. Now has implants and just uses the drug store ones to read.

They got their dads blue eyes mne got her moms brown ones and has no problems but will get the sugery when she needs it .

Simple unlike her 4 knee replacements.

[woodbutcher]

Had my left eye done 10-05-17.Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyy.What a difference.Need readers,but that`s ok by me.I can now read my license tag from across the street(about 60ft).
Helped a bunch in the girl watching department too.Hey!!!!!!!!!! I`m old,NOT dead .Being blind in my right eye since 16,I got the lense for distance+glasses.Oh yeah.The incision size for my surgery was 3mm.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[StratsMan]

I had my second lens replacement about a month ago... First one was years ago... Just the way my eyesight deteriorated... One eye is corrected for distance, and one eye is corrected somewhat closer so I only need glasses for close reading.

If I had to do it all again, there's one thing I'd reconsider: which eye for distance, and which for closer focus. Why?? I can't see my sights...

My right eye was the first corrected, several years ago. I think the doc arbitrarily chose the longer focal distance because it was the first to be replaced. He told me that the left eye was clouding up also, but was not bad enough to justify replacement yet. I should have considered at that time that I am right-eye dominant and chosen to have the right eye adjusted for closer focus instead of (almost) infinity. As a result, I can't see the iron sights on a handgun or a rifle... Not even a long barrel TrapDoor. So I have to use optics when shooting with my right eye, or do cross-dominant sighting (handguns). If I want to see open sights on a rifle, I have to switch to shooting left handed (non-dominant for me).

Let your eye doc know about your hobbies, and how you actually use your vision. Make choices that are well thought out for your long term needs, not their preferences...

[popper]

astigmatism has 2 reasons. I had part of mine removed by scraping the cornea, now 20/40 vision. Still need to get the /40 corrected by cornea replacement (new lens). Bro. is getting his astigmatism/cataract fixed by lens replacement -eyeball and muscle situation. Only problem I've heard of is bright lights - eye isn't used to NOT seeing through the fog. Recovery is pretty short. One problem that isn't too common is retinal situations can be made worse. Seems to be more common for diabetic folks - 3 friends in that situation, get to have extra work done. Pre-existing condition that is exacerbated by the lens replacement procedure. So you need to have the eye doc make a good exam (they usually do) for retina problems. I've been told mild 'floaters' aren't a big problem.

[Brokenbear]

Well guys ...I go for the pre surgery exam by the surgeon 8/7 ....read every one of these comments(which I thank you) as well as on the web reading/learning ...must say still very leery since my now deceased father was blinded by this surgery 30 years ago ...so worried about my hereditary history ...but I keep telling myself today's surgery vs 30 years ago are likely not even in the same ballpark ...just a big chicken I must admit

Bear

[rfd]

bear, for the very most part these dayze, cataract surgery is routine surgery, nothing special.

i have no doubt that yours will go just fine, no worries.

[BUCKEYE BANDIT]

Going in for my eval. 21 Aug. reading and watching with GREAT interest .

Thanks everyone,just got back from Camp Perry,(didn't shoot) sure will be nice to read the firing point numbers from the 200 yd. line LOL .

edit how long of a recovery before recoil is safe (high power rifle ) Thanks !!

[RED BEAR]

Everyone i know who has had it done was very happy that they did. Seem that it is a pretty routine now.

[mold maker]

Apprehension is natural, but the rewards are truly wonderful. If your eyes are eligible, "get er done".
At 73 it gave me vision I had never had. Glasses had only improved sight to 20/30 since age 5. Now I'm 20/15 without glasses.
Bright colors with no halos and definition of details can be expected. Many need dime store readers for close work, but even that sure beats dirty coke bottle bottoms that constantly slide down your nose.

[JoeJames]

I had my right eye done about 12 years ago. I had previously had surgery on my right eye for a detached retina which had rehealed but they were afraid it might come loose. So they went in and cauterized my right retina. As day follows night I developed a cataract in my right eye. Had the surgery no prblem - 20-20 and so on. This is the important part They forgot to mention that some people develop what they call a "Secondary Cataract". The envelope holding the lens clouds over. Lucky me, I had one. The second procedure is to remove part of the envelope that holds the new lens. It is a short procedure, about 5 zaps with a laser - in house and in and out in about an hour.

[mold maker]

I was warned that surgery done too soon, (before cataracts are full-blown) can result in secondary growth. Where I went, I waited for over a year for them to mature.