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Eliot Rosewater

(31,097 posts)
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 03:54 PM Jun 2020

Any ophthalmologists here? Optometrists? I had IOL implant done with catarct

surgery and made a horrible choice for the lens, because it was not explained properly to me I did not choose distance, I chose intermediate so now I still have to wear glasses or contacts when had I done DISTANCE I would not have to.

It is devastating.

Can LASIK be done on top of this to correct it? Does it depend at all on how much scarring was left over from my surgery?

Anyone who is not a gemologist or surgeon should not get anything but distance and I wish my doctors would have sat me down and said no, you dont want this, but they didnt. i.e. there is no reason on earth to not do distance unless you make your living looking at things 3 feet away...

Anyway, help.

16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Any ophthalmologists here? Optometrists? I had IOL implant done with catarct (Original Post) Eliot Rosewater Jun 2020 OP
IOL lenses can indeed be replaced. Don't be despondent. Make an appointment w an optho. FreepFryer Jun 2020 #1
They told me they cant redo the IOL, too much scarring Eliot Rosewater Jun 2020 #4
Second opinion FreepFryer Jun 2020 #6
Just a patient here...but I didnt know there were options ( I have had both eyes done).. samnsara Jun 2020 #2
I was nearsighted to begin with and got the near IOLs DonaldsRump Jun 2020 #3
But you could have eliminated glasses entirely from your life and only use readers. Eliot Rosewater Jun 2020 #5
I don't want to wear readers! Readers are glasses too. DonaldsRump Jun 2020 #7
I hate to keep on this, but you are saying you prefer wearing glasses for distance, as in Eliot Rosewater Jun 2020 #8
That's exactly what I'm saying DonaldsRump Jun 2020 #9
The intermediate actually makes it so I can see near and intermediate, so if Eliot Rosewater Jun 2020 #10
I'm neither DonaldsRump Jun 2020 #11
When I had my cataract surgery... matt819 Jun 2020 #12
Wait, what? You got the IOL implants, but you passed on 20/20? Do you need Eliot Rosewater Jun 2020 #13
Yes. matt819 Jun 2020 #14
Sorry you're going through this. elleng Jun 2020 #15
I had MOMFUDSKI Jun 2020 #16

samnsara

(17,570 posts)
2. Just a patient here...but I didnt know there were options ( I have had both eyes done)..
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 04:31 PM
Jun 2020

.... before my surgery a friend of mine said she got lenses for 'close up' and she loved it. So I asked my Dr and she said they never recommend the lenses for closeness. She said 'Wouldnt you like to just hop out of bed and see clearly?' Well I only had reading glasses to start with. So my 'new lenses' basically cleared up all the fuzziness and gave me sharper vision but my readers went from 1 to 2.5

My far vision didn't change.

DonaldsRump

(7,715 posts)
3. I was nearsighted to begin with and got the near IOLs
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 04:48 PM
Jun 2020

I am delighted. I could always see close up without glasses, and now I can see close up from a bit further away, again without glasses. I was horribly myopic for years, so I have had to wear distance-vision glasses .

Like I said, I am delighted. I have varifocal glasses (I've been wearing glasses for decades), and my total vision is much better than it used to be.

I couldn't stand the thought of wearing glasses just for reading. I prefer not to wear glasses for reading, etc. In fact, right now, I'm typing this on the laptop with no glasses. That was my personal preference, and I am very happy I went that way.

You should hopefully be able to change IOLs, but I think it needs to be done pretty quickly.

Eliot Rosewater

(31,097 posts)
5. But you could have eliminated glasses entirely from your life and only use readers.
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 04:54 PM
Jun 2020

That is what contacts are doing for me and what would have been had I chosen the right lens IOL.

DonaldsRump

(7,715 posts)
7. I don't want to wear readers! Readers are glasses too.
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 05:45 PM
Jun 2020

I've lived for decades reading close up without glasses, and I love it. Equally, I had been wearing distant vision glasses/contacts for decades.

The one option you have where you might not need to wear any glasses are the multi-focal IOLs. However, they're not guaranteed to make you glasses-free and you might suffer halos at night and glaring headlights when driving at night. Plus they are expensive.

I am very happy with my near vision IOLs.

Eliot Rosewater

(31,097 posts)
8. I hate to keep on this, but you are saying you prefer wearing glasses for distance, as in
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 05:48 PM
Jun 2020

driving
watching tv
doing chores around the house

EVERYTHING other than reading?

The main reason I made this mistake is I assumed that my eyes were so bad that if I did distance I would still need glasses, that was not made clear to me.

With contacts I am good to go for distance but I hate the mess they involve including now with the virus, putting my fingers in my eyes.

Surely you can prefer what you want, but you prefer to have to buy and wear glasses just so you dont have to use readers?

with the way it is now I would have to constantly take my glasses OFF to read then put them back on, all day long...without contacts that is what I was living, made me crazy.

DonaldsRump

(7,715 posts)
9. That's exactly what I'm saying
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 05:58 PM
Jun 2020

Different strokes for different folks. I have been able to read close up without glasses all my life, and I don't want to change that now.

I read for a living, so that's relevant too. I would be wearing reading glasses reading books, working on the computer etc. if I went with the distant IOLs.

I am very surprised your surgeon didn't discuss this in detail with you. I did a lot of research on multi-focal IOLs vs. near IOL vs. far IOLs (i didn't know there was an intermediate, but that seems to be the worst of both). My ophthalmic surgeon understood my concerns and agreed that near IOLs was best for me.

Contact your doctor IMMEDIATELY to see if they can redo this. I think they can, but it needs to be fairly recent in time to your original surgery.

Eliot Rosewater

(31,097 posts)
10. The intermediate actually makes it so I can see near and intermediate, so if
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 06:03 PM
Jun 2020

you are a gemologist or surgeon, this is good, otherwise not at all.

That you dont mind buying, wearing, cleaning, finding, breaking prescription glasses when you dont have to, well like you said, different strokes.

They told me a month after the surgery when I called and complained that there was too much scarring to do it again, so my hope is Lasik is an option.

I told them anytime anyone who is not a gemologist or surgeon asks for anything but distance they must have an intervention and explain to them the odds are they will hate their choice.

Isnt wearing masks annoying with glasses? that alone makes me angry this happened, for now I use contacts but still...

THANKS for your interaction here, I am not upset with YOU and of course you know that, I am surprised at your preference but you have a different life situation than I do.

DonaldsRump

(7,715 posts)
11. I'm neither
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 06:14 PM
Jun 2020

Am a lawyer, spending most of working time in front of a computer. I would be wearing reading glasses most of the time anyway while working. For me, given I love reading a book in bed without glasses/using a laptop close up etc, and the fact that I would need glasses of some sort anyway, I went with near IOLs.

I agonized over the decision for nearly two months, researching and discussing with my family, the doctor etc. I was going to go with the multifocal IOLs, but the downsides and the cost made me go with the near IOLs and multi-focal glasses.

Search in YouTube, Google, etc for "lasik after cataract surgery" and you will find tons of stuff, if they can't redo the lens implants.

matt819

(10,749 posts)
12. When I had my cataract surgery...
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 06:30 PM
Jun 2020

The doctor offered to put on 20/20 lenses. No glasses after 40 years. Yay, right.

I chose something like 20/40 or so because I couldn’t get my Ganda around the idea of not wearing glasses. It’s who I am.

Sounds goofy, I guess, but I’m happy with the decision.

elleng

(130,156 posts)
15. Sorry you're going through this.
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 07:09 PM
Jun 2020

I've had cataract surgery, 2 eyes, 1 year apart. My doc's office provided lots of written info about lens choices, and I decided for DISTANCE (which is why I first went, halos around oncoming headlights were unpleasant to say the least.)

I don't mind using reading glasses, I have a prescription pair, AND an over-the-counter pair from CVS (which I keep in my purse.)

MOMFUDSKI

(5,206 posts)
16. I had
Sat Jun 13, 2020, 07:37 PM
Jun 2020

lenses that allow me to see far, near and mid. Paid $7000. Was nearsighted all my life and wore contacts for 44 years. My eye doc told me the brand I wound up with is now considered the cadillac of lenses. I am super happy and only wear readers while reading a book for a long period of time as the letters get a bit bigger and darker and why not be comfortable? Best of luck to you. Had this done 15 months ago.

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