Anyone dealing with cataract problems and focusing on the GG?

[c6h6o3]

I am a retired Ophthalmologist and would to comment on your situation. Posterior subcapsular cataracts are the most common type in your age group. These tend to grow quickly, cause a lot of glare and hamper overall vision much more than the Snellen vision number (20/20, 20/50, etc.) would indicate. These cataracts grow much more quickly than the garden variety nuclear cataract commonly seen in older individuals.

In your professional experience does having had early posterior subcapsular cataracts affect the odds one way or the other of acquiring nuclear cataracts at a later stage in life? Mine first started showing up at around age 51.

[benjiboy]

That was my experience. The thing I notice now is surgery eye is like a schneider lens and the other looks warmer like a rodenstock. Has this been anyone else's experience.

Yes John It's been mine I had the cataract operation on my left eye about six years ago and the colour vision is slightly different in both eyes.

[fschifano]

********
Groan.

To OP: I had lens replacement on both eyes. Someone used the word miraculous: an understatement. When that bandage came off it was like the scene in the film The Wizard of Oz wher Dorothy opens the window to all that color. Thus far have not needed the post-op laser. And it's been five years or so.

That is exactly the description I heard from two friends who've had cataract surgery. The result, as described by each of these men, is nothing short of miraculous.

[David Beal]

RE different vision in different eyes.

When I had my first eye operated, the world as seen through the unoperated eye looked as yellow as a #11 filter. The ophthamologist told me that you can see this effect if you look at paintings of the masters. From youth to old age, the canvasses take on stronger yellow casts.

I, too had (bilateral) retinal detachment. One eye required laser tacking, but the other one necessitated a more radical procedure called a scleral buckle. I, too had the gas bubble in the eye and had to keep my head bent for a couple of weeks. Fortunately, everything turned out OK.

Apparently if you are over the age of 55, nearsighted, and have undergone cataract surgery, you are at pretty high risk for retinal detachment.

Good luck with the surgery. My vision (before retinal detachment) was 20/15 in both eyes. I now have 20/15 in the left eye and 20/40 in the right eye, so I need one pair of glasses to drive and one pair to read. Bettie Davis was right!

[mprosenberg]

I have had extensive treatment for diabetic retinopathy 20 yrs ago, and lost the vision in my left eye due to subsequent retinal detachment when the vitreous retracted. In my other eye the retinopathy has stabilized but my vision is now 20/35 corrected. I have a cataract developing in that eye, and it has to get really bad to outweigh the risk of surgery.

Having said that, what I found to be of great help is to put a #8 wratten filter in my loupe to cut down on glare and stray light when focusing. At night (and with fl. light) I wear glasses that the local shop tinted to a #8 filter, and during the day glasses tinted to a 16 orange. The latter really helps cut down on the glare off of buildings, sidewalks, etc.

Mike
www.mprosenberg.com

[CPorter]

I thought I would awaken this thread and report that I have completed my cataract surgeries and all I can say is---------WOW!

20/20 distance vision now but requiring cheaters for reading, a tradeoff I gladly accept. Better than that is my image contrast, everything is clear and crisp, colors are no longer muted, so glad I've got this taken care of. I feel I can be a much better judge of my own print contrasts now, even some of my prints on my wall seem to have more of a sparkle than I realized. And even some of yours as I view them on the monitor.

Regards
Chuck

[Charles Webb]

Just a comment!
I have been through the operation on both eyes, and my vision was improved iminsley. The answer for me was simply Procressive Lens. Took a day or two to get used to, but is well worth it. I can focus very easily on a 8x ground glass
without any kind of magnifier to aid me. I have my Dr, set up my presciption so that I can focus on the most powerful section
(the bottom of the lens) at a few inches infront of my nose, rather than at arms length.

I will never fight with Bi-focals or such ever again.

Works for me,
C Webb

[MattKing]

Good to hear from you again Charles. You've been missed.

Matt

[nworth]

I have fairly severe cataracts in both eyes, but somehow my vision has remained quite good. I'm waiting for it to deteriorate to 20/50 corrected (probably sometime this year) before getting it taken care of. As for the problem of using the ground glass, it comes and goes. It's funny, because I have no problem using SLR viewfinders. I can usually manage to focus properly by taking off my lasses and using a loupe, but it isn't always easy.