Anyone dealing with cataract problems and focusing on the GG?

[CPorter]

In the past year I have been developing a bothersome cataract issue that subsequently makes viewing the ground glass somewhat cumbersome. I'll be turning 46 next month (seems a bit young to me to have cataract issues but....). Anyway, I was wandering if any other LF folks are affected by it and how you are dealing with it. I'll be talking to my eye doctor soon and discussing cataract surgery, but it could be a while before I can actually do it. Just wandering.

CP

[Rick A]

It is thought that cataracts are caused by exposure to uV light, also diabetics are at higher risk of forming them. You should ALWAYS wear sunglasses that block 100% uV-A and uV-B rays, even on cloudy days. It is proven that uV rays penetrate clouds, and we need to stay protected. Now, the diabetic connection can be somewhat controlled by diet. There are other eye problems caused by diabetes as well, leading to blindness. Eating properly, especially foods high in vitamin A(beta-carotene) will help stave off eye diseases. Our prayers go with you, and hope all will go well with the doctor.

Rick

[Ralph Javins]

Good morning, CP;

Rick's assurances are not invalid. The advances in ophthalmology in recent years have been amazing. The replacement lenses available with cataract surgery are remarkable, although some of them are even more stringent in their requirement for UV-A and UV-B radiation protection, as Rick has mentioned for our natural eyes. Enjoy the talk with your eye doctor. Read the literature he will provide to you. Look at other resources available on the web and other places. In looking at what is available now, you really are in good hands. (I hope the insurance guys do not mind my purloining their phrase.)

When you are done, you may find that you will need glasses still for close-up work and reading. Depends on what lens you get. In any case, those glasses will be much easier to use when looking at a ground glass than when trying to look through the viewport of a 35mm or DSLR.

[c6h6o3]

In the past year I have been developing a bothersome cataract issue that subsequently makes viewing the ground glass somewhat cumbersome. I'll be turning 46 next month (seems a bit young to me to have cataract issues but....). Anyway, I was wandering if any other LF folks are affected by it and how you are dealing with it. I'll be talking to my eye doctor soon and discussing cataract surgery, but it could be a while before I can actually do it. Just wandering.

CP

Have your lens or lenses (is it only one eye or both?) replaced as soon as you can. My early cataracts got a lot worse very quickly. Even with my glasses off I had a difficult time focusing due to the halo effect around specular highlights. It looked like someone had put Vaseline in my eyes.

I have had lens replacement surgery in both my eyes and subsequent YAG laser posterior capsulotomies to clear the clouded membranes which developed later. The results are nothing short of miraculous. My vision is crystal clear and with my glasses on I can read the 20/15 line at my eye exams.

One other advantage: in selecting the lens for your procedure, your doctor can reduce the amount of correction you'll need with glasses after it's done. I went from -10 and -12 diopters correction in my right and left eyes, respectively, to -5 and -5.5. We could have aimed for 0 correction, but in order to do that I would have had to do both eyes within the same month. I just couldn't pay for that.

No matter when you do it, the results are so amazing that you'll kick yourself for not having it done sooner. I promise.

[bsdunek]

My situation is similar to c6h6o3. I started having problems focusing my Nikons when I was in my early 50's. I also noted, when shooting, there were two targets. Fortunately, my rifle had two sights!

I have had lens implants in both eyes, and the laser treatment to clear the clouded membranes. As the replacement lenses are plastic, they don't focus. Kind of like a 'fixed focus' camera. I use Varilux glasses which work really well for me. I can see at all distances from about 8 inches to infinity. Additionally, my Wife commented that my photos were sharper too.

As c6h6o3 says, once cataracts start, the progress quite rapidly. The operation is easy, so don't hesitate. (It took me a while to let somebody stick a knife in my eye!) Ask around to find a good doctor and go for it!

[CPorter]

Well, I met with my optometrist today for a new prescription and an update on the cataracts, it's the "posterior subscapular" type (with the cataract forming at the back of the lens and off to one side)------since February it has gotten a lot worse. Anyway, it's comforting to hear of the folks that have had it and that they have continued to be able to work with the GG following treatment, which is my main concern. However, he said that some insurance companies won't cover it until my overall vision gets bad enough, currently mine is not, but my trouble with night vision while driving with bright lights makes it seem bad enough to me.

[Jeff Kubach]

I don't have cataracts but I do have dyslexia and I'm cross eyed!

Jeff

[Sean]

check this out, sounds promising

http://gizmodo.com/5277456/stem-cell...s-than-a-month

[Anscojohn]

I don't have cataracts but I do have dyslexia and I'm cross eyed!

Jeff

********
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.

[Monophoto]

Bette Davis is report to have said "Getting old ain't for sissies". That is so true - - -

Like others, I have had an issue with cataracts. They were first diagnosed about 15 years ago and advanced very slowly, but the right eye got to the point where the ophthalmologist was willing to go ahead with surgery two years ago. My experience was that the impact on vision was gradual and overall - that is, I didn't find that the cataract necessarily impaired my ability to use a loupe on the ground glass. Instead, the most noticeable problem was that I had trouble focusing both eyes on text while reading.

The surgery was a total non-event. In one morning, home by 10:30am, bandage off the next morning. The result was 20:20 distance vision and the need for mild correction for reading.

I'm still waiting for the left eye to 'mature' to the point where surgery is feasible.

Unfortunately, there is more to the story. Early last month, I awoke one morning to find that I couldn't see with my right eye. I was traveling at the time, and when I finally was able to get home and get to my doctor, the problem was diagnosed as a detached retina. That surgery was four weeks ago yesterday - and it's a much bigger deal than cataract replacement surgery. The process involves injecting a gas into the eye to form a bubble, and then remaining horizontal and face down for days to weeks while the pneumatic pressure from that bubble forces the retina against the back of the eye. When the retina starts to reattach, the doctor uses a laser to 'spot weld' it in place and repair any tears in the retina. Until the gas is absorbed, the presence of the bubble causes severely distorted vision. Subsequently, a corrective lens is required to compensate for a distortion in the shape of the eye caused by the surgery.

Retina detachment is one of the risks of cataract replacement. The warning signs are the sudden presence of 'floaters', and the sensation of flashing lights. If you encounter either sign, get to your doctor immediately before the problem gets any worse.