Looking good Bill!  Keep it up.  🙂 

I'll be 71 in May and I'm scheduled to have both eyes done on 6. April.

A recent visit to my optician revealed that I had early stages of cataract in both eyes and there was really no change required for the prescriptive lenses since my previous visit. Even though the cataract has no serious influence on my eyesight yet there are still 2 things I have noticed over the last couple of years - I'm much more bothered by sun glare when it is low on the horison, and I'm also easily blinded by oncoming traffic when driving in darkness.

Given that public healthcare here would only step in when the cataract becomes more serious I decided to go private, a decision helped by the fact that I have a very good health insurance through my former employer in Belgium 🙂

For the procedure (known locally as RLE - Refractive Lens Exchange) there are a number of options available and I decided to go for EDOF (or X-DOF), Extended Depth of Field lenses which will take care of almost everything (incl. asigmatism), I may still need simple reading glasses - time will tell.

I will keep you all updated on the results.

My presurgical consultation is scheduled for April 14. My optometrist told me that i will need glasses after surgery. Fine with me. I have the same night driving issues like you Soren. I have to zoom in  my screen to 150% so i can type this post. I see Father Bill is scheduled for surgery today. I wish him the best.

Edited March 16, 20233 yr by Paul Deluca

6 hours ago, Paul Deluca said:

I see Father Bill is scheduled for surgery today. I wish him the best.

Unfortunately, my landlady informed me yesterday afternoon that both she and her partner may have contracted covid (for the second time) and therefore should not drive me to and from the hospital today. I had to call and cancel my appointment for surgery. I have rescheduled for next Friday, but even so I may have to cancel again if I can't find anyone else to drive me there. 😟

Since I am a relatively new "transplant" to Hot Springs, I don't really know anyone I can ask... 

1 hour ago, n4gix said:

Unfortunately, my landlady informed me yesterday afternoon that both she and her partner may have contracted covid (for the second time) and therefore should not drive me to and from the hospital today. I had to call and cancel my appointment for surgery. I have rescheduled for next Friday, but even so I may have to cancel again if I can't find anyone else to drive me there. 😟

Since I am a relatively new "transplant" to Hot Springs, I don't really know anyone I can ask... 

Gosh Father I wish i could be down there to help you...

One of the members of my ham club has offered to take me to my eye surgery this next Thursday, so things are looking up. I'm anxious to shed my full-time glasses next week for the first time in nearly sixty years!

I was a wee lad at age 13 when I got my first set of glasses. My parents fussed at me that the slide projector was not focused, when I adjusted it for me. That's how we finally discovered that my whole world was fuzzy because of my severe astigmatism.., 🤓 

On 2/23/2023 at 7:10 AM, IanHarrison said:

I quickly peeped out from under the eye-patch and discovered I couldn't see a thing.

I'm glad I decided to re-read this thread. I had the same thing happen a few mornings ago. When I first woke up, my left eye was opaque and I couldn't see anything at all. As you noted, it cleared up in about 10 minutes or so. Whew!

12 hours ago, n4gix said:

I'm glad I decided to re-read this thread. I had the same thing happen a few mornings ago. When I first woke up, my left eye was opaque and I couldn't see anything at all. As you noted, it cleared up in about 10 minutes or so. Whew!

Sometimes I think the surgeons are so focussed on explaining the benefits of the operation, that they forget all the little things that happen and can be so worrisome to the patients.

I’m booked in for cataract surgery on my left eye on 31 March. A simple monofocal lens replacement paid for by the taxpayer at a private hospital.

I can’t say I’m not a little apprehensive about the procedure. Cutting your eye whilst you’re still awake. 🫣

I’ve been told things like bending forward to tie your shoes should be avoided for a week. Any other dos and don’ts I should follow?

17 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I can’t say I’m not a little apprehensive about the procedure. Cutting your eye whilst you’re still awake.
🫣I’ve been told things like bending forward to tie your shoes should be avoided for a week. Any other dos and don’ts I should follow?

No need for apprehension, though it is perfectly understandable.
My experience:
Your eye will be filled with chemicals to dilate it, so that the surgeon can see what they are doing,
so that you do not blink during the procedure and so that it does not hurt at all.
In fact, you cannot feel what happens, only see it.
It is a little weird seeing the lens disappear from your eye and while it's not there, of course you can't see a thing, just blurry light.
Once the new lens is in, the chemicals have worn off and your eye has recovered from the trauma that it has just experienced,
your new vision should be very pleasing. How much it pleases you, depends on how bad it was before the operation.

As to the "I have been told", my advice is to listen only to the medical professionals and if you have any questions,
ask them either before or after the operation.
I don't remember any restrictions, other than to "take it easy" for a few days.
I have had both done and much like Fr. Bill, for the first time in 70 years, I no longer need to wear glasses.

Edited March 18, 20233 yr by Reader

Thanks for explaining things @Reader. Given how many people have had this operation and the lack of scare stories I shouldn’t have any concerns. But when it’s your eyesight - the most valuable thing you have - I just need to tell myself it will be fine. I’m having a simple lens replacement that still requires glasses. A more advanced lens would have to be a private operation costing me around 3500GBP per eye. I’m happy with the monofocal option.

I first noticed a lack of contrast in my vision around 7 years ago and when I mentioned this to my optician they said the cataracts were nowhere near bad enough to need surgery. But when I went for a checkup in February they said they couldn’t prescribe new glasses for me as the cataracts were the problem.

Left eye in two weeks and the right probably a couple of months later. They don’t generally recommend both being done at the same time.

I look forward to enjoying 4K TV broadcasts again and seeing the instruments in full glory in my simulator. 🙂

You will be fine Ray. The doctor gave me a 3 stage anesthetic meaning 3 different  drugs. There is no way your eye will move.I felt him deburr the cornea with a slight pressure/tickling sensation. I sat up during the procedure looking into a device like an eye examination, He sat on the other side looking through powerful lenses with a rotary tool like i mentioned in the other post. I have gotten too old to do any mechanic work under my vehicle. After my first  cataract  procedure, just call me ONE EYED PAULIE.!!!

Edited March 18, 20233 yr by Paul Deluca

1 hour ago, Paul Deluca said:

You will be fine Ray. The doctor gave me a 3 stage anesthetic meaning 3 different  drugs.

It was pretty much the same for me. I was so far under anesthesia that I only was visually aware of the last few moments of the 20-minute procedure!

I had no pain at all but for the first few hours I did notice a very minor "itch" at the site of the incision, much like a grain of sand feels like. The incision is so tiny that it 'seals itself' very quickly.

10 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I’m booked in for cataract surgery on my left eye on 31 March. A simple monofocal lens replacement paid for by the taxpayer at a private hospital.

I can’t say I’m not a little apprehensive about the procedure. Cutting your eye whilst you’re still awake. 🫣

I’ve been told things like bending forward to tie your shoes should be avoided for a week. Any other dos and don’ts I should follow?

All the procedures described are different to what I had. But mine were done 12  years ago.

Firstly, it was done at a specialised eye clinic. In in the morning and out the same morning.

No need to undress, just a gown over my clothes.

An anaesthetist put me to sleep, like a normal operation but it was only because he gave me a local injection in or near the eye itself. (Can imagine that would be scary).

10 minutes later, I got onto another bed, which took me to the operating area..

I was completely covered by a "green cloth" except for my eye.

Nurse gave me an oxygen tube to breathe from if I felt claustrophobic.

No pain or feeling from the operation at all, just a sensation of light.

Afterwards, just told to rest for an hour or so, then was allowed home. Eye covered, not to be removed for 2 days (I think) then appointment at the surgeon's practice to check and remove bandage/patch.

That was it, just told not to exert myself. Other eye done 3 months later.

I still have to wear glasses as one eye had been damaged a few years earlier and could not be corrected with the new lense.

The main difference was that colours were much brighter and although I still wear glasses, my sight is technically up to standard for a driving licence.

Just ask about fluid filling the eye ball and blocking your vision after lying down.

Best of luck.

Ian

 

Edited March 18, 20233 yr by IanHarrison

This will be my final report on my cataract surgery. I was scheduled for last week but had to reschedule because my landlady and her partner both came down with covid (for the third time!) and could not drive me to and from the hospital, as they did not want risk my health. It took some amount of prayer and the kindness of one of my fellow amateur radio operators, who volunteered to be my designated driver.

So, last Thursday I once again was taken to the hospital in Arkadelphia, AR where I had my right eye operated on. Friday morning, I drove myself back to Arkadelphia for my first follow-up examination. For the first time in 64 years I did not need to wear glasses!

My right eye is now 20/30, which is a bit "worse" than my left eye's 20/25 performance. I've always been nearsighted, but now can read comfortably without glasses at all. I can see clearly enough to drive without glasses, but will probably get a prescription for clearer distance vision.

I wonder how long it will take me to quit reaching for my glasses, and to stop reaching for the bridge to "adjust" my non-existent glasses! 🤪