Cataracts

[Exfso]

Just checking how many of you out there have these and had the op to repair. I got them now in both eyes, Doc says no big deal yet, but probably need fixing in a couple of years.

[The_bluester]

I haven't (Not yet at least) but my mother had both eyes done a couple of years ago, about six weeks apart. It was a walk in walk out job. I dropped her off, went and had some lunch nearby then picked her up a couple of hours later. Same deal both times. It didn't seem to knock her around very much at all even immediately post op.

[I.C.D]

Go for it, I had both my eyes done last year and it was the best thing I have had done in the last 40 years .Just one thing, I was warn not to have the cataracts removed my laser
Ian:thumbsup:

[xelasnave]

I have them and was told the same about 18 mths ago so next on todo list is go and see about an opperation..but I dont think it is a big deal these days.
Alex



Any idea why not?
Alex

[I.C.D]

Hi Alex I was told by my eye surgeon that the laser didn't leave a clean cut and made it hard to do any other surgery later on.the longest part the operation was prepared the eyes
Ian

[glend]

Of course an eye surgeon is going to say that. Or perhaps the Medical Benefit payable for the laser surgery is less than the old way. I would get a second opinion.

[PCH]

Anyone care to detail what’s involved in this op?

[Wavytone]

My sister had it done, they do one eye, then if all good the other a few weeks later.

- immobilise the eye,
- slice cornea,
- remove lens,
- insert silince replacement,
- close the wound.

You're awake looking up the whole time.

End result:

- clear vision especially at night,
- daylight is painfully bright - you'll need sunnies for a while
- colours are vastly more saturated.

Downside:

You can't focus and will need reading glasses for close work.

I'm beginning to think my time is coming too. While I'm fine for ordinary things, I have noticed a defect when looking very intense objects with extreme contrast in my scope. Am seeing my optician about this next week.:eyepop:

[PCH]

Thanks Wavy,

It’s the “awake looking up the whole time” bit I was sure was gonna be part of the deal. Yikes!

[blindman]

Sooner, better.
I fixed one overseas, one in Sydney.
Have to be careful, because my friend optometrist sent me to the best, and told me that just few knows what they are doing.
Nowadays it is supposed to be routine op.

[Wavytone]

To be honest I'm waiting for the Mark II Digital Eyeball. (I don't opt for Mark I of anything). When that arrives I'll have the right eye done, thankyou very much.
12 megapixels and complete with bluetooth or WiFi "picture in picture" or headup-display of external sources(eg phone or laptop) should do very nicely.

Imagine having a push-to scope with encoders hooked up to SkySafari, displaying the map in one eye while you look through the scope with the other.

Or being able to integrate what you see via the digital eyeball.

[blindman]

And yes, ask for bausch and lomb lenses, if possible

[The_bluester]

Should try laser refractive correction. You are awake and looking up for that too. I had it done about 14 years ago. The laser (Or it's power supply) is LOUD. CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK, right in your face. Thankfully it is all over in short order.

[blindman]

LASIK is something totally different.

[Exfso]

I asked my specialist how many he has done, his reply around 300 a year, so obviously he should have it down to a fine art by now..

[blindman]

How much he charge?
Wish you all luck. In principle you should be able to drive back.
Just got spectacles (like protective) to avoid possible virus/bacteria for 2-3 days.

[ngcles]

Hi Peter & All,

The short answer is get them done, you won't regret it for a moment, you vision will improve very dramatically, I know it sounds scary but I've got to say I'd prefer to have that operation again than having a trip to the dentist.

Here is my story:

I discovered I had a cataract forming in my right eye nearly five years ago when I went for a regular eye-test. The optometrist suggested I switch my observing eye to the left and wow! What a difference it made in being able to see faint things! (it was still cataract free). I knew things were only going to get worse and finally earlier this year I detected that there was something wrong with the left one too. After putting it off and putting it off out of fear of an operation I finally bit the bullet and re-visited the optometrest. Cutting to the chase, the cataract in my right eye was "ripe" and the left eye had a partially formed one as well. There are strong genetic links to cataracts and both my parents had cataract operations in their early 60s. I am 57.

I was referred off to the leading local eye surgeon Dr Basil Crayford) who was absolutely and completely fantastic. Brilliant. Listened to all my concerns about telescopic and naked-eye star-images and viewing post-op. I gave him a copy of an article that was in S&T about 6 years ago -- a horror story when the operation was performed without performing a full capsuleotomy (removal of the front of the sac that holds the affected lens (copy attached of the original un-edited version). Basil listened very carefully and he assured me that while he couldn't promise absolute perfection, he had performed over 4000 operations of this sort without a single "failure".

I had the two operations in Orange NSW (large country centre) in day surgery on 8th and 15th August. For a whole host of reasons I won't go into here, I did without twilight sedation and after a succession of anasthetic eye-drops, I then had a "big" local injected into the eye and the procedure was completed in about 10 minutes, and I was back out in the street an hour later.
After a post-op visit the next day, I was allowed to drive home (about 70kms). The improvement in that eye was apparent just 24 hours post op with lovely, tiny, round star images. After several days when they were a bit up and down, they finally settled and by the time the second eye was done was close to perfection. The left eye was done second and again, much improved almost immediately.

Now two and a half months post operatively, they work just like they did when I was a teenager.

Yes, I know it wounds scary. I was very scared prior to the first op but honestly hardly felt a thing and there was no pain at all apart from about 6 hours after when the affe3cted eye felt a bit "scratchy" and was red.

Make sure you talk to the surgeon and tell him about your hobby and needs. Most people don't have the exacting needs we do, nor the desire for absolute perfection in a point light-source. The problems some amateurs have encountered revolve around a wrinkle in the artificial lens that most people would hardly notice if at all. The second issue is bits bits of the lens capsule that aren't completely removed in most ops becoming apparent when we are fully 6mm dilated at night (in daytime, they're hidden by the iris stopping the eye down to about 1mm aperture).

I know you will be nervous -- that's completely natural but from one who has had it done, it's no big deal. Now two and a half months post operatively, I can now see nine Pleiads naked eye without real difficulty. I was down to three and sometimes two! I was fortunate that prior to cataracts, I had no optical defects at all, no short-sightedness, no barrel great maculae. Now I see like a teenager again.

If you want to ask any other questions P.M me.

In the end, the private health insurance covered the whole bill from the day surgery (x2) and the anaesthesiologist -- The statement said $9,899 for that. The surgeon's fee was $2,200 per eye all-up of which Medicare refund about $790-. In the end, out of my pocket, it cost just short of $3000-.

Best,

L.

P.S Can't attach the article because the .pdf is too big. If interested, send me your email address via P.M and I'll sent is direct to you.

P.P.S as others have noted lasik is a different operation on the front surface of the cornea (the first refractive element of the eye) and will not help with cataracts that involve the lens inside the eye, behind the iris. A cataract operation involves removal and replacement of the affected lens. It is the single most performed eye-surgery in the world and has very, very high chances of complete success (better than 99.9%). My lens implants are Alcon (U.S) and my eye-surgeon described them as the Rolls Royce of implant lenses. They are also U.V opaque. The first thing you will notice post-operatively is the vividness of blues and greens -- the colours most affected by the crystallisation of the affected lens(es).

[ngcles]

Hi All,



The procedure involves two "manual" (with a specialised scalpel) incisions in the cornea through which the surgeon works. These incisions are about 1mm long.

After the front surface of the lens capsule is removed with a pair of very tiny, specialised forceps inserted through the incision, an instrument that is part vacuum cleaner and part infra-red laser is inserted through an incision. It takes about five minutes for this infra-red laser to emulsify the cataract & lens breaking it up into manageable chunks which are then sucked out with, in effect a vacuum cleaner.

After the cataract affected lens is completely removed, the replacement lens (folded up) is inserted via what amounts to a special disposable syringe. Once out of the syringe, it automatically unfolds into place. The surgeon then, if need be smoothes out any wrinkles and voila, it's over!

I know this well because the surgeon supplied me with a DVD video of the operations on my left eye. So I saw (post operatively) the whole thing on my T.V. I've watched it several times (it is only 11 minutes long) Very interesting indeed!

Best,

L.

[Startrek]

On the topic of eye conditions, I have PVD ( positive vitreous detachment ) and was diagnosed September last year , nothing you can do but monitor it
Symptoms are constant floaters moving around in your vision during daylight hours and at night , small flashes like sparks in your peripheral vision when you look to left or right
It did settled down a bit after the first 3 months but still there
Worse case scenario is if the retina detaches ( white sheet in your peripheral vision ) you must get to the eye hospital ASAP for laser re attachment , prognosis is 3 to 6 months limited vision until it recovers
Anyone else suffer with PVD ??

[blindman]

Wow,
it cost me around 700$ without private health.
By the way incisions has to be 3mm to input folded lens, some do 6mm.

[The_bluester]

I am aware of that. Just another that is done awake and looking up. I had the cousin of LASIK, PRK (Or LASEK depending on how a part of it goes) and the really oddball bit is they weaken and scrape off a layer of cells from the front of the cornea, it looks like someone wiping off a bit of cling wrap from your eye when they do it. If that is saved successfully and put back on to hasten healing it is LASEK, if not, PRK.

As to the OP. Good to see some of the info coming up here regards observing afterward. I don’t have cataracts yet but with some on both sides of the family it is a bit likely sometime in my future.

[sil]

thanks to all the replies on this thread, its something I've been wondering about and the awake part terrifies me, i get flashbacks to my stroke terror just laying in bed :( have noticed further decline in eyesight in past 5yrs but putting off visiting for new glasses etc. no health cover anymore.no money etc.

[chrisp9au]

That's a deal breaker for me! :eyepop:

[The_bluester]

I wouldn't let it worry you too much. I was a bit concerned when I had the PRK done but when it came to it they do sedate you enough to keep you from getting silly while still being able to walk yourself in and out and do as you are asked, and they talk you through it to such an extent that it is practically over before you realise the bit you were worried about has begun.

[I.C.D]

Hi All as I said I have already had my eyes done and the one great thing that has happen,is I am looking at the night sky as if I was in my twenty's and that was 50 years ago ,Peter Davis in Newcastle did mind and I can highly recommend him and his team

Ian

[ngcles]

Hi All,

For those of you who read my long post above, I visited the optometrist in Orange for the final check of my eyes following cataract surgery three months ago. Optometrist was very impressed!

My right eye correction is 0 while the left eye is - 0.25 dioptre (the lens inserted in that one was deliberately -0.5 dioptre to make reading easier).

No astigmatism, perfectly healed capsuleotomy, no cell re-growth on either side of the lens, no wrinkles in the lens, transparent aqueous humour, intra-ocular pressure of 16 & 12 (was previously 26 & 28).

Spent some time scrolling through four charts asking me to read the bottom line. Net result is my vision is now 6/4. That means I can see the same level of detail in an image at 6 metres, that a person with normal vision (6/6) vision can see at 4 metres.

Perfect result -- they're back to where they used to be -- better than "normal vision".

The surgeon was Dr Basil Crayford in Orange NSW.

Best,

L.

[Wavytone]

Congratulations, Les !