Cataract Surgery

[morgandawn]

 I've done some reading online but no one is answering these questions. My mom is gong for cataract surgery on both eyes. Eye 1 will be first and then a month later eye 2 She is nearsighted and needs to wear glasses to walk, eat, drive, watch TV, move about safely

1. During the one month between the 2 operations - how will she see? Her old glasses will not work on Operated Eye. I've read some people had to pop out the one lens of the old glasses so they can see

2. During the weeks after Second Eye surgery she will have even worse vision. Neither eyes will be able to see through her old glasses. They will give her a new prescription BUT.......

The doctor told her they will not give her a new prescription until one month after her second surgery. It will then take another 4-6 weeks for those new glasses to be made. What is she supposed to do for those 2 months? She is a senior at risk for falls and relies on good vision to walk safely

The new lens will most likely be fixed to give her 20/20 long distance vision.  She will have to use reading glasses or bifocals to read. She will also have problems with computer work - most progressives offer too small a 'slice' for middle vision (computer work)

Comments

[stranger]

The standard advice seems to be to replace cataracted lenses with long distance lenses, but that's not necessarily best -- it's a dramatic improvement for some users and gets advertised as a benefit, but not everyone needs that most of all. Choosing a close-up (reading, needlework) plane of focus, or a computer-screen-away plane of focus can make sense for various people. I have the latter, and now function well in most indoor environments with no glasses (can see faces, clocks, food-prep ingredients, desk monitor), and plain magnifying readers for close-up, and the new prescription is for long-distance (driving, outdoor walking) glasses. Reading dashboard info turns out to be possible without bifocals, but I'd guess this will vary with dashboard layouts.

What does she do the most, by time? How inconvenient would it be to mislay the new glasses if they are for (a) driving, (b) reading, (c) work computer screen? Non-prescription reading glasses are relatively cheap and she can keep multiple pairs around for use, unlike prescription glasses.

The waiting a month after both eyes are finished for a new prescription was my doctor's insistence as well, since the new vision doesn't stabilize right away. It's inconvenient but unavoidable. If long-distance vision is what she uses to walk safely, and if that's long-term important to her, choosing the long-distance focus would mean she'd have reasonable use of that vision as soon as the 2nd eye heals a bit (2-3 days). Probably should wait longer to drive, however.

The between-surgeries time is awkward, and the one-lens pair of old glasses may be useful, or may just be confusing to the brain. It does give a transition period when she'll be learning to use the new eye for the focus it's good for, after post-surgery blurriness (1-2 full days) wears off. If she's at risk for falls already, this may be dangerous, because the double vision is disorienting. It's very much an investment of difficult time for future better vision.

[morgandawn]

This is very helpful. She refuses to stop driving though and the doctor kept waving his hands and saying 'no problem'

So you opted for a mid-range (computer) fixed lens?

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, the mid-range focal length is working for me, since I spend a lot of time at the computer, or on day-to-day in-house things like cooking. It's also fine for conversation, indoor walking around, etc. I've been wearing distance glasses all my life anyway, so the habit of making sure I'm wearing the glasses when I get in the car is very ingrained, and this seemed least disruptive to overall habits and lifestyle. I did have to get reading glasses, but being able to just *buy* them instead of waiting for a prescription was quite something.

Going by various friends' parents, the problem with senior drivers isn't usually vision as such, but either slow reactions or slowing cognition. If your mother is holding a job, chances are she's at least technically okay to drive, if her eyes are good for it. This varies a lot by individual, of course. Using rideshares or Lyft or something while she's between surgeries sounds like a really good idea, and also taking vacation for the first part of that time.