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What a difference 8 minutes can make

H

historicalarms

Ultra Member
Four or five yrs ago my ophthalmologist started to mention I would need a cataract operation in the future.
That condition progressed until last spring i notice a significant difference in sight quality and it continued to get worse over the summer. Mid summer I had to quit driving and using my shop equipment was almost impossible....I couldnt read the dials or see what the cutter was doing.
The surgeon was hesitant to do the surgery on me until it was absolutely necessary ( I already have on eye that is basically blind so he didnt want to risk any side effects in the one that was seeing a bit until it was seriously needed ) so about mid winter I was put "on the list" ( by this time I have my computer at 250% magnification to even read some of the text on this site).
Sooooo, May 2nd was my date and it finally arrived. and i had the surgery....30 minutes of prep time for eye drops to do different things ...and 8 minutes of surgery and I was done

MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE I went from not seeing a field to counting fence posts at the end of the field 1/2 mile away in that 8 minutes....Thank you to modern science and the skill of my doctor I was out in my shop yesterday happily using my machines again!!!!
M far vision is the best it has ever been in my lifetime without glasses. for close up reading I have to use readers but the #rs on hand dials are absolutely sharp & clear with the readers.

I will be eternally grateful to the unknown folks who pioneered this procedure.
 
Same scenario here. Been blind in my right eye for 13 years. Between a detached retina, massive scar tissue from the resulting surgery and glaucoma, the right eye is just an annoying meatball. Cataract started to bother my left eye about a year ago. Stopped driving at night about 4 months ago as the headlights were all a giant fuzzball.
Had the surgery May 6 and by May 8 my vision was 20-20. I still need my glasses for reading but no longer for driving. When the aurora was popping a couple of weeks ago I could actually see stars for the first time in probably 5 years. Hadn't realized my wife stopped dyeing her hair 4 years ago, The loss of vision can be a very gradual and unnoticed thing until there is a correction and then you are shocked by what had been missing.
 
Reversed scenario here. The central retina went bad years ago in my right eye, but I've been lucky to keep all th surrounding vision. And then a few years ago a cataract moved in on that eye, probably due to the surgery. So I ignored it, figuring that it wouldn't make much difference. And then my ophthalmologist convinced me to do it and it was magic! Suddenly I had stereoscopic vision again, which I hadn't even noticed I was missing. When I got back into the woods hunting I found myself able to scramble across and up terrain that had been exhausting when I had to pay attention to the ground because I didn't have that stereo vision!
What a difference!
 
Yes, had both eyes done in 2018, WOW, from legally blind (correctable with glasses), to 20-20. Dam near count the needles on a pine tree at 1/4 mile! Couldn't see the tree at 100feet before. Sure, I still wear glasses to read, except when I forget them, but could get by with 1.25 - 2 power readers if needed, or longer arms. The big problem was could only do one eye at a time and my brain could not/would not compensate for the Vision difference between the eyes. Would only do one eye at a time in case something happened, so wouldn't be totally blind! Six week Waite between eyes.
I noticed after a bit of time, that things seemed a bit unclear compared to the start. The Doc took a look at eyes and said some people's eye fluid can case a film to form in side the eye, on the new lens, usually happens only once. He used a laser rite there in the office and fixed it, kinda hurt some, and couldn't move or blink for the time he was doing it, but was good after.
People with good vision don't know what it's like to have poor vision, --- and in hand I don't know what it's like to be blind!
Don't know what going on with this dam printing on this thing! Every other line was different to start, blame the dog I guess!
 
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Bandit said:
I noticed after a bit of time, that things seemed a bit unclear compared to the start. The Doc took a look at eyes and said some people's eye fluid can case a film to form in side the eye, on the new lens, usually happens only once. He used a laser rite there in the office and fixed it, kinda hurt some, and couldn't move or blink for the time he was doing it, but was good after.
Click to expand...

Around here, they call that a secondary cataract. It's more or less the norm happening in most patients. In the first surgery, they remove the natural lens from your eye and replace it with a prescriptive artificial lens. However, they leave the capsule that enclosed your old lens in place. In time, the rear surface of the capsule often becomes non-transparent too. This is called a secondary cataract. It is removed by burning it off with a laser right in the doctor's office.

You might wonder why they don't remove it up front. I was told it helps position and hold the artificial lens until it can properly implant itself in the surrounding tissue. Once the anchors of the new lens stabize, the rear portion of the capsule can be removed if it clouds up.

I've only had one eye done. Although I have a cataract in it, they may never do the other eye because it's more or less blind anyway. (damaged by a stroke).
 
I should say that those 8 minutes were the longest in my life, I was terrified for all of them! Doctor said" you have to relax, don't move". Meanwhile I was trying to rip the arm rests off the reclining chain, told him" your messing with my eye, this is the first for me!" The reply" hey I got it, this is about the 800th? or whatever for me". Found out the chair had not been adjusted rite for me, and I was trying to hold my head with no support under it. Second time they adjusted the dam chair, it was much better and easier that go round!
Could be what is was @Susquatch, there were a lot of big words that I couldn't even begin to spell or even say without spell check and a talking coach.
 
Thanks for sharing all your stories! I can't believe the number of folks "blind in one eye and can't see out the other" out there. At least now I'm not quite as concerned about a cataract developing in my only useful eye. Being a life long wearer of eye glasses, vision has always been precious.

My right eye decided to provide the experience of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy last year (on April Fools' day!). Talk about big words to describe a blockage in blood flow to the optic nerve with resultant permanent loss of most vision.
 
PaulL said:
Reversed scenario here. The central retina went bad years ago in my right eye, but I've been lucky to keep all th surrounding vision. And then a few years ago a cataract moved in on that eye, probably due to the surgery. So I ignored it, figuring that it wouldn't make much difference. And then my ophthalmologist convinced me to do it and it was magic! Suddenly I had stereoscopic vision again, which I hadn't even noticed I was missing. When I got back into the woods hunting I found myself able to scramble across and up terrain that had been exhausting when I had to pay attention to the ground because I didn't have that stereo vision!
What a difference!
Click to expand...
Hmmmm basicaly the same story on my first eye to go bad, retina scar tissue blinded the left eye except for peripheral vision and now my doc says that with the success of the one eye operation , it might be worth while doing the first bad eye and hope for some improvement there....I was thinking it was a "hale Mary" but your comment makes me think it might just be worth while
 
Another good day yesterday!!!!
Because of the eyesight issues I havent been able to weld for the last couple years and yesterday I got to spend a couple hours under the hood again....they wouldnt pass a pressure test and the welds aint purty but they are strong enough for what I need with this project
 
Bandit said:
I didn't know you could get different len's just thought it was near or far site.
Click to expand...

Things may have evolved since I had my right cataract done 20 plus years ago.

At the time. The standard lens was corrected Vision but nothing else. You could choose whether you wanted to be near sighted, balanced (mid range) or far sighted. The next level up addressed astigmatism as well as focal distance. The third level included all of these plus UV light filtering (that's what I got).

At the time they were working on 4th type of corrective lens that could be attached to the focal muscles in your eyes to provide variable focus not just correction. No need for distance or reading glasses. No need to choose between near or far focus. Perhaps that is readily available now.

Don't know what other types might include today..... Maybe magnification? Bionic vision? X-ray vision? Holographic Vision? Maybe even projections..... LOL!
 
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