SFR Cataract Surgery……Basic or the Full Monty..your thoughts and experience

Sorta fishing-related
Vagabond

Vagabond

Hooligan
Forum Supporter
So, being on the age 75+ side of life, and having had issues with my sight from a young age I believe the time may have arrived. Knowing there are many of us on here that due to age, injury, etc., that have experienced problems with our sight I thought I’d ask the forum their thoughts. I’ve only needed to wear corrective lenses full time since the late 90s, maybe early 00s, probably due to the enhanced use of laptops, etc. I started wearing polarized sunglasses in the early 80s for both fresh and saltwater, especially the latter. Always high quality shades and eventually Rx sunglasses
A little background. Between multiple concussions, fractures to facial areas around the eyes (work, sports and auto accidents), two detached retinas within 30 days of each other, a removal of a hyphema, my eyes are in the late innings of the final game.
I’m having the surgery, which has been described by friends as basically no big deal, due to the fact my peripheral vision has diminished radically in the last 3 or so years. I’ve been presented with the following options:
Straight cataract corrective surgery w insurance covering 99% of it keep my current eyewear.
Surgery with corrective action for either near OR far sight with need for glasses either or and a $$ up-charge.
Surgery with corrective action for Both with the possibility of needing glasses in the future and a $$$$ up-charge.
Surgery, the Full Monty with no need for glasses post op….with a $$$$$$ up charge. FYI this was quoted as a $10K frosting.

I do not need to tie on any #22s to 6x, but I do like to read. I also drive a lot of miles, 45K over the last 11 months, a lot at night. I’m leaning on the surgery plus a single sight correction as the RoI at my age may be greatly diminished due to current length of service on the planet. Then again no out of pocket $$ lightens the financial burden for travel and adventure 🤔

Any thoughts, experiences, recommendations will be graciously received. Thanks in advance for all the experienced insight!
 
If I had to do it over, I'd go basic. Distance vision is great, near vision ok at arms length. Still use readers for crystal clear vision up close. 1 eye is better at distance, the other better in close. I don't think much of the more expensive, dual-purpose lenses.
 
I also went basic for distance and wear daily disposable contacts with very minor corrections for fishing, hunting, and skiing. Did mine in my late 50s to correct for headlight glare at night. Lately I’ve been wearing my glasses more, especially around the house. I think my vision is better with the glasses. Perhaps it is easier to get the right correction on a large glass lense than a small plastic one.
 
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wife and I both had cataracts done with lens...for wife, who had very poor distance vision without her glasses it made a dramatic change.
Having had laser surgery decades back (done by a professor from the eye dept at Vancouver University as the procedure was not yet approved in the US), it made less of a difference for my vision which stayed much the same..except...I was having a problem with headlight flare from oncoming vehicles at night, and it did much to correct that.
Personally, I'd opt for distance correction, being it's much easier to correct for reading...as it is, when tying flies, I use readers with a power stronger than my normal reading glasses for extra detail clarity
 
Having two eyes focused on the same object is what helps give you depth perception and 3D vision. I would worry that having the monovision issue (one eye focused on far and one eye focused on near) would drive me crazy.
 
Wayne Kohan said:
Having two eyes focused on the same object is what helps give you depth perception and 3D vision. I would worry that having the monovision issue (one eye focused on far and one eye focused on near) would drive me crazy.
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Having talked to people about Monovision , some have said they adapted right away ,and loved it . Of course some the opposite . Being told by my eye doctor , I'm one of the few people that have cataracts , but see well at distance , I use readers for tying flies ,reading etc .

I am getting close to needing cataract surgery , going on 15 years being told ,yes you have cataracts ,yes you see well , but that has started to change the last couple years . To answer the OP my choice would be just the basic surgery to improve distance . I have worn readers for so long it's no big deal .
 
I began wearing glasses when I was 21 for distance and astigmatism; at one point had to wear glasses to drive and like everyone presbyopia became a problem in somewhere in my 40s to 50s. My distance has improved over the last 3 years almost to almost 20/20 and no mention of astigmatism in my annual exams. After 50 years I'd still rather wear daily eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses with progressive lenses having virtually no distance correction and slightly higher closeup magnification for tying on flies because I don't want to have to hunt around for readers.

It's almost time for cataract surgery as I'm seeing halos driving at night but not terrible yet. If Accommodating focusing lenses were 100% effective I'd gladly pay for them but I'm told they're just not there so will probably go with basic in the next year or two.
 
Last December, at age 75, I had a basic cataract repair to my right eye only as the cataract was more advanced than in my left eye. I was beginning to see headlight flare from oncoming cars at night, and that was downright scary. I have "lazy eye" or presbyopia in my left eye since forever, so I don't notice the development of a cataract at all. If it gets bad enough that my eye doctor recommends fixing it, I will. I wear glasses with a slight correction, so I barely need them, except for reading and fly tying, etc.

If you feel fine about continuing to wear glasses, then the basic surgery seems like it will serve you well enough. On the other hand, it's not like you owe the kids an additonal $10k inheritance, so treat yourself if you feel like it.
 
My wife had cataract surgery this past summer, and went the Full Monty with the light adjustable lenses, which is an involved process with four weekly returns to the eye doctor so they can fine tune the correction with a special UV system that actually adjusts the shape of the replacement lens in your eye...until they permanently 'lock it in'. The whole thing went quite well, and she now has 20-15 vision at all distances. She has never liked wearing glasses, so she's delighted with the results. Costly option but we could easily afford it.

She's also been developing glaucoma that's been successfully treated with eyedrops for a few years, but the surgeon placed a stent in each eye, which eliminated the need for the medication.

I'm also slowly developing typical age related cataracts but my surgery probably is years out (I'm now almost 73). I've worn glasses since elementary school, don't mind them at all, and will go with a standard old school lens. I enjoy the UV and foreign object penetration protection glasses provide...and am very dedicated to wearing my prescription safety glasses when using tools and engaging in activities (like flyfishing) that could endanger my eyes...especially after a worklife of seeing what happened to coworkers that neglected to do so.

I've personally known many people who've gone through cataract surgery, and not one had any problems...all were happy to once again see the world's full color spectrum in complete clarity.
 
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VAGABOND said:
So, being on the age 75+ side of life, and having had issues with my sight from a young age I believe the time may have arrived. Knowing there are many of us on here that due to age, injury, etc., that have experienced problems with our sight I thought I’d ask the forum their thoughts. I’ve only needed to wear corrective lenses full time since the late 90s, maybe early 00s, probably due to the enhanced use of laptops, etc. I started wearing polarized sunglasses in the early 80s for both fresh and saltwater, especially the latter. Always high quality shades and eventually Rx sunglasses
A little background. Between multiple concussions, fractures to facial areas around the eyes (work, sports and auto accidents), two detached retinas within 30 days of each other, a removal of a hyphema, my eyes are in the late innings of the final game.
I’m having the surgery, which has been described by friends as basically no big deal, due to the fact my peripheral vision has diminished radically in the last 3 or so years. I’ve been presented with the following options:
Straight cataract corrective surgery w insurance covering 99% of it keep my current eyewear.
Surgery with corrective action for either near OR far sight with need for glasses either or and a $$ up-charge.
Surgery with corrective action for Both with the possibility of needing glasses in the future and a $$$$ up-charge.
Surgery, the Full Monty with no need for glasses post op….with a $$$$$$ up charge. FYI this was quoted as a $10K frosting.

I do not need to tie on any #22s to 6x, but I do like to read. I also drive a lot of miles, 45K over the last 11 months, a lot at night. I’m leaning on the surgery plus a single sight correction as the RoI at my age may be greatly diminished due to current length of service on the planet. Then again no out of pocket $$ lightens the financial burden for travel and adventure 🤔

Any thoughts, experiences, recommendations will be graciously received. Thanks in advance for all the experienced insight!
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My first cataract surgery went well. Soon after removing my eye patch my fly box was no longer full of the same dull gray colors.

I noticed you mentioned retinal issues and diminished peripheral vision. Do you have IOP (eye pressure issues/Glaucoma)? No need to broad cast this; just asking. I have had IOP/Glaucoma for many years and what is normally a very routine cataract surgery made things much worse. That said, all surgeons are not made equal - do the research - due diligence.
 
My wife just had the basic done at the start of the school year and it was straight forward and she likes it. She too mentions the colors! Did her eyes for distance, beyond arm length I think, and uses 2.5X readers now. She's buying styled readers like shoes. Insurance paid a good chunk of it. She would have considered a next level of surgery but we just spent most all our money so we didn't need a loan for the house.
 
I had cataract surgery years ago and selected mono vision. One eye lens for up close and the other for distance. I still required contacts to fine tune but it worked for me. Now my eyes are dry and can’t wear contacts so it glasses for now.
 
Flymph said:
My first cataract surgery went well. Soon after removing my eye patch my fly box was no longer full of the same dull gray colors.

I noticed you mentioned retinal issues and diminished peripheral vision. Do you have IOP (eye pressure issues/Glaucoma)? No need to broad cast this; just asking. I have had IOP/Glaucoma for many years and what is normally a very routine cataract surgery made things much worse. That said, all surgeons are not made equal - do the research - due diligence.
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Thanks for all of the information. Greatly appreciated, especially the info on color improvement.
I’ve had two detached retinas, different eyes, along with a pterygium (sp?) that had to be excised, without issues, along with being color blind. At my most recent visit my ophthamologist measured excellent pressure in my retinas with zero evidence of glaucoma so I’m good there. I’ve adapted to being color blind as we see things from a different perspective. It’s hard to explain but wrong “patterns” stand out to me such as camouflage that doesn’t quite fit the moment. It served me well in the past. When I was younger I had an issue with lazy eye but had it corrected through eye exercises. At one time tho I could do a spot on Marty Feldman imitation but matured out of that phase in the 60s.😅 Took 6 or 8 beers but it was fun.
At the moment I’m leaning the cataract surgery with distance correction mentality…..and saving money for oh…maybe…..New Zealand although Spain has really caught my fish brain, or even maybe two weeks in the PNW rather than the 5 days in Bend like my wife and I did this past May!
Thanks again, I anppreciate all the input and feel free to update.
I’m currently scheduled for second week in November, but I still need to confirm the actual procedure.
 
I have 2 friends who did the full monty progressive lens surgery and both are disappointed with the results. I did the distance option in May and am happy. Night driving vision is much improved - need readers for the phone and computer. My eye doc did not recommend getting the full monty .
 
Both eyes done in my 50's. Go with the single vision correction. (Assuming that means both eyes get corrected to same focus). You'll need glasses to read or see up close. Having been near sighted all my life I went with the opposite, and haven't regretted it.

Who is doing the surgery ? If you can access Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute, they are top notch.
 
Quick update on the first surgery this past Monday. Decided to go with the Toric lens by B&L which corrects for distance and eliminates the astigmatism. @wanderingrichard gave me some background which confirmed my decision to go this route. Thank you sir.
First up, the right eye, the one with prior injuries and issues. Total time in facility was less than 2.5 hours, including pre and post op. Only uncomfortable with the laser like sharp bright light that seemed to go straight to the brain, though no real issue. Released to the care of my partner in crime (wife) for the ride home with my Terminator glasses. No issues post op other than minor problem with the two “different” focal distances. Clear eye cover at night to prevent scratching the eye was no issue. I don’t move once in my landscape pose at night. All good.
Dr appointment yesterday was 20/20 right eye for the first time in 50+ years. 👍 I asked about a weird shadow-like sight interference far right as if you placed your eye too tight to binoculars, microscope or similar. The good surgeon explained that was not abnormal and would dissipate in short order. At one time my peripheral vision was approximately 200° +/- so expecting positive results there also. Looking forward to next week and completion of process. All good so far.
One sidebar that broke the office up. In leaving the reception office, my wife leading the way, me following with bandage and 3 stop N/D glasses in place, she tried to exit office through a full length glass window 😅that was quite attractive, though she couldn’t find the door handle. I told the staff that she might be in next week for her conference but then decided that she was the driver tasked with getting me home, alive.
Her driving….well…..glad I was still medicated. Tune in next week for Chapter II.
 
VAGABOND said:
So, being on the age 75+ side of life, and having had issues with my sight from a young age I believe the time may have arrived. Knowing there are many of us on here that due to age, injury, etc., that have experienced problems with our sight I thought I’d ask the forum their thoughts. I’ve only needed to wear corrective lenses full time since the late 90s, maybe early 00s, probably due to the enhanced use of laptops, etc. I started wearing polarized sunglasses in the early 80s for both fresh and saltwater, especially the latter. Always high quality shades and eventually Rx sunglasses
A little background. Between multiple concussions, fractures to facial areas around the eyes (work, sports and auto accidents), two detached retinas within 30 days of each other, a removal of a hyphema, my eyes are in the late innings of the final game.
I’m having the surgery, which has been described by friends as basically no big deal, due to the fact my peripheral vision has diminished radically in the last 3 or so years. I’ve been presented with the following options:
Straight cataract corrective surgery w insurance covering 99% of it keep my current eyewear.
Surgery with corrective action for either near OR far sight with need for glasses either or and a $$ up-charge.
Surgery with corrective action for Both with the possibility of needing glasses in the future and a $$$$ up-charge.
Surgery, the Full Monty with no need for glasses post op….with a $$$$$$ up charge. FYI this was quoted as a $10K frosting.

I do not need to tie on any #22s to 6x, but I do like to read. I also drive a lot of miles, 45K over the last 11 months, a lot at night. I’m leaning on the surgery plus a single sight correction as the RoI at my age may be greatly diminished due to current length of service on the planet. Then again no out of pocket $$ lightens the financial burden for travel and adventure 🤔

Any thoughts, experiences, recommendations will be graciously received. Thanks in advance for all the experienced insight!
Click to expand...
Had the single sight correction and was very pleased with the acuity and color correction. One thing that I experienced that the who ever selected the size of replacement lenses chose a size too small. The effect
Is likened to wearing glasses, in that my peripheral vision has diminished. The Dr. said they could correct it, I decided I could live with it rather than going through two more procedures. No, they didn’t offer a discount.
 
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