Lens choice

[Bess21]

Cataract surgery lens choices what's best long or near? I can see very well 6/6 vision but need some advice please. What will my eyesight be like close up if choose long lens

[Islandhome]

if you choose long lenses you will need reading glasses. Is your vision ok now or worse because of cataracts? I was happy with my vision, cataract surgery was to reduce eye pressures, so I asked to keep the same vision. They did not get it quite right and changed one eye ( it was very difficult to get anyone to listen) but I am still short sighted which I prefer as I can read and do close work without glasses. It is your choice which outcome you prefer but, in my experience, you have to be very firm to get what you want. Good luck.

[Bess21 in reply to Islandhome]

My cataract surgery is for pressures narrow angles. My eyesight is still good so I will probably need reading glasses after surgery

[Islandhome in reply to Bess21]

If you don’t need reading glasses now you shouldn’t after surgery. It was not offered or explained to me but after feverish research I questioned what they were planning and found you could have lenses to match your prescription so sight remains the same. It seems most people have cataract surgery because they have lost vision so there is no benchmark for new lenses and they end up with long sight but there is a choice.

[Bess21 in reply to Islandhome]

Okay thankyou I will discuss this at next appointment

[Bess21 in reply to Islandhome]

Is this on nhs

[Islandhome in reply to Bess21]

Yes it was. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

[Flourpot in reply to Islandhome]

I had cataracts removed privately due to eye pressure and was told I would only need glasses for reading afterwards. However I now have one good reading eye and one good distance eye. The surgeon seemed surprised although he had carried it out and offered another‘procedure’ to correct it. I declined and have got used to the difference. Disappointing having paid quite a bit for the surgery

[Bess21 in reply to Flourpot]

Wow. Did you have high pressures because of narrow angles

[Flourpot in reply to Bess21]

Yes narrow angles. I was advised to have the cataracts removed sooner rather than later. We can only take the hospital’s advice can’t we. Thank you for your response

[Bess21 in reply to Flourpot]

Thankyou did you have eye pressures

[Roxdale]

Ive had both my cataract surgeries and had to choose which lens to have (also have occular hypertension. ) As my operations were funded by NHS I only had the choice of long or short distance lenses. Prior to surgery I was short sighted and wore varifocal glasses but could read without glasses. I chose long distance replacement lenses and I now have almost perfect long distance vision but short and medium distance are terrible. I've had to get used to reading glasses and have them all over the house. I can't use my phone without them and it's a pain in the supermarket as I have to keep putting them on and off to see sell by dates and packet information.

I'm pleased I can see long distance especially dog walking in wet weather - no rainy steamed up specs but it hasn't been easy having to use reading glasses for close work. It also makes putting eye drops in difficult as I can't see close up! (I've got dry eyes since the operations and also continue to use Monopost drops)

The only way I could have had replacement lenses to suit long and short distance was to pay privately at a cost of £2,000 per eye. This wasn't an option.

Good luck with your choice. It is worth having the operation but talk to the clinic. The consultant at mine was brilliant and was very honest about the results afterwards.

[Bess21 in reply to Roxdale]

Thankyou I will ask lots of questions at my appointment

[mrswaffle in reply to Roxdale]

Hiya, I noticed your reply & wondered if you’d considered wearing a pair of reading glasses on a cord around your neck? This is what I’ve had to do for the last few years; I needed glasses for distance, but not reading. It’s a nuisance, but you get used to it!

[goodtotalk]

I also needed cataracts removed to bring pressures down. I was mega short-sighted, wore contacts from my teens & had been using readers for a few years, I’m 58 & have single vision lenses now.

My long vision is now ok to drive, but I’ve chosen to wear varifocals as it also improves long vision & I don’t have the constant ‘finding my readers’ issue.

I do miss not being able to I read very close with one eye, without contacts, but only ever did that looking at my phone in bed 🤭

Due to being so short-sighted, I was in that no man’s land between ops with vision imbalance (anisometropia). I was therefore off work until 2nd op done and got my varifocals,

Good luck with your ops and keep us posted with how you get on.

[Pley]

I had my surgery done a few years apart for closed angle glaucoma. The lens I had fitted on my first op was for long distance. I chose the same when I had the second op.Before the operations I needed varifocal glasses all the time. Having got used to them I decided to still wear them all the time.

But I can now take my glasses off and see long distance, my glasses just sharpen my long distance vision. But I need them for PC, reading and TV.

It's your choice

[eyesong]

Hi Bess and all the other's who replied about cataract choices. I have had Glaucoma for 30 + years used contact lens for 45 years with Monovision prescription, my left eye for distance and right eye for reading close up . When I had to have cataract surgery for both eyes it was my choice to do the Monovision prescription and it worked perfectly for me, no glasses! Now that Glaucoma has claimed the center vision on my right eye I can no longer depend on that eye so I now have to use reader glasses to see close up and it is a real pain. I know there are a number of lens choices available now that have options but are expensive. For me the simple choice was just Monovision and my husband did the same so have friends. Hope this helps. Good luck to all and hope the cataract surgery reduces pressure as I have not heard of that before and did not reduce my pressure.