Cataract surgery

[singingloud]

When do you know you should have cataract surgery? My vision has decreased tremendously in three months. Thanks

[Amanda_iona]

It depends where you live. Here, in UK, my optician was not allowed to refer me for surgery until the vision in the bad eye could no longer be improved with glasses. NHS rationing!

[singingloud in reply to Amanda_iona]

Thanks I live in the USA. I’ll check with my eye doctor soon for his opinion. Driving at night has become scary.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to singingloud]

Wherever you are, the criteria should be when it impacts on daily life. Sometimes that means, as already stated, when it can no longer be improved by change of lens in spectacles - but as you are not getting yours done free (as we do in UK on NHS) then you may have more choice.

If you cannot drive at night, and you HAVE to, then that’s a good enough reason.

Mine was done slightly earlier than the surgeon would normally operate apparently. But as PMRpro says I have sight only in one eye, and it had almost got to the stage where I wouldn’t be legal to drive, and as I was recently widowed and had limited access to public transport he agreed to perform op.

[singingloud in reply to DorsetLady]

Found out today that I will have cataract surgery in Feb. I've been given the choice of having a regular lens or Toric lens to correct my astigmatism in both eyes. It would cost me a bit more but will it hold for the rest of my life with PMR? I've worn glasses since I was seven.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to singingloud]

Good news on surgery. Not sure about the Toric lens (not aware), ask your optometrist or surgeon but don't think the illness or the Pred affects astigmatism.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to singingloud]

I'd be going for the toric lens - I had contacts when I could still wear them. The material is the same, it is the shape that is different.

This explains the shape

coopervision.com/about-cont...

and this

allaboutvision.com/conditio...

explains it all in cataract surgery and discusses what you should be asking your surgeon - like, is he good at it!!!!

[GOOD_GRIEF in reply to singingloud]

Until you have the surgery, ask your optician or optical store to give you night vision lenses for night driving.

[singingloud in reply to GOOD_GRIEF]

Never heard of those. I’ll check it out. Thanks

[Blearyeyed in reply to GOOD_GRIEF]

Nice tip !

[PMRpro Ambassador]

In the UK the criterion is "when it is affecting your day-to-day living" - so that will vary a bit, someone like DorsetLady with only one eye may well be put on the list sooner.

In the past they had to wait until the cataract had "ripened" because only then did the procedure work optimally but modern techniques mean this is no longer necessary - so in an insurance funded system or if you pay privately there is no need for that sort of delay.

[SheffieldJane in reply to PMRpro]

I think she had the cataract removal operation on her good eye. I remember thinking how frightening that would be. (DL) I may be mistaken.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SheffieldJane]

There really wouldn't be a lot of point removing a cataract from the other eye! That was my point - if you only have one eye with good vision it is more important to remove any obstacle to that. In fact, DL had replied further up the thread some hours before you posted saying the same thing.

[Marijo1951]

Having my cataracts dealt with was the best medical decision I ever made. I didn't realise how poor my eyesight had become until after the second operation when I was looking out of my living room window and found that I could count the bricks in the wall of the building opposite.

[HeronNS]

I'd say an inability to drive safely at night is an excellent criterion and you should be able to have the procedure approved.

[singingloud]

Eye doctor will call me in a referral tomorrow if he thinks I’m ready for surgery. By the end of day my eyes can’t focus and I’m having double vision at times. We will see what they say. I’m on 10ml if prednisone right now.

[SheffieldJane]

I was told that I would be informed should I need the operation and when. I have pre- cataracts ( whatever that means). I suspect if we paid privately the operation would be done sooner not just in cases such as yours when visual impairment makes it hard to manage. I would go back to my eye doctor and tell them about this significant deterioration. It is one operation that I quite welcome. I have heard nothing but amazing reports about it.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SheffieldJane]

That can be the case now - but the older technique means the cataract must have got a particular stage before it can be operated on.

[Iloveholidays]

I had one done last week, nhs in the uk, mine was done sooner than they would usually do them because of the impact on my life, driving in the dark and using a computer at work was becoming increasingly difficult. Best thing I could have done, I can see so well, it has made me realise how bad my eyesight was.