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Cataracts. Who's had 'em repaired and are you happy? Login/Join 
Bookers Bourbon
and a good cigar
Picture of Johnny 3eagles
posted
I got 'em, one in each eye. Wife had both eyes done, but she is not really a shooter. My procedures are scheduled for 2 different days in April.

Fortunately, my surgeon is a hunter and hand gunner, so he understood my concerns.

I want to hear from you folks that have had the procedures done. Are you happy with the results and did it help with (especially) hand gun shooting? Any help with focus on scopes?

Smile I asked the surgeon if he could get me one for my right eye with a mil dot reticle, but he said "No" Smile





If you're goin' through hell, keep on going.
Don't slow down. If you're scared don't show it.
You might get out before the devil even knows you're there.


NRA ENDOWMENT LIFE MEMBER
 
Posts: 7345 | Location: Arkansas  | Registered: November 06, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of SIG 229R
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I had both eyes done about two years ago. My vision is much improved. Lots of people that have it done no longer need glasses except to read with but, that was not the case with me. I am however much improved. I now need sunglasses most days outside. Whatever you do follow the instructions about not bending over and using the drop they prescribe. They are not cheap and no generic for them or at least not the ones they wanted me to use.

You will be glad you had it done. If it's like mine the surgery part will only last about 10 minutes and ten you go home.


SigP229R
Harry Callahan "A man has got to know his limitations".
Teddy Roosevelt "Talk soft carry a big stick"
I Cor10: 13 "1611KJV"
 
Posts: 6066 | Registered: March 04, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too old to run,
too mean to quit!
posted Hide Post
I have had it done to both eyes, and had corneal transplants as well.'

My cataract surgery was several years ago now, maybe 10. My cataracts were in the lenses and the only solution then was to replace the lens.

Fixed focus lenses back then. I understand they some type of variable focus lenses now. No idea how they work.

Corneal transplants went well, but not perfect.

I do pretty well without glasses, and have to use reading glasses to read.

Did not get the total cornea transplants. The doc only removed the inner layer of the cornea and replaced it with one from a donor cornea.

Would I get it done again? Absolutely! Especially given the advances in technology since mine was done.

Do make sure you have a good, experienced doctor!!!!


Elk

There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "
-Thomas Jefferson

"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Alexis de Tocqueville

FBHO!!!



The Idaho Elk Hunter
 
Posts: 25656 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too old to run,
too mean to quit!
posted Hide Post
How is the repair going to be done? Transplants, or laser to clear out the cataract?


Elk

There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. "
-Thomas Jefferson

"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Alexis de Tocqueville

FBHO!!!



The Idaho Elk Hunter
 
Posts: 25656 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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This thread has great timing. I have developed cataracts that have to be removed and I have been putting it off, but the time has to make a move. So, I will be taking note of all the information posted here.
 
Posts: 970 | Location: Virginia | Registered: August 03, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
principle of
Due Process
Picture of JALLEN
posted Hide Post
My wife had both eyes done between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with some follow up exams since.

She has never had good vision, always worn contacts or, more recently glasses. She is tickled to death now to have essentially 20/20 vision, no glasses necessary.

She is on Medicare, we have a very good supplement Coverage, and it ran a bit more than $4,000 per eye. I don’t know what insurance covered, if anything, above that.

I have heard that a cousin’s husband, former Green Beret officer, had both eyes done last year and is equally happy, but don’t know the details.

My brother started having floaters, and in all that had one eye done, with less happy results. Not unhappy, just not happy and has so far not had the other eye done. Same outfit that took care of my wife.




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Bookers Bourbon
and a good cigar
Picture of Johnny 3eagles
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My procedure is to open the eye and replace the "lens" via Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL). And, yes, the surgeon is very experienced. He is the same guy that did both of the eyes for my wife. I have both Medicare and Tricare for Life, so no out of pocket expenses.





If you're goin' through hell, keep on going.
Don't slow down. If you're scared don't show it.
You might get out before the devil even knows you're there.


NRA ENDOWMENT LIFE MEMBER
 
Posts: 7345 | Location: Arkansas  | Registered: November 06, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
אַרְיֵה
Picture of V-Tail
posted Hide Post
Not quite a year and a half for me. I'm 81 now. I had both eyes done, two weeks apart. I opted for distant correction in both eyes.

The first thing I noticed, within the first 24 hours, was how colors were so vivid and bright.

My distant vision is now between 20/20 and 20/25. I wear "readers" for desk work and reading.

Somebody referred to expensive drops for post-surgery. Mine, at Filutowski (really a big operation in the Orlando area, for cataracts and Lasik), my drops were $45 per eye. Not a big deal, Medicare paid for just about everything else.

The procedure itself: I declined the offered Valium, I don't do well with that kind of stuff, so my anxiety level was high before the first one. BP hit 207 / 95! The procedure was painless, novocaine or whatever in the eye drops. It took about ten minutes. I did feel pressure and tugging, but no pain at all, and I'm a sissy when it comes to pain.

Second eye, I knew what to expect, so I was not at all as anxious. I brought a couple of rubber squeeze things that I clamped with my hands to relieve the tension during the procedure, but as I said, it was maybe ten minutes of mild discomfort.

It should go well with you, it's pretty routine stuff, and you will be amazed at the improvement in your vision.

If you have any specific questions, my email address is in my profile.



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
 
Posts: 31633 | Location: Central Florida, Orlando area | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
posted Hide Post
I had both lenses replaced 2 years ago and my 55 year relationship with contacts and prescription glasses was over. 20/20 in one eye, 20/30 in the other. I went for both eyes for distance and a pair of cheap readers is now an everyday companion. Very happy overall.

After the lens transplant, I can't focus on different planes of course. Have transitioned to RDS or lasers on most of my carry guns.



NRA Patron Member, Instructor and CRSO
NC CCH Instructor
GRNC Life Member
VCDL Member
 
Posts: 1838 | Registered: April 21, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Crusty old
curmudgeon
Picture of Jimbo54
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
My procedure is to open the eye and replace the "lens" via Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL). And, yes, the surgeon is very experienced. He is the same guy that did both of the eyes for my wife. I have both Medicare and Tricare for Life, so no out of pocket expenses.


This is my experience. Both were done in the 90's and they are fixed focus. I now wear tri-focal glasses and it is not an issue because I got used to them quickly. I understand that now soft natural lenses are available and I would check into that.

Good luck and don't fret about it. It's become a common procedure and is a big improvement on your life.

Jim


________________________

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll have to be a horrible warning" -Catherine Aird
 
Posts: 9791 | Location: The right side of Washington State | Registered: September 14, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
The success of a solution usually depends upon your point of view
posted Hide Post
Following this as I am starting to develop cataracts.

It is complicated for me as I have a degenerative retna disease as well.



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Posts: 3928 | Location: Jacksonville, FL | Registered: September 10, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Conveniently located directly
above the center of the Earth
Picture of signewt
posted Hide Post
Had both lenses replaced about 10 years ago.

Painless, 10 minute procedure, near 20/25 either eye.

My choices did not include the 'variable' style as other retinal issues weighed against that.

Given the 'distant' version, expected reading glasses but didn't realize being unable to read a soup can in hand without readers.

Scope/binos most excellent improvement. Had lost ability to use them prior to surgery.

Everything IS brighter/more colorful.
Oncoming headlights no longer such an issue, though still annoying.

Don't put it off 10 more years due to fear & anxiety.


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Posts: 9877 | Location: sunny Orygun | Registered: September 27, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
It's not easy being me
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I am pretty young to have had cataract surgery, but I had my right eye done at age 53, and my
left eye at age 56. I had what my ophthalmologist called "diabetic cataracts". I've had
Type 1 Diabetes for about 33 years.
At my last check up about 8 months ago, the vision in my right eye was 20/15, and my left eye was
20/20. Everything has been great concerning the experience. But, I do still need to use reading
glasses, and the sites on my handguns are a bit fuzzy, while the targets are very clear.
I chalk it up as the trade-off I deal with, as I no longer need to wear contacts.
Overall, I've been very pleased with my experience. And, I'm fortunate to have a good
ophthalmologist. I've been a patient of his for over twenty years.
I trust his judgement on all eye issues, among other things. I've known
him since we were kids, and went to Jr. High & High School with him. He was our class President,
along with being our class Valedictorian.


_______________________________________
Flammable, Inflammable, or Nonflammable.......
Hell, either it Flams or it doesn't!! (George Carlin)
 
Posts: 2769 | Location: Middle TN | Registered: March 22, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Muzzle flash
aficionado
Picture of flashguy
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I had both eyes done in Aug 2016, using laser surgery. Medicare and TCL paid for most of it, but I did have some supplemental charges (more expensive "toric" lenses, I think). I did not go for the variable lenses because I was told they were much more expensive and only lasted a couple of years, then had to be redone. Not something I wanted. I have about 20/25 vision and must use "readers" for close work. Vision seems OK for shooting, though (but I'd probably benefit from a set of glasses that focused the strong eye on the front sight and didn't have a weak eye lens). My doctor told me that there is a follow-on procedure that should be done to remove the residue of the original lens sac, and doing it would probably make my vision more acute. I've just not gotten around to it.

The surgery is a snap--30 minutes prep, a dose of "no worry" meds, and 10 minutes for the procedure for each eye. (My doctor wanted 2 weeks between eyes.) There have been hundreds of thousands of these surgeries done and almost no problems, so I would not worry at all.

I did not have the vivid color increase that some have reported--maybe my cataracts were not as cloudy or discolored as some. I am quite satisfied with the results.

flashguy




Texan by choice, not accident of birth
 
Posts: 27911 | Location: Dallas, TX | Registered: May 08, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Corgis Rock
Picture of Icabod
posted Hide Post
Had both eyes done this January. Did the first eye one week, had a week off to get a root canal, then the other eye. As I'd had LASIK and a retina repair in the past, we went with the higher cost laser procedure. Good news is the drops every few hours are no longer required. The doctor puts them in and that's it.
With each eye it was three days of "grit in the eye" then back to normal. Ended up with 20/20 in both eyes.
Funny thing. I knew my left eye was cloudy and it bugged me. The doctor pointed out my right eye also needed to be done too. After the first surgery, the cataract in my right eye was very noticeable. I compare it to auto headlights. The left was that bright LED headlight while the right was the older, less intense, yellowish, headlight.
What was a,axing was how bright everything was. I was living in sunglasss when I was outside. Then there are how bright colors are.



“ The work of destruction is quick, easy and exhilarating; the work of creation is slow, laborious and dull.
 
Posts: 6066 | Location: Outside Seattle | Registered: November 29, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Comic Relief
Picture of Eponym
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I had cataract surgery with corneal implants done in both eyes about 2 years ago. I am pleased with the results. It did not cure my astigmatism, but reduced it significantly. Colors are brighter. I still wear bifocals (with transition lenses) full-time. My handgun aim has improved because the targets look sharper.
 
Posts: 4827 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: September 28, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Had both eyes done 2 weeks apart in 2015 with laser surgery. I went the extra money for the multi focal lens. Best $8000 I ever spent. Other than the pain of spending the money, the surgery is painless.

I quit shooting handguns for quite a while before getting the surgery. Couldn't focus on the target and couldn't see both front and rear open sites at the same time. What a difference.


Awake not woke
 
Posts: 599 | Location: Citrus Springs, Fl. | Registered: January 02, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
teacher of history
Picture of maxwayne
posted Hide Post
I had both done 8 years ago and could not be happier. I wore thick glasses for 55 years and they are gone. I only need readers if the light is dim. I shoot better and am a much better driver. I opted for the extra cost multi-focal lenses and have no regrets.

Use a doctor who has done the procedure many times and has a stellar track record. Someone once complained to me that my doctor drove a Ferrari and he did not want someone like that operating on him. I told him I sure did.

My sporting clays scores went way up and my hand gun shooting is better. The SD pheasant population was not pleased with the results.
 
Posts: 5690 | Location: Central Illinois | Registered: March 04, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Johnny, good luck on the surgery. I have an eye Doc appointment on April 13 at the VA. Afraid it’s time for my surgery. Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Officers lives matter!
 
Posts: 3265 | Location: Arkansas | Registered: February 12, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
אַרְיֵה
Picture of V-Tail
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by ArLEOret:
Afraid it’s time for my surgery.
Don't be "afraid." It really is nothing to worry about. Ten minutes for an eye, wait a couple weeks, then the other eye.

The results are impressive!



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
 
Posts: 31633 | Location: Central Florida, Orlando area | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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