Shooting after cataracts surgery

[Frog4aday]

It's been two weeks since I had the lens replacement and Vitrectomy on the right eye. My vision is still a bit blurry. So, the question is "how long does it take before the vision clears up"? Some folks say the day after the surgery and some say months later. Any idea?

Hey Rick,
That is a great question!
"how long does it take before the vision clears up"?
And the boring, sounds like a cop out answer is "it depends".
Some people are reading the 20/20 line on the eye chart on their one day post op. And they stay that way. They are blessed. Some start off great then vision drops after a few days or weeks. Reasons are many and varied (corneal edema? macular edema? early posterior capsular opacity? cell & flare from infection or inflammation? something else?) Then still others show up at their one day post-op appointment seeing 20/400, which is bleak but over time their eye heals and vision clears up and all is well that ends well.

In your case, you pointed out a very important detail - you had a partial vitrectomy. That means some of the sticky gel-like fluid from the back of your eye tried to come to the front of the eye during your surgery. It happens and the vitrectomy is your doctor 'gobbling' up this goo to get it out of the way so the cataract procedure (removal of cloudy natural lens & implant of the IOL) can be completed.

This means the doctor operated on you a bit longer and more instruments had to go in and out of your eye during that time. The good news is, your eye should still heal up fine and have a good outcome. It will just take more time for the healing to happen and the swelling (edema) to clear up. How much time? Only God knows that, but your surgeon should be able to give you an estimate at your next appointment. He (she?) is looking in your eye and knows what is going on. I can't even guess without making inaccurate assumptions, so no point in that.

Are you on 'cloudy' colored eye drops that taste bad? Something like PredForte or EconoPred? It's a steroid drop. It fights inflammation. If you are taking it I have two recommendations:
1) shake the living hell out of that bottle before using. Even smack the bottom of it on a table or counter to get the steroid particles off the bottom and mixed into the solution.
2) take it on time and on schedule; do not skip or miss dosages of it. If it says QID (four times a day) then by God, get it in four times a day. It will help.

I hope you see improvements to your visual acuity soon. Your eye has been thru a lot. It just needs to heal up & all should be well.

 

[Wachsmann]

I think I had both done on the same day. I will have to look. It's been a few years. They are not multiple focal I just have one that is focused up close and one that is far away. After they we put in I went through a Lasik operation to machine the near and far. Wore super dark sun glasses for about 2 days before I could stand the light and took a series of eye drops for a few weeks. Lens, procedure was 6k. I was told the star effect would go away and my brain would filter that out eventually. Well I still see it.


My wife told me I had them a week apart. So I do also have different dates on my cards. But I will have my eyes checked for the PCO. That may be something to investigate. Thanks.

 

[baldhunter]

My cataracts became worse this year and I'm starting to notice the affects a lot more.When I went to get my eye exam in January,while waiting on the doctor,I noticed I could read the eye chart in the hall better with my right eye than I could with my left.I've been cross dominant,right -handed left-eye dominant all my life.With corrective lenses I was 20/20 in the left eye and 20/30 in the right.I mentioned it to my doctor and he said it was because my cataract is worse in the left now.I've been seeing my eye surgeon for the last three years for cataract evaluations.He said I had them in both eyes,but they weren't quite ready for replacement.When I had my appointment in April,he said they were ready.I guess when they get to the point you need replacement,you will start to notice a change in vision clarity. I'm just thinking ahead because I know I may be having surgery this year.So I have a question.If you wear prescription glasses,after you have the surgery you obviously won't need a prescription lens for the eye you have surgery on,so do you get a non-prescription lens to put in your glasses beforehand?I know the eyewear comes with non-prescription lenses,I'm thinking they may save those or they should be able to get them so you will have the lens ready ahead of time.

 

[Rick Richard]

Hey Rick,
That is a great question!
"how long does it take before the vision clears up"?
And the boring, sounds like a cop out answer is "it depends".
Some people are reading the 20/20 line on the eye chart on their one day post op. And they stay that way. They are blessed. Some start off great then vision drops after a few days or weeks. Reasons are many and varied (corneal edema? macular edema? early posterior capsular opacity? cell & flare from infection or inflammation? something else?) Then still others show up at their one day post-op appointment seeing 20/400, which is bleak but over time their eye heals and vision clears up and all is well that ends well.

In your case, you pointed out a very important detail - you had a partial vitrectomy. That means some of the sticky gel-like fluid from the back of your eye tried to come to the front of the eye during your surgery. It happens and the vitrectomy is your doctor 'gobbling' up this goo to get it out of the way so the cataract procedure (removal of cloudy natural lens & implant of the IOL) can be completed.

This means the doctor operated on you a bit longer and more instruments had to go in and out of your eye during that time. The good news is, your eye should still heal up fine and have a good outcome. It will just take more time for the healing to happen and the swelling (edema) to clear up. How much time? Only God knows that, but your surgeon should be able to give you an estimate at your next appointment. He (she?) is looking in your eye and knows what is going on. I can't even guess without making inaccurate assumptions, so no point in that.

Are you on 'cloudy' colored eye drops that taste bad? Something like PredForte or EconoPred? It's a steroid drop. It fights inflammation. If you are taking it I have two recommendations:
1) shake the living hell out of that bottle before using. Even smack the bottom of it on a table or counter to get the steroid particles off the bottom and mixed into the solution.
2) take it on time and on schedule; do not skip or miss dosages of it. If it says QID (four times a day) then by God, get it in four times a day. It will help.

I hope you see improvements to your visual acuity soon. Your eye has been thru a lot. It just needs to heal up & all should be well.

You either have a medical background or you've stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once, but I do appreciate your perspective on my circumstance.

Also, the vitrectomy was planned to be performed at the same time as the lens replacement and it was never mentioned as being a "partial" procedure. Don't know if that makes any difference or not, but again I do appreciate your comments.

 

[BrentM]

My cataracts became worse this year and I'm starting to notice the affects a lot more.When I went to get my eye exam in January,while waiting on the doctor,I noticed I could read the eye chart in the hall better with my right eye than I could with my left.I've been cross dominant,right -handed left-eye dominant all my life.With corrective lenses I was 20/20 in the left eye and 20/30 in the right.I mentioned it to my doctor and he said it was because my cataract is worse in the left now.I've been seeing my eye surgeon for the last three years for cataract evaluations.He said I had them in both eyes,but they weren't quite ready for replacement.When I had my appointment in April,he said they were ready.I guess when they get to the point you need replacement,you will start to notice a change in vision clarity. I'm just thinking ahead because I know I may be having surgery this year.So I have a question.If you wear prescription glasses,after you have the surgery you obviously won't need a prescription lens for the eye you have surgery on,so do you get a non-prescription lens to put in your glasses beforehand?I know the eyewear comes with non-prescription lenses,I'm thinking they may save those or they should be able to get them so you will have the lens ready ahead of time.

Not sure you can make the jump that your prescription won't change for the better or worse. I see 20-20 now but both centers I visited said I have 50/50 chance of maintaining 20/40 or better. The only assured prescription I was given is if I purchase the adjustable lense they tweak to 20/20. Just a thought

 

[Frog4aday]

My cataracts became worse this year and I'm starting to notice the affects a lot more.When I went to get my eye exam in January,while waiting on the doctor,I noticed I could read the eye chart in the hall better with my right eye than I could with my left.I've been cross dominant,right -handed left-eye dominant all my life.With corrective lenses I was 20/20 in the left eye and 20/30 in the right.I mentioned it to my doctor and he said it was because my cataract is worse in the left now.I've been seeing my eye surgeon for the last three years for cataract evaluations.He said I had them in both eyes,but they weren't quite ready for replacement.When I had my appointment in April,he said they were ready.I guess when they get to the point you need replacement,you will start to notice a change in vision clarity. I'm just thinking ahead because I know I may be having surgery this year.So I have a question.If you wear prescription glasses,after you have the surgery you obviously won't need a prescription lens for the eye you have surgery on,so do you get a non-prescription lens to put in your glasses beforehand?I know the eyewear comes with non-prescription lenses,I'm thinking they may save those or they should be able to get them so you will have the lens ready ahead of time.

If you wear glasses & have cataract surgery you just go to the optical dept on your one day post op appointment & they remove the lens in front of the operated eye so you can see clearly in the distance. No point putting any lens in just yet (no, they didn't keep the plano display lens for this possibility, but that would have been nice, ha!) Your other eye will likely be done very soon at which point you'll ditch your glasses and likely just get by with OTC (over the counter) reading glasses from Walmart or wherever.

In the case where one eye is operated on, but the other isn't "ripe" enough yet, you will get your final spectacle Rx at the 3 or 4 week mark & a proper lens can be put back in your frame at that time to replace the lens that was removed.

As for your eyes having cataracts for several years now but the doc is (was) telling you they still aren't ready to come out yet, that is pretty normal for nuclear sclerotic (NS) type cataracts. They are very slow to progress and insurance won't cover the surgery until your visual acuity is 20/40 or worse AND the cataract is starting to interfere with your normal daily life activities (i.e., driving, reading, seeing the TV, using your computer, glare at night or halos, etc.) It can take a while for the NS-type cataracts to get bad enough to warrant removal.

The other common type of cataract is the posterior subcapsular (PSC) type and these progress quickly for most people and will be very bothersome as they worsen. Doctors know they'll be operating on you sooner rather than later when they see you have PSC cataracts (usually in anout six months, give or take.)

The third type of common cataract is the cortical spoke type (CS). Think of your lens in your eye as a wagon wheel and the spokes are getting cloudy from the outer edge of the wheel at first and work in toward the center over time. In daylight & well lit environments your vision can seem fine, because your pupils are small & the cloudy spokes are not interfering w/your vision. But at night or in dim lighting, you will get glare & really struggle to see as the pupil is bigger and the cloudy spokes scatter the light entering your eye. These can be so frustrating for patients as their visual acuity might seem okay at the doctors office but the glare is driving them nuts. Be sure to let your doctor know how the glare is preventing you from living your life and being able to do certain activities like reading or driving at night.

 

[Frog4aday]

You either have a medical background or you've stayed in a Holiday Inn Express once, but I do appreciate your perspective on my circumstance.

Also, the vitrectomy was planned to be performed at the same time as the lens replacement and it was never mentioned as being a "partial" procedure. Don't know if that makes any difference or not, but again I do appreciate your comments.

Thanks Rick. I appreciate the positive feedback.

The fact that your vitrectomy was PLANNED ahead of time is significant as it means something else was going on with your eye besides a cataract. I don't know what that was, but it would explain your atypical recovery (slow to recover clear vision.) I'm sure your doctor is advising you what things to do & not do and is keeping you posted about what to expect as far as recovery and visual expectations. I'm hoping you have a great outcome with time. Fingers crossed.

As for my use of the term "partial" vitrectomy, I only said that because it is rare for ALL the vitreous to be removed. The surgeon only takes out as much as they need in order to accomplish the surgical goal, whatever that was in your case. They rarely take it all out. You either had an anterior vitrectomy or a pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Either procedure leaves some vitreous still in the eye. Regardless, your case is unusual & I appreciate you sharing that a vitrectomy was a planned part of your surgery.

 

[baldhunter]

If you wear glasses & have cataract surgery you just go to the optical dept on your one day post op appointment & they remove the lens in front of the operated eye so you can see clearly in the distance. No point putting any lens in just yet (no, they didn't keep the plano display lens for this possibility, but that would have been nice, ha!) Your other eye will likely be done very soon at which point you'll ditch your glasses and likely just get by with OTC (over the counter) reading glasses from Walmart or wherever.

In the case where one eye is operated on, but the other isn't "ripe" enough yet, you will get your final spectacle Rx at the 3 or 4 week mark & a proper lens can be put back in your frame at that time to replace the lens that was removed.

As for your eyes having cataracts for several years now but the doc is (was) telling you they still aren't ready to come out yet, that is pretty normal for nuclear sclerotic (NS) type cataracts. They are very slow to progress and insurance won't cover the surgery until your visual acuity is 20/40 or worse AND the cataract is starting to interfere with your normal daily life activities (i.e., driving, reading, seeing the TV, using your computer, glare at night or halos, etc.) It can take a while for the NS-type cataracts to get bad enough to warrant removal.

The other common type of cataract is the posterior subcapsular (PSC) type and these progress quickly for most people and will be very bothersome as they worsen. Doctors know they'll be operating on you sooner rather than later when they see you have PSC cataracts (usually in anout six months, give or take.)

The third type of common cataract is the cortical spoke type (CS). Think of your lens in your eye as a wagon wheel and the spokes are getting cloudy from the outer edge of the wheel at first and work in toward the center over time. In daylight & well lit environments your vision can seem fine, because your pupils are small & the cloudy spokes are not interfering w/your vision. But at night or in dim lighting, you will get glare & really struggle to see as the pupil is bigger and the cloudy spokes scatter the light entering your eye. These can be so frustrating for patients as their visual acuity might seem okay at the doctors office but the glare is driving them nuts. Be sure to let your doctor know how the glare is preventing you from living your life and being able to do certain activities like reading or driving at night.

Thank You! You have been a wealth of information on this subject.I'm sure their are others here that feel the same way.I really appreciate all your help.

 

[Rick Richard]

Thanks Rick. I appreciate the positive feedback.

The fact that your vitrectomy was PLANNED ahead of time is significant as it means something else was going on with your eye besides a cataract. I don't know what that was, but it would explain your atypical recovery (slow to recover clear vision.) I'm sure your doctor is advising you what things to do & not do and is keeping you posted about what to expect as far as recovery and visual expectations. I'm hoping you have a great outcome with time. Fingers crossed.

As for my use of the term "partial" vitrectomy, I only said that because it is rare for ALL the vitreous to be removed. The surgeon only takes out as much as they need in order to accomplish the surgical goal, whatever that was in your case. They rarely take it all out. You either had an anterior vitrectomy or a pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Either procedure leaves some vitreous still in the eye. Regardless, your case is unusual & I appreciate you sharing that a vitrectomy was a planned part of your surgery.

I knew it! You did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. lol.

By the way, it was to remove the Floaters….and took your advise about "banging and shaking" the bottle.

Thank you sir.

 

[crkckr]

I had my cataracts replaced with standard lenses which the insurance covered 100%. The surgery was quick and painless and I was able to see clearly after about a week. Medicare would not pay anything if both eyes were done at the same ti e so I had them done a month apart. I just removed a lens from my regular glasses. Funny thing is, my opto never said a word about cataracts until my vision had really began to deteriorate! I've never been good with iron sights and have svopes on all my rifles, even my AK!

After ther surgery and recovery, my long distance vision is great. Mostly. I do use eye drops, mostly due to allergies. My close in vision has actually gotten worse! If I walk into a small room, such as the bathroom, I am effectively blind! Of course, I can make out the shower and the can but there is nothing in there I can actually see, everything is blurry. Fortunately, my wife is nearly as bad as me so we have readers everywhere!

I do have trouble at night with flare from light sources, especially while driving. I also have days where my eyes don't seem to handle contrast very well, such as when the sun is out and there's a line between the sunshine and, say, the darker woods in my backyard. This could be a reaction to some of many, many meds I've been taking since a triple bypass March 5. I will be stopping most of them June 5 so we'll see how that goes.

All in all, I wish I could have done this 58 years ago, since I've been wearing glasses since I was 14 and am now 72. Of course, I don't think they had the tech then but glasses have been a real pain in my neck since I started wearing them (although it was pretty cool to be able to actually see things... like, finding out that trees had leaves! Which I could see from the second story of my eye docs office!). Plus now I can wear those cool pilot shades that I couldn't wear before!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[Buzzsaw]

Medicare covers a MONOFOCAL intraocular lens (IOL). It is an EXCELLENT, high quality, very good lens! Not a thing wrong or 'cheap' about it. Perfectly fine for MOST people.

A monofocal lens can only correct your eye to see well at one particular place (i.e., DISTANT, intermediate, or NEAR.) Most doctors shoot for a monofocal lens that will make your DISTANT vision clear so you can drive without glasses and then you just need readers or a bifocal for near work, since most people getting cataract surgery are already used to wearing glasses for near work by this point of their lives. Works great. Most people are quite happy.

In some cases, if a patient has successfully done monovision using contact lenses BEFORE having cataract surgery, the doctor may use the Medicare covered monofocal lens to set one eye up to see far clearly and the other eye is setup to see at near clearly. These people can get by without any glasses after surgery! The catch is a person has to have done monovision successfully BEFORE they need cataract surgery. Most doctors will not attempt a 'monovision' cataract surgery on someone who hasn't already shown they can tolerate it.

As for the cost of the "premium" lenses, it varies from office to office and depends on what premium lens you are looking at (TORIC? MULTIFOCAL? LAL?) But figure about $4000 per eye as a 'ballpark' figure. I hope that helps.

Great info Frog4aday, thanks for taking the time to post this reply.
Buzz

 

[MOelkman]

I am set for June 9 for the start of surgeries on my eyes for cataract. I am just getting into long range shooting. I have a few different options on lenses for my eyes. But **** the price tag. I was thinking just a regular lens for distance. Anyone have cataracts and does it effect your shooting? And what type of lens did you have.

ATM there are 123 replies to your post. Been following on & off, as I had surgery scheduled in May.
Just received clearance to do what I want to do.
Borderline miracle!
Never wore glasses. Started using readers when I was 60 or so. Vision slowly deteriorated last 3 years or so.
I had cataracts, astigmatism, and a fresh diagnosis of glaucoma. Iron sights were difficult. Scope made life easier.
Long story short, went with Toric lenses - $1500 extra per eye. Vision as I had in my 30's. Glaucoma managed with stents & eyedrops.

Get plenty of advice, educate yourself, find a surgeon with impeccable reputation.

 

[baldhunter]

I'm going with Toric lenses when I get mine done.

Clareon® Toric Intraocular Lens | Alcon

Discover exceptional clarity for and correct astigmatism with the Clareon® Toric lens. Learn more about Clareon® and cataract treatment here.

www.myalcon.com

 

[crkckr]

I thought about going with the "one for long distance one for for reading" thing but I don't think I would do well, certainly not at first. I can't hardly walk with my readers on, I'd trip over something and kill myself! Using readers aren't all that bad and now I carry a pair with me all the time, sometimes two since my wife often forgets hers! Plus I still wouldn't be able to use iron sights! I have red dots on all my carry guns and scopes on all my rifles (and some handguns), so I have better odds of actually hitting what I'm aiming at!
Cheers,
crkckr