Cataract surgery ?

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Hangfire

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Below a link to the late 2014 thread on cataract surgery just wondering if since then anyone has had it done and their 'after surgery' experiences.....the good or the bad.

https://www.okshooters.com/threads/got-cataracts.202245/

Because of being diabetic I go to a opthomologist yearly for a thorough eye exam, she told me in 2017 that I had the beginnings of cataracts and then during my exam early this year she said that they had worsened and that I'd better start thinking about having cataract surgery done and that we'd discuss it again at my next appointment in April 2020.

I told her that things were just a tad fuzzy / blurry now and I figured it was because I need new glasses. She gave me a eye exam and then read the prescription in my current glasses and told me that me that my current prescription matched what her findings were in the eye exam and that I didn't need new glasses and that the blurriness was from cataracts......not that shooting should be the sole purpose for having the surgery done but I also notice that my sights are not as crisp as they were a few years ago.

I'm thinking that the winter months are the best time to have the surgery done......it's a little too nippy to go to the outdoor range comfortably and there is not much in the way of outside activities right now.

From what I'm reading it takes awhile to get both eyes done separately and then get new glasses made after both eyes heal....I currently wear bifocals and I'm right handed and left eye dominant so I'm thinking about having the left eye done first.

She did mention that Medicare does not routinely cover glasses but they do cover a new pair after having cataract surgery.

So for those that have had it done or know someone that has is it all pluses or are there some negatives ?
 
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druryj

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It sure makes a difference, and I noticed it within hours. All I need now is reading glasses. BUT, it won't fix everything...my front sight is still too dang fuzzy for real accuracy, and my eye doc just said " well, as we get older..." Still, its a lot better after than it was before.

Edit: And a Red Dot? Fuhgeddaboudit. Looks like a big fuzzy strawberry to me.
 

DRC458

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I'm facing the same thing in the not-too-distant future. Just found out back in May that I had the beginning of cataracts in both eyes. Last month, found out that the one in my right eye has progressed far enough that it's already a candidate for surgery. I honestly didn't realize how fuzzy things were in my right eye until the Doc's office checked my eyes individually.
 

Aries

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I had it done a couple of years ago.

I have astigmatism, and they gave me three options... 1) just have the cataracts removed and continue to wear glasses all the time. 2) replace the cataracts with lenses that would correct for either near or far, but not both. 3) replace with lenses that would correct for both near and far, and eliminate the need for glasses completely.

I took option 2, which was about $3500 extra, corrected for distance with the goal being that I would only need glasses for reading and up close. Didn't work out so well, my distance vision IS improved, but not to the point that I don't have to wear glasses all the time. So I regret spending the extra money for that.

The doctors offered to correct that for no additional charge, but the surgery center wanted another $1500 for the additional procedure, so I didn't do that.

But to be honest, I'm not sure I'm that much better off than before having them removed.

Otherwise, the worst part was having to use drops several times a day. The procedure, recover, etc. was no big deal.
 

TerryMiller

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I posted about my experience in the early part of that other thread, but here's an update.

When I had mine done in 2013, all I did then was get two pairs of glasses, but have rarely needed them. One pair is purely single vision with one eye being close focus and the other begin long focus. Those are my shooting glasses. The other pair are bifocals, with the same prescription in both as with the shooting glasses for the distance vision.

I recently went in for an examination and both the optometrist and his assistant were amazed at how good my vision was, even after 6 years. I rarely ever wear either of my glasses, and when I do, it is for shooting or for seeing street name signs when driving at night.

In my case, Medicare paid for the surgery (if I remember right), but I had to pay out of pocket for the two different lenses that were the replacement for what God gave me. All in all, even with that cost, I'm extremely pleased with my vision.

After my surgery, I did have to suspend driving for two months. The wife hated that because I'm a terrible "back seat driver." In that two months, I had a number of appointments (every two weeks, I think) with my regular optometrist, who examined things and after the two months, that is when he did the prescriptions for the two pairs of glasses. While I do carry reading glasses pretty much all the time, the only time I have to use them is for really small print in non-ideal lighting. At my last appointment, the doctor's assistant handed me the "card" to read in checking my reading ability. I was able to read the smallest print without any glasses.
 

KOPBET

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I had one eye done a couple of years ago because night driving was becoming a bit scary (more than usual). Had the laser option (over scalpel) done even though insurance wouldn't cover that part. No big deal, no down time, no recovery to speak of. New lens in the eyeball replacing the cloudy one sure helped. I can see better at night now.
 

264killer

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I have diadetes also went to South West eye center.Great distant vision , read mostly with out glasses. Gun sights are clear.Told them wanted to see far off & would deal with reading glasses.
 

skyhawk1

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Wife and I have both had cataract surgery in both eyes. Don't regret one bit. Worst thing is I do have to use reading glass's and have about 20 pairs laying around and can't find one when I need one. Wife got a single contact she uses for reading but I hate contacts. Chances are if you have the surgery in central Oklahoma your eye drops will come from our Edmond store. We fill hundred of scripts every month for Dean McGee and several other clinics here and Tulsa. And yes keeping up with the required schedule for the drops is a pain. You get a sheet with which drop and when to use it.
 

DavidMcmillan

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My experience has been the same as @druryj . I have been very pleased from the beginning. You'll think you have a new TV. Colors are much more vivid for me than before. I also am a Southwest Eye Clinic alumni.
 

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