Cataract Surgery

Ray;

Since you opened the subject. There might be more than lenses in those old caskets; titanium shoulders, ceramic hips, artificial hearts, gold teeth and so forth. Grave robbing could become a major industry in the future.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Ray;

Since you opened the subject. There might be more than lenses in those old caskets; titanium shoulders, ceramic hips, artificial hearts, gold teeth and so forth. Grave robbing could become a major industry in the future.

Gold teeth have been there for a while. Titanium and ceramic joints are new, but are they worth much? I don’t think these little plastic lenses are gonna have any value other than on Halloween?

-Ray

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by EvanB

Ray;

Since you opened the subject. There might be more than lenses in those old caskets; titanium shoulders, ceramic hips, artificial hearts, gold teeth and so forth. Grave robbing could become a major industry in the future.

I'm on it!

You look at the new price and it could be, in a strange future, that second hand artificial body parts might be a hot item--something to leave in the will. Any idea what crematoriums do with miscellaneous titanium? Titanium ain't cheap.

[raysachs]

It was just a passing kind of funny thought. I'm personally planning on being cremated and I'm sure those little lenses will burn right up with the rest of me...

-Ray

Should a monitor be paying attention to Scott?

[rdeane]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

My SO is on the verge, what lens did you choose? If I am not mistaken you can elect to have 20:20 to see close up which it sounds like you did or a lens to allow 20:20 at a distance. They now make bifocal and trifocal lenses as well which have been getting better and better. The trifocal gives you vision near, far and intermediate with no manipulation of your head etc.

Last year I had both eyes done. Right eye first. It was amazing! I opted for the artificial lens that gives me distance vision. I figured it was a real plus to not have to wear glasses to drive and see stuff farther out than 10 feet. I can buy reading glasses at the dollar store for less than I can get presription glasses for distance vision. As soon as the right eye was healed, I had the left one done. Same thing. Now I only need my (drug store reading) glasses for up close stuff. It' still annoying to have to put on glasses for reading prescription bottles and anything in small print, but I am wonderfully free of glasses most of the day. I have no regrets and recommend the surgery to anyone who is on the fence. Of course, my medical insurance (Medicare and Tricare for Life) paid for everything, so it was a total success!

[TRose]

Hey Ray,
Glad things went well and you have gotten excellent results. Enjoy your new found vision.
Best,
Tom

[Yamaha Man]

My cataract surgery is scheduled for the 23rd of this month for the right eye and the 30th for the left eye. Right now I can barely see the computer, freeway signs, red lights etc. .......it's getting worse everyday. I'm not sure what type of lens he's going to put in, Probably cheap ones that the insurance company provides. I need this surgery really bad, and am happy to hear of the great results you guys are getting.

[fumei]

As an artist it was the explosion of hues and tones that I did not even know were gone (because the changes were slow) that made my cataract surgery so incredible. The colors blew me away.

Like the OP it was a bit of a shock to realize that the eye that had been doing the heavy lifting (my "good" eye) was so terrible. I had not realized how yellow the world was from that cataract.

I had talked about it with a friend (re: the colors) and he had mumbled "oh, that's nice". When he got his done he was phoning me for days going on and on about the colors. I finally had to stop him with "yes, I know. I told you about it, remember? Now shut up."

One of the best things was looking through my telescope. Wow. Wow. Wow. More detail. more subtleties. It was not just the color that had been lost, but actual resolution. I wish I had done it years before.

Enjoy your new vision!

[Glennwillow]

Hi Ray,

Congrats on your new eye lens! I remember quite a few years ago taking my mother-in-law to have this done. She had a very similar reaction to yours. All the color, all the clarity!

She did have some trouble with night vision, especially with headlights in her eyes. That was the only disadvantage that I am aware of. My mother also had cataract surgery on her eyes.

I have no idea if I have cataracts or not. I probably should go see an eye doctor!

- Glenn

[rdeane]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Ray,

Congrats on your new eye lens! I remember quite a few years ago taking my mother-in-law to have this done. She had a very similar reaction to yours. All the color, all the clarity!

She did have some trouble with night vision, especially with headlights in her eyes. That was the only disadvantage that I am aware of. My mother also had cataract surgery on her eyes.

I have no idea if I have cataracts or not. I probably should go see an eye doctor!

- Glenn

As far as night vision goes, I had much more trouble with "halos and starbursts" at night before my cataract surgeries. I could not drive at night at all. Now I feel I could drive at night although my lifestyle doesn't include much night time excursions when I would have to drive myself (I live in an area that has a lot of deer activity after dark, and I avoid taking the chance I'll have a deer encounter on the road).

[raysachs]

It’s been an interesting couple days. Yesterday, as I wrote in my OP, my right eye woke up to a world of vivid colors and sharp images. It was so overwhelming (in a good way), it was almost like being on acid. I kept telling my wife how amazing everything looked, until I noticed the look on her face and realized she couldn’t see all of this stuff I was seeing as if for the first time, or she could, but it looked just like it had to her yesterday. And she only wanted to hear so much from the raving madman flitting around the house yelling about how AMAZING everything looked!. My left eye, OTOH, woke up yesterday, after having spent most of the last year as a hero, to a dull, sepia-toned, and moderately unfocused world. And was suddenly the black sheep of my visual world.

But TODAY I woke up, looked around, expecting to return to my virtual acid trip, and I just saw the world as it’s been. My brain had ALREADY incorporated all of the sharpness and vivid colors into its expectations, and I was already taking my newfound vision for granted! My left eye, still dull and sepia-toned, fell back into its old role as my secondary eye - my right eye was always my dominant eye until the cataract wrecked it. I can see well again - this is wonderful, but it’s almost like I’ve totally forgotten how bad it had gotten. Like I got the engine tuned up on my car and it runs smoothly again and I just instantly forgot how poorly it was running yesterday.

I still plan to get my left eye fixed soon, and I’m sure it’ll be nice when I do, but it won’t be the radical transformation this was, which lasted all of a day… But what a great day it was!

-Ray

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I still plan to get my left eye fixed soon, and I’m sure it’ll be nice when I do, but it won’t be the radical transformation this was, which lasted all of a day… But what a great day it was!

Trust me, there will be more. Even now, 4 years after my surgery, I find myself looking at things in the distance and being amazed at the detail I can see. Leaves on trees become particularly fascinating; realizing that I can read road signs at heretofore unthinkable distances is another repeating revelation.

[fumei]

Originally Posted by raysachs

But TODAY I woke up, looked around, expecting to return to my virtual acid trip, and I just saw the world as it’s been. My brain had ALREADY incorporated all of the sharpness and vivid colors into its expectations, and I was already taking my newfound vision for granted!

-Ray

Not sure it is taking it for granted, but yes, the brain is an amazing creature that adapts quickly.

On the other hand...my brother had three attempts at new lens for his cataracts. None worked because his brain simply refused to adapt. It is quite rare for this to happen. But it does. The lens worked fine but his brain did not. His cataract surgery was NOT fantastic. I was careful not to rave how good mine was.

BTW, the refusal of his brain to adapt IS indicative of his general interaction with the world.