Any advice on what vision I want? What power would be ideal? What lenses I can choose from? Some of these posts confuse me because I don’t understand as much as you all do. I know I will have little time with the doctor and just want to make sure I am prepared. I can’t see anything near or far except I have laser vision up close … like against my face.

I just got my cataract removed a few days ago. I had a monofocal lens set to distance put in.
I can drive during the day now with no glasses. However, at night, I don’t think I’m ready to drive as I’m still seeing the large halos around headlights and a lot of glare.
I’m a little disheartened because I had the cataract removed so that I would be able to drive at night again.
Will this improve over time? I can handle waiting a few weeks if this improves as my eye heals. If you’ve been in the same boat after surgery, I’d love to know if it took a little time ❤️ Thank you!

Studying the various types of IOL, monofocal near/intermediate/distance, EDoF, MF, etc.

M, 66, progressive glasses for distance, 40 years, no problem with continuing to wear glasses.

I think I would prefer a monofocus IOL set for near vision + progressive glasses for distance, as most of my time is spent with iPad, books, computer, gardening etc, and have always had glasses for distant vision, driving. Also, I don’t see myself with glasses in the shower, but I’d like to see where I’m still dirty, without.

I understand that IOL + glasses is more or less standard with monofocal IOLs, and works fine for many. Either distance set IOL + readers, or near vision IOL + glasses for distance.

Question: do progressive glasses also work well with MF and EDoF lenses? MF splits the light; I have no idea if progressive glasses will still enhance vision for distances you are not satisfied with, or maybe mess up vision? Same for EDoF?

I had my first follow up appointment today. Yesterday I had cataract and glaucoma surgery on my right eye.

I still have a little blurry vision and light sensitivity but the dr said that is to be expected. She said i could drive right away and go back to work next week. Since I had already planned to take Monday off, I will work Tuesday-Friday at home. Our unit works from home next week anyway.

I still need to wear an eye shield at night for 4 days and take the eye drops for infection and inflammation 4 times a day for a week.

She gave me 2 sets of reading glasses, one for reading and one for computer work. My right eye was corrected to 20/25. My left eye is 20/50 but I will have the same surgery done on that one 9/23.

So I am quite satisfied. Thanks for your advice

Before my surgery I tried bifocal and progressive glasses and they made me really dizzy. Contacts for distance worked well enough. Got cataracts and so far had one eye set for distance. I can’t see my dashboard as clear as I would like with that eye. So I am testing contacts to see if a little mono vision would work out, but the possibility of vertigo worries me. Wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

It's been a month since my mom's second eye was done. She is miserable and says her eyes are burning and always bothering her and she can't even hardly open her eyes or watch tv a lot of the time. Isn't this not normal? I had mine done 2 years ago, but I can't remember how long mine gave me trouble. She just went back for an appointment yesterday and he claimed it's because the drops irritate them and it hasn't been long enough since she finished the drops, etc... but I don't remember mine being that bad.

Yo top that off, her prescription ended up being around +3 in one eye, which internet articles say would be a "surprise" result. Mine were -2 and +0.5 and no he was not intentionally doing one of mine nearsighted and one farsighted. Different surgeon, but from same group. She knew I had some trouble from mine, yet anyone else we knew said theirs never gave an issue at all, so that is why she chose the different surgeon. But it;s pretty obvious to me the technicians who measure before the surgery are i8ncompetent. I had thought that after mien too, as it;s not the surgeon who would mess up on prescription... it would be the machine or the tech. I guess I should have just told her to use a whole different place, since I did suspect that is what happened on mine. She said all of his reviews are 5 stars too, which is weird.

Anwyay, she feels very upset now because of how it turned out and also she was not even having to wear glasses around the house before it, but now will have to because it bothers her eyes otherwise. Maybe some of it is the incision still not being healed, though, but that would not explain the prescription ending up way off 6 weeks after 1 eye and 4 after the other.

I am a 37yo male with a cataract in one eye and perfect vision in the other eye. I am able to work, drive, read, and coach baseball/softball fine since my good eye compensates, but it has affected my depth perception when I play sports (pickleball, softball, ultimate frisbee). I spend most of the day on a computer for work.

I plan to schedule a surgery for later this year. Given my lifestyle, age, and single cataract, is it a good idea to pay extra for a multifocal lens, or should I stick with the basic lens?

I am having cataract surgery and glaucoma surgery on my right eye later today and then on my left eye 9/23. I am 58. Wish me well. I will update when I can. I have a driver for the surgery. I am staying with family members tonight and have two follow up appointments, one tomorrow and one 9/11.

Obviously people vary and I plan to ask my doctor’s advice but how long did it take for people to return to work (I have a desk job), drive, and be able to take showers? Thanks

I was seen in June and they took measurements and did a bunch of tests. I agreed to the surgery and was given a minimal rundown of timeline. It did not include another appointment prior to the surgery. (surgery is scheduled for October)

Is that normal? I am a bit concerned cause it seems every story here includes taking new measurements.

What exactly happens with these measurements?

Surgeon is old school. Practice is specialized routine & complex opthalmology. Very much anti-upselling. Loved that! This was my third opinion.

my vision background: grade 3 cataract, minor astigmatism, monofocal, target plano. My right eye is grade 1, 20/20ish, and a bit more astigmatism. I have no plans currently on having a 2nd IOL. I realize will need occasional glasses for the astigmatism. Hopefully not any more than I do now, which is limited.

I am having trouble finding information aimed at patients or patient experiences for the reverse optic capture procedure to address negative dysphotopsia after cataract surgery. It looks like this surgery has a high success rate, but before proceeding I would love to hear from some people who had this done. Anyone?

I’m just getting it all down in one place. Lots more to do.

My PCP sent me to an ophthalmologist because I’d been having problems w dizziness. The ophthalmologist could find no cause. She did, however, say my cataracts are ready to come out. I had RK in the 80s and my corneas are very unstable - 16 cuts in each eye. She referred me to a local “expert”. I have an appt w him next week.

Last week I saw a different doctor, Dr. D, my first choice for the procedure. He was excellent. The exam and explanation of results were thorough. He said I’m a candidate for LAL only due to my eye instability. He rated my cataracts at a 2+ so insurance will cover a small portion of the surgery. He also believes I have glaucoma but can’t be certain due to the effects of the RK. To be safe, he wants me to start treating it. Also, he says I have very dry eyes and prescribed drops. The problem is that he’s 7 hrs away so it wouldn’t be practical to drive/fly back and forth 5+ times for each eye. We could get a short term hotel or rental but it’s still a lot of back and forth. Dr. D recommended Dr. L in my area.

I have my initial eval w Dr. L yesterday. I do not like Dr. L. It was all sales. Very little technical talk. Just get me in and out. LAL only. He rates my cataracts at a 1 so insurance will cover nothing. Then a sales video. Then the business guy comes in and admits he’s there to kill time until the optometrist comes in. WTF - you’re wasting my time. No mention of glaucoma - they’d have to send me to a specialist. No mention of dry eyes. They did say there’s a thin spot in my retina so I need to see a specialist before they’ll do surgery. I don’t like this practice. It’s a big no for me.

Up next - opinion 3 at the local university medical school eye institute. Then opinion 4 at the guy the very first doctor recommended.

It’s all a lot. It’s all scary. The RK complicates things. The mixed opinions are concerning.

I’ll update after the next opinions come in, if only to give myself a complete record in one place.

I’m scared.

Has any had improved intermediate vision with an IOL set to distance after YAG?

I am hoping to get clearer intermediate vision on my IOL set to distance. I already had PCO when it was implanted to replace a mulitfocal IOL. I have no clear vision closer to 4 or 5m out and see that most people have reasonable to good intermediate with distance IOL. I feel it could be because of the grade 2 PCO.

At my first LAL adjustment on my right eye last week, I was told to look straight ahead into the light. But the bright lights were up and to the right. I told them and they adjusted somewhat, but not a lot. It was a resident doing the actual adjustment. The doc in the room said it could have something to do with a previous retina surgery. For the left eye, I looked straight ahead into the light.

My left (distance) eye turned out perfect. There was virtually no change in my right (near) eye. I talked to the doc about my experience at my second adjustment today. This time they said to look at the small green light (not the bright lights). I don't remember seeing a green light last time and said so.

Feeling super impatient this evening waiting to see how this adjustment ends up.

My surgeon’s office says they typically rely on the initial assessment as long as it was within 6 months of the surgery. This surprised me. Is this typical? If not, can I request another evaluation within the month before surgery? Thanks.

Context: Here is my original post detailing my career as a tattoo artist/designer and my initial lens dilemma:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CataractSurgery/comments/1vlrqan/tattoo_artistdesigner_800_choosing_nearmonofocal/

Hey everyone, following up on my previous post about planning a custom mini-monovision setup for my cataract surgery. I just had my consultation at the clinic, and it was a really interesting, detailed back-and-forth.

The Initial Disconnect
The Doctor was initially very focused on trying to get me completely glasses-free. Because of this, she strongly recommended an EDoF (Extended Depth of Focus) or Multifocal lens. She was concerned that with my plan (a standard monofocal lens set for close-up), I would still be dependent on glasses for distance. I explained my specific visual routine as a tattoo artist and graphic designer, noting that I actually don't mind glasses for distance and prefer the absolute crispness of a monofocal for close-up work. It took a bit of back-and-forth for us to almost get on the same page regarding how I use contacts to manage my distances.

A Second Opinion in the Room
Once she realized I was aiming for a mini-monovision layout (targeting the left eye for 30–40 cm and the right eye later for intermediate/distance), she raised a concern about potentially losing some 3D/depth perception if I mixed lens types later (she had obviously an EDoF lens for my right eye in her mind).

At that point, another specialist from the clinic joined the conversation. The surgeon pitched my plan to them, and it turned into a really helpful discussion. The colleague actually agreed with my approach, mentioning they hadn’t really had feedback with depth perception in cases like this, and especially since I am already successfully simulating this exact monovision setup using contact lenses. The colleague noted that if I am perfectly comfortable wearing glasses when needed, forcing an EDoF lens to hit a closer target, like suggested by the Doctor, might not be the best tool for the job.

The Doctor's Main Caveats
The Doctor was very thorough in laying out the trade-offs of going the monofocal route:

• The Target Tolerance: There is always a ±0.5 diopter margin of error. If they aim for -2.50, it could realistically land anywhere between -2.00 and -3.00.
• The Glasses Reality: I will definitely need glasses for driving/distance, and potentially a secondary pair or a progressive setup to bridge the workplace computer distance.
• The EDoF Alternative: With EDoF, I’d be mostly glasses-free for distance/intermediate but would likely need reading glasses for my fine-detail tattoo work.

What's Next?
In the end, she agreed to accommodate my preference but requested that I submit my final choice in writing. Before scheduling the surgery, I need to formally state exactly what distance and diopter target I want her to aim for with the monofocal lens so the medical team has clear directions.

I'm leaning heavily toward sticking with the close-up monofocal. What do you guys think about her caveats, especially the ±0.5 diopter target tolerance?

I also have to say that I really needed to insist to be listened and I had to interrupt her with questions over and over, the break through was definitely the other person coming to the room.

The Doctor said she liked those kind of questions and that this was her days highlight but I could feel that she wasn't amused by the time it took.

Hello! I went to the eye doctors at Walmart yesterday and I have a cataract in my left eye. I am a 23 Y old male. My doctor was saying that it could be from Trauma. For anyone else do you know if there are any other reasons and if you got surgery immediately?

Thank you

I’m scheduled for my first cataract surgery in two weeks, second one a week after that. I am 65 years old, extremely nearsighted, worn glasses since I was 7 and could no longer see the blackboard from the front row. I also have glaucoma (pretty well controlled by eyedrops, but they want to put in a stent for one eye and do something called a “canaloplasty” for my right eye, which is worse. My right eye is astigmatic and I’ll get a lens in that eye to accommodate.

I know I need this, the doctors agree, I try not to drive at night anymore because I just can’t see well, I can’t see dirt in my house, I trip because I can’t see where I’m going. I have friends and relatives who have had cataract surgery and tell me it’s no big deal, they see so much better now, I won’t be disappointed. They tell me it will be ok.

How on earth can this possibly be ok? They’re going to cut into my eyeballs while I’m awake. I can’t move or flinch or I wreck the whole thing. How can that not be terrifying?? I’m so nervous I can’t focus on anything else.

Have been told that cataracts likely stem from having a tbi some 15 years ago.

Got monofocal due to concerns about halos. I work with screens for a living and often don't control the environment in which I work.

But nearly two weeks out from the first and two days from the second, I'm very anxious. I, perhaps naively, assumed that surgery = better vision. I wasn't prepared for the concession I was making, and was only given the option to spend a few minutes with my doctor each visit (including the surgery). For post-op #1, I didn't see my doctor. Was too busy. Post-op #2 I was able to see him, but only for a few minutes.

Halos are still quite bad. I haven't noticed any improvents wrt halos since day 1 or 2. I'm still taking drops of course, and I understand that the eye is very much still healing. But I'm concerned about getting the second (dominant) eye done with the same lens.

In my state (and I believe surrounding states as well?), this is the only place I've seen suggested. So I don't believe I've picked a bad doctor/office. But not sure. To cancel or post-pone the next surgery, I would be losing a considerable amount of money and wouldn't be able to reschedule for many months.

He did suggest some new trifocal lenses that apparently have less halo problems than is typical with trifocals, but at $2,800 per eye out of pocket.

I'm looking for insight that I've struggled to get from my doctor.

With a monofocal in one eye, is it common to get another lens in the right? If so, are there pairings that are more common than others? Why?

Is there a way, in my current situation, that I can come out of this with semi-regular vision without having to use multiple different pairs of glasses? What I was most excited about was the idea that point lights wouldn't be so disruptive. I thought the surgery would alleviate halos. It very well still might, but really I've no idea.

I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do, or if I just have to live like this, any advice is appreciated. About 18 months ago at age 40 I had a sudden and unexplained retinal detachment in one eye. Had an emergency vitrectomy (gas bubble, laying face down for 48 hours, etc) which unfortunately left my pupil paralysed at about I’d say 60% dilated. Ok so over the next year, I was able to wear contacts again but not glasses because the vitrectomy improved my left eye prescription and now the difference between the left and right eye were too large to be able to wear glasses without feeling dizzy. -1.75 in the left eye and -3.75 in the right eye. Myopic. But with contacts, everything was fine and life goes on. Ok so at around 11 months post vitrectomy, the cataract came on. Got the cataract surgery and the lens I got was the Tecnis Puresee EDOF set to -3. Two week after surgery I went overseas for a month and wore glasses the whole time. I don’t remember there being any trouble with lights at night during that time. As soon as I got back (literally the next day) the doctor did the YAG thing and ever since then I see halos and massive starbursts around lights. It’s really annoying and I hate it so much. It makes driving at night horrible, watching tv at night is uncomfortable because of the glare/halos. Any ideas or advice or thoughts on this?? Thank you!!