Cataracts

[Pilgrim]

No, not Niagara or Angel Falls, but the eye things.

 

The eye doc told me a couple years ago they were developing and would need to be fixed - something to do with advancing years, so he said. I threw a bullshit flag but, behold, he was right.

 

So early this month I had both lenses replaced, first the slave eye then the master eye, or however you call 'em. (I thought it was dominant and submissive but the nurse corrected me quick on that; even so, she evinced an unhealthy interest in my frame of reference that led me to those terms.)

 

Anyhow, the eye guy installed a couple of Bausch & Lomb Crystal Lenses. The wondrous part is that they have a capacity to focus variably. The break-in takes a while, but the doctor says that, based on progress shown so far, by early spring I should be able to read normally (I can already read a 12pt font and 10pt is legible but not easily readable) and see distance with at least 20/20 acuity. Even now, distance vision is 20/40 and improving and I don't need to put on glasses to read the small numbers on my odometer, GPS, etc. That's a major blessing.

 

It was a real shock to find that the world is not truly a faded yellow, almost faded amber color. After he did the first eye (the second was two weeks later) I could close the "new" eye and the world had a yellowish cast. Switch to the new eye and the world was a lovely, bright place. That deterioration creeps up on you, unnoticed, long before acuity degrades.

 

The actual surgery (outside of prep and recovery, another 90 minutes total) only took about 20 minutes per eye and was utterly without discomfort before, during, or after.

 

The bad news is that medical insurance does not pay for the lenses, not even an amount equal to the price of the traditional fixed-focus type, nor does it pay for special post-surgery checkups, so the out-of-pocket expenses are about $4,500. The glasswork ain't cheap.

 

But it'll be worth every cent to not have to wear glasses ever again for anything but fine print.

 

Couple this with the chest-cutting last March and it has been an eventful medical year. Wonder what I can do next?

 

Pilgrim

 

 

[Paul Mihalka]

+1! I had the cataract surgery about 10 years ago, the fixed-focus type. For distance I am about 20/15 on one eye, about 20/30 on the other. Getting them was the best medical thing that ever happened to me. Medicare paid for most everything. I ride/drive without glasses. I have bifocal glasses with the reading correction and a minimal correction for distance. I also have drug store reading glasses, with a pair everywhere: home computer, home reading corner, office, workshop.

[Tank]

+1! Getting them was the best medical thing that ever happened to me. I ride/drive without glasses. I also have drug store reading glasses, with a pair everywhere: home computer, home reading corner, office, workshop.

 

 

 

+1... this year, my blue cross sprung for the BIG part of the surgery.....riding at night and seeing lights sharp and in focus is awsome

[1MPH]

Couple this with the chest-cutting last March and it has been an eventful medical year. Wonder what I can do next?

 

Pilgrim

 

 

Maybe there's another book in there.

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Did design and production support work at a major lasik laser mfr about 11-12 years ago.

It is amazing the technological advances being made to accommodate the aging baby boomers. Granted, it's financially motivated but, it's good.

[Kathy R]

I threw a bullshit flag but, behold, he was right.

 

 

Thanks for the detail in your post, Kent. I learned a few things and know what to look out for now. Hopefully, since you older Boomers are paving the way, the symptoms of aging will hit me with less inconvenience and at a lower cost.

 

It's good to see you coming through these events with flying colors. You should be able to see really well by the time the UN comes about

[Lineareagle]

$4,500.00 sounds cheap to me considering a new pair or two of glasses will set you back 300.00 every couple of years.

 

Here's to a bright and focused future!

[LandonBlueRT]

Congratulations on your successful Cataract surgery. I wish my experienmce with the surgery had been as good as yours. I had complications within 90 days of surgery and had to have laser surgery on both eyes. I also had the multi-focal lens implanted at about the cost of yours. My right eye vision is very good, but the left one is not. It has been over a year now since surgery and I am going to see a doctor from another group for a second opinion as to what went wrong, and if anything can be done to correct the problem.

[Pilgrim]

Congratulations on your successful Cataract surgery. I wish my experienmce with the surgery had been as good as yours. I had complications within 90 days of surgery and had to have laser surgery on both eyes. I also had the multi-focal lens implanted at about the cost of yours. My right eye vision is very good, but the left one is not. It has been over a year now since surgery and I am going to see a doctor from another group for a second opinion as to what went wrong, and if anything can be done to correct the problem.

 

Landon, I hope yours turns out as well as mine seems to be doing.

 

However, the doc did tell me up front that, despite there being no visible indications of anything that would preclude a flawless outcome, sometimes follow-up laser corrections and adjustments are called for. He does about 300 of these a year, so he's pretty familiar with what to look for and what can go wrong. (He also makes a whole heap of money at it. Good for him!)

 

I'm still in that period of vulnerability as the lenses "seat" themselves and it's not too late for inflammation to set in. To suppress that, I will continue to use a steroid-based eye drop for another month or so.

 

Good luck!

 

Pilgrim