Five years ago, I started getting symptoms of a cataract in my right eye. My vision was getting more and more hazed; initially I thought my glasses were dirty. I then had cataract surgery in my right eye, replacing the lens with a Restor IOL (Model SN6AD1, power 9.0 D). The surgery was successful, my only complaint was that there were ringed halos around bright lights at night. My surgeon told me that this effect usually receded over a few months because of neuroadaptation, and he was correct. After a few months , the rings reduced in size. About a year later, I started getting hazed vision in the right eye, which was diagnosed as PCO and successfully treated with a YAG laser. Five years later, and I am quite happy with the visual improvement in my right eye.
Now for my LEFT eye. For the five years after my surgery, my prescription for glasses was -8.0 for my left eye, and +0.5 for my corrected right eye. (My left eye was always very myopic). This prescription worked out quite well for most distances. About one year ago, my left eye started developing double vision; that is, if I closed my right eye and looked at something with my left eye I saw double. This was also diagnosed as a cataract in my left eye, which surprised me since the symptoms were very different from the hazed effects of the cataract I had in my right eye. Over the span of 6 months, the vision in my left eye deteriorated to a point where my glasses would no longer correct the left eye's vision. So I opted for cataract surgery again. Based on the successful surgery five years before, I opted for a Restor implant (Model SN6AD1, power 14.5D).
It is now two weeks later, and the results unfortunately, are very different. My main complaint is that there is a "cloud" that moves around my left eye's vision, and at times hazes my left eye's vision significantly. (It's almost as if the cloud is a large "floater"). If I move my eyes, there are patches that seem clearer, but generally the cloud is centered in the left eye's field of vision, so it is quite disturbing. This is most evident with close or intermediate vision, such as computer work, and usually leads to a headache caused by the strain. It is almost as I have some PCO in my left eye, but I read that PCO usually occurs several months after surgery at the earliest.
I've also noticed that instead of the ringed halos that I had with my right eye, the halos around lights are not ringed, but rather just a fuzzy ball.
I discussed this with my opthamologist during the follow-up after surgery. He ordered a corneal scan, and checked the placement of the lens. Both indicated no problems, so he suggested that this may be part of the healing process. Based on my earlier experience with the reduction of ringed halos in my right eye, I am hoping that the cloud in my left eye will also dissipate over time. However, I would probably opt for an explant should the condition not improve over the next 6 months.
My questions are:
1) Has anyone else had cloudy (non-PCO) related visual issues right after cataract surgery? If so, did they dissipate over time?
2) Could this have been caused by the difference in cataract symptoms between the two eye?
Thanks.