A consideration for selecting the Crystalens

I have come to the conclusion that I didn't give enough thought to my selection of a Crystalens for cataract surgery.  As most of you know, I have a Crystalens in my left eye.

I am almost finished reading THE SHALLOWS:  WHAT THE INTERNET IS DOING TO OUR BRAINS by Nicholas Carr.  It is thought-provoking, and I offer these thoughts for your consideration.

I have been using the Internet for some 18 years.  During that time, little by little, my online time increased, especially during the years I was working.  I do spend a lot of time on the computer even now.  Hours more per week, in fact, than I'd ever spend reading printed material.  I'd be lucky to read from print 3 hours per week, and the fact that I read THE SHALLOWS may be an anomaly.

As most ( not all) of us know, after age 45, reading becomes easier when you hold your material at arm's length.  And that is true for me currently.  Intermediate is probably my best vision.

If you are considering the Crystalens, I'm not saying you shouldn't choose it to replace your natural lense.  But I'd hope that patients would do a better job than I did as they evaluate their own lifestyles.

As Carr notes in his book, he reads far fewer books now, because he gets too distracted and restless for sustained concentration and attention.  The same is true for me.  The use of the computer tends to crowd out sustained reading in other media.  Typically, content on the web is created to be distracting!

When my cataract surgeon said he wanted me to read as much as possible without glasses, well, it isn't going to happen!  Except from a distance of about 23 inches on a computer monitor.

So, I'd guess that, even if I get another Crystalens, my near vision is never going to be any better, and that is because I'm not habituated to it as a personal preference.  Even the refractive counselor during one of my cataract evaluations admitted that, with her 2 Crystalenses, it took her a whole year before she had good near vision.  And I would bet that she uses her near vision a lot more than I do.

I don't have a Kindle or other type e-reader.  I'd also be interested in how people hold their Kindle, and is it easier to read at arm's length.  Perhaps the Kindle is too new a technology for its numerous fans to evaluate it fairly as to its effects on their vision.  Maybe it wouldn't be a fair evaluation, since you can easily increase the font size when reading from this device.

I've had my say.  If I am off-base, I hope someone will point it out.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Thanks for your comments.
JCH MD