Eyesight problems after cataract surgery

[LuisOrtega]

I had both eyes operated on for cataracts about 2 1/2 years ago. I'm 60, male and opted for long distance lenses so I wear reading glasses.
At first, the results were wonderful, although even from the start I noticed that there were moments of blurry patches in my field of vision.
I have noticed in the past year that the smudgy patches are getting more common.
It's sort of like trying to look through dirty glasses all the time.
If I blink or look around a bit, the smudgy patch moves or disappears.

It has become very hard to read regular magazines or newspapers because of these smudgy patches. It's worse up close, but it can also happen when watching tv, which makes it hard to see details or text on the screen.
Driving at night is also a bit worse and there is also some glare from headlights that has grown worse since the operation.

Are these typical symptoms after cataract surgery?
Is there any treatment?
Is it perhaps related to my age and my eyes are growing weaker from ageing instead of the cataract surgery?

Thanks for any advice.

[LuisOrtega]

I saw my doctor who did the original cataract operation and he is going to do a laser treatment to cut a hole in the membrane behind the lens.
He says that the membrane has gotten thicker and dirty and creating a hole in it will correct the problem. He said the rest of the eye is fine.
I am a bit worried about having a hole cut in the membrane that holds the insides of the eyeball in.
Will there be a danger of the fluid in the eye coming through the hole?
Will I be unable to do anything that might add pressure to the eye, such as doing yoga headstands or even rubbing my eyes?
Does the hole close up again later? If so, will it be worse since it might be scar tissue then?
Will I need to keep having the same procedure done every few years for the rest of my life, and will this be more risky each time it has to be done?
I am planning to get both done at the same time, since he said that it is a simple, quick procedure, but is it better to wait and do each eye separately?
I am worried about being left with a situation where I have to curtail some physical activities because of a danger of creating too much pressure in the eye and running the risk of something leaking out of the hole cut in the membrane.

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

You need to have an ophthalmologist check your eyes. The most common thing that would cause this is clouding of the membrane that holds the IOL in position. This is easily corrected with yag laser. Or it could be a different problem in the eye on the retina, optic nerve or macula.

See your surgeon again.

JCH MD