You need to discuss this with your surgeon. Are you using a new glasses prescription.
Dr. O.
I am no doctor, but just recently went thru a Vitrectomy and Cataract surgery. Luckily, I researched weeks in advance with Medhelp experiences, etc. to try and determine what target I wanted with my IOL.
I even did a contact lens trial, but stopped the trial several weeks prior to the IOL tests, as it can affect the cornea.
NONE of this was suggested by any of the 6 Cataract specialists I went to...but from my research I learned to ask specific questions. I found a wide variety of Doctor opinions on what my target should be...One insisted I go "Near sighted" with a target of -1 (keep in mind there is about a .25 margin of error on their targets with actual outcomes)...this could have left me -1.25ish potentially---which was much too nearsighted for me since my good eye was a +1.25 and I was leaving it alone for years.
Some Doctors said to target distance (Plano, or 0 ) and a couple of them suggested Mini-monovision with a target of -.25 to -.75.
That is what I chose and ended up with... a -.50 diopter, which gives me "intermediate" vision of best clarity about 3-5 feet away. (went with standard monofocal Tecnis IOL)
Long story short, I can see pretty well with the combination of my two eye diopters. I was told NOT to have them end up more than about 2 diopters apart or the eyes might not work together well.
My -.50 IOL eye sees things around the house, clothes in the closet, food on the counter, TV, store shelf items, things like that. My distance eye picks up the distance beyond 5 feet and I need reading glasses and computer glasses for clear comfortable reading.
It would have been nice if the Doctors would have discussed your options in more detail BEFORE they went ahead with surgery, although I have found in the Seattle area anyways, that the Doctors don't want to take the time to go into details and potentially confuse their patients...which would take more office time.
Distance targets on both eyes are quite common, so he didn't do anything wrong...but if you knew ahead, you may have chosen distance on your dominant eye and Intermediate on your non-dominant eye for mini-monovision.
New glasses and new habits of wearing them around the house might be the easiest answer at this point.
Hope I didn't ramble on too much here, but I am hoping this inspires people to ask more detailed questions before surgery and take the time to learn about diopters, targets, IOL choices, etc.
Good luck !
What are the risks to the left eye if the current Iol is replaced with another within three months of the original surgery compared with the original cataract removal surgery
The conversation would not have confused me at all. I would have asked for best focus at 30 - 50 feet, not 200 yards. Most of my time is spent in my home, not on a golf course.
Most IOLs can be exchanged at 3 months. Do not have a yag capsulotomy, it will make the exchange harder.
Best focus at 30 to 50 feet would be plano (zero). The letters chart in a eye exam lane is calibrated for 20 feet.
Dr. O.
Thank you for the helpful information.
It seems that this is what was done, but neither the surgeon or my optometrist can say why one eye now sees objects larger than the other. Any ideas?
What is a yag capsulotomy?
Hello,
Our natural lens is placed in a transparent outer covering called the capsule. During cataract surgery, a small part of this capsule is left behind to provide support to the artificial lens. Sometimes, this lens may develop cloudiness or wrinkling months or even years after the cataract surgery due to our body's healing mechanisms. This causes symptoms similar to a cataract. However, the treatment is much simpler: an OPD procedure called the YAG Capsulotomy. In this procedure, a laser called the YAG Laser is used to make a small hole in the capsule (called capsulotomy) so that light can pass through and vision clears up.