Scar after cateract surgery

[kitty110]

I had cateract surgery and my vision is worse than before the operation.  I went back to my surgeon and after several tests, he said I had scar tissue and would need to wear glasses if I wanted better vision.  He also said a Yag laser surgery could help with the cloudyness but nevertheless would need to wear glasses.  I am very upset about this because I was under the impression that after the cateract surgery I would not need to wear glasses for distance - only drugstore reading glasses for upclose reading.  Please give me your thoughts on this.

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

I understand your frustration and often this situation can be eased by proper counseling BEFORE cataract surgery.  Cataract surgery is definitely not guaranteed to make you free of glasses for distance.  That is what you wanted but it doesn't always turn out that way due to the slight margins of error in many of the measurements and the margin of error in the mathematical calculations.  Please understand that the implant power selection is only our best possible mathematical prediction of where we would like your vision to end up.  I tell patients that I will shoot for maximal distance vision with the impant but that glasses may still be needed.  I often say that I have about 7000 patients out there that I have operated on that see quite well for distance without glasses but probably about 3000 others that do require some degree of glasses to see their best at distance due to some astigmatism or a little myopia or hyperopia.  If the doctor says there is a 70% chance that you will see well enough to drive without glasses, that does not guarantee that you will be in that 70%.

For you, glasses may be needed for your best possible vision.  LASIK or PRK laser treatment could possible be an option is you have several thousand to spend.  Regarding the yag laser, it can make the vision better when needed but will not change the glasses prescription.

[Gowrie]

I'd be more than extremely upset if I had a cataract removed and the vision was actually worse than before. That would have had to be the mother of all mathematical errors by the surgeon.

Before you let this doctor use a Yag on you, I'd see another doctor and see what the first one screwed up.