Tetraflex bilaterally tomorrow!!!

[scarlettttt]

I have decided to go ahead with the Tetraflex IOLs instead of waiting for the light accomodating new IOLs. You can waste your life away waiting for better things and I believe that if you go with the best technology available at the time of your decision you can't go wrong.
Left eye is scheduled for 10.30
Right eye is scheduled for 10.45
If everything goes as expected with no complications I should be at home resting ( or on the computer ) by six. It's a three and a half hour drive to get there.  
I'm not expecting perfection. I'm expecting a big improvement though and if the doctor cannot guarantee a reasonable improvement....I'm backing out.
I'm also getting a complete repeat eye examination because on the day that I got my initial examination at the Edmonton clinic ( an affiliate ) my eyes were UNUSUALLY good. I mentioned this to several of the staff and they told me that vision fluctuates.
Well mine doesn't and it has not been as good since.
That alone worries me because if my refractive reading was off, even by half a diopter the correct lenses would not have been ordered. Apparently the Calgary clinic ( where I'm going )  does not keep Tetraflex stock on hand. It is ordered as they need it.
It's costing me $3100 per eye so I'm hoping all goes well.
If it doesn't....that's life and I'll live with it.
ONE THING that really concerns me is on the consent form it said PERMANENT eyelid droopiness could occur but is extremely rare. It said the chances of that happening are greatly diminished if local anaesthetic is used. How could that happen if they are just operating on your eyeball? And if it DOES happen...is it fixable? And what is Iris atrophy?
It said there was a 0.01 chance of THAT happening also. It listed at least 30 things that could happen and I will question every one of them.  
If I come through it reasonably well....I'll post here tomorrow.
Wish me luck.
Scarlettttt

[DG82]

How did it all go?

I am booked in to get an Alcon implant in my left eye and then my right (both are currently at approx 20/60 sight) in 2 weeks. My regular optometrist (who is also a surgeon) seems to not want me to do anything yet (even though contacts aren't helping me enough anymore) while a different specialist surgeon has positive hopes for me.

I am a bit confused. All advice would help greatly

Thanks

[scarlettttt]

Thank you for your reassurance.

Summary....
After meeting with the surgeon ( 45 minutes ) he managed to talk me out of Tetraflex. He said that although they MAY work he truly did not think that they would meet my expectations and he would prefer not to do the surgery. I was devastated. I really was. I was sobbing and then the nurse in the room with us suddenly said...Dr. Gimbel, What about an ICL?
His face sort of lit up and he became optimistic again.
Then I said....They told me in Edmonton that my eyes were too small for that. He studied my chart for a minute then said that although my eye chambers were indeed outside the parameters for the Visian ICL he could make it work. He told me he'd implanted them in someone with a 4.6 chamber successfully ( Mine are 4.5 )
I arrived there at 9 am and I left at 4 pm.
Firstly I had to get an Iriditomy which was bloody agonizing even though my eye was frozen. ( I say eye not eyes because at that point we'd determined that my left eye was fine the way it is )
When I was going to get the IOLs everything was mainly determined by the A Scan...meaning the power of the IOLS.
With the ICL it is based on your refractive error. I asked what mine was so I'd understand in simple terms and my left eye is 20/30 and my right is 20/60
After the iridotomy I had to get checked for bleeding, eye pressure and retinal problems. I'll say it again. THe iridotomy was AGONY!
Then I had to get my eye measured AGAIN. This involved another round of freezing and a golfball sized half circle of soft pliable material ( with a pea sized hole at the top ) being placed on my eye. It was filled with liquid and then ultrasonic measurements were taken.
I was told a custom made ICL had to be ordered from Staar of Switzerland but there was a chance that it could be available from Toronto which means I can get it done within a week.
We arrived back home at approx. 8 p.m and I immediately went on the internet to research Staar Vision ICLs. As far as I could see ONLY MYOPIC CORRECTING ONES were available. I am hyberobic ( I think that's the correct word ) but then I realised that the majority of the info on the internet caters to the U.S. market. After further digging I found that hyperopic ones ARE available everywhere else in the world but NOT in the U.S.
I also read one of the many award and plaques that my Surgeon has received over the years from almost every major country in the world including Japan and I noticed that one of them was from Staar Visian ICL and it was the Expert of Experts award in 2007.
I realise my options are limited and I believe that he is offering me the best and only option for my high expectations.
I was a bit queasy about having my natural lens sucked out anyway and with this option I am able to keep it.
I'll keep you informed.
Thanks for responding to my question about eye droopiness.
Scarlettttt

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Eye droopyness is very rare with topical anesthesia (numbing drops). It more common when a local anesthetic shot is used.

Good luck.

Dr. O.