Vision Degrading Since Cataract Surgery

[Laell]

I started out as a myopic with a vision of -1.75 OD/-2.25 OS.  I also had an astigmatism in both eyes (enough to know it was there and drive me nuts).

In late September, I had the cataract removed from my left eye and an LI61AO IOL inserted.  The first few weeks, I had vision like a hawk in that eye (20/10 3 days post-op).  A week after having the left eye done, the right eye was done.  Again, the IOL used was the LI61AO.  In order to correct the astigmatism in both eyes, the surgeon did a limbal relaxation incision (both eyes).  For the first couple of weeks, I had 20/10 vision in both eyes.

I had secondary cataract in both eyes and those were removed in April (1 week apart for each eye).

I lost all in-between and near vision after my cataract surgeries.  I knew this would happen and was ok with wearing reading glasses (I work on a computer all day but like to star-gaze at night).

My prescription has been changed twice this year (4 months apart) to correct my eyesight and I'm probably looking at yet another new prescription.  I am wearing progressive lenses now.  When my eye doctor tried to fit me with soft contact lenses, I had double vision in each eye.  I'm not doing very well with the hard contact lenses as they move around way too much (the upper eyelid catches the lens and pulls it upward after a blink.  I'm on my 3rd attempt with another new pair of hard lenses).

My current prescription corrects for near vision (+2.25/+2.75) and my far vision is (-1.25/-1.50).  This isn't working anymore for me.  

Is it normal for eyes after IOL to keep changing like mine are?  When I see my ophthalmologist, he tells me my eyes are fine as I can read the chart (with glasses) and suggested eye drops to rewet my eyes.  I do not have the clarity of vision that I used to have - even with rewetting drops!  This is very frustrating!

I'm desperate for information at this point!

[John C Hagan]

Your first sentence gives a prescription for glasses for myopia. It does not give your vision. From the information you provide it is not possible to tell what your visual acuity was with these lens. The prescription you list -1.75 right eye and -2.25 left eye does NOT have a correction in it for astigmatism. Astigmatism is a disease it means the cornea is not perfectly round.

If you have monofocal intraocular implants put in (most common type used) you may have good distance vision in one or both eyes or even good reading or intermediate vision in one or both eyes WITHOUT glasses but to balance the vision and to see at far, near and intermediate you will need multifocal glasses preferably progressive (no line) bifocals.

I am unclear why you are trying to wear contact lens. Most patients wear the no line glasses some, most or all the time.  

After 8-10 weeks with modern small incision cataract surgery it is very uncommon for the prescription to change much.

Because you were nearsighted before surgery and your implant was apparently picked to give you be best possible uncorrected distance vision it is to be expected that you near and intermediate vision would need help from glasses and that you can no longer read after surgery without glasses.

JCH MD