How Do I move on after cataract surgery?

[lorac0813]

Hello everyone, I am very much regretting getting cataract surgery done and am concerned what my vision will be like for the rest of my life. I am waking up with anxiety attacks in the middle of the night ever since getting this done, and it's ALL I can think about. I know it's early days yet (got this done in April) and know that I would have had to get it done irregardless in a few years (early onset and getting worse) - but still. I'm only 52! Why did no one bother to inform me about the side effects? i.e. dry irritated days, edge glare, trouble focusing my eyes on anything for more than a few seconds, and light sensitivity. It's like wearing a really irritating pair of contact lenses every day, except that you can't take the lenses out to get some relief! Will my eyes ever feel "normal" again? Some help, please, or suggestions about how I can move on....I just don't know what to do and I panic every day I wake up and realize I don't have my own lenses anymore. Thanks.

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Where you truly ready for cataract surgery or did you pay cash for clear lens extraction?  What implants did you have?  Your symptoms are very unusual and I have only seen things like this in perhaps one in 400 cases or so.  Something doesn't all add up.  Didn't you have problems after the first eye and tell your doctor?  If so, why was the second eye done?  Where was your surgery done?

MJK MD

[JodieJ]

Why are you assuming that your current vision problems are something that you must live with?  What does your surgeon say about your problems?  If s/he doesn't have answers that satisfy you, then you should consult another experienced, board-certified surgeon.  If you live in the US, you can find one at www.aao.org.  If you post more details about your situation, perhaps Dr. Kutryb can advise you further.  I'm not an eye care professional, but it sounds like some of your discomfort may be due to dry eyes, which can be treated.

[JodieJ]

Lorac0813, I just read a couple of your recent posts.  It seems that your doctor suggested that you have cataract surgery before you really needed it, and now you are very much regretting having had the surgery.  I definitely don't think that the problems you are having now will be long-term.  As Dr. Kutryb suggested, your edge glare will almost certainly resolve on its own, so try not to focus on it.  You mentioned that you don't have a follow up appointment with your doctor until June, but I think that you should call the office on Monday to set up something for this week--the earlier, the better.  You might ask whether it would be all right for you to use OTC dry eye remedies (drops and lubricants, especially the type without preservatives)--they might make you more comfortable.

You must have been myopic before surgery (but probably not a high myope like I was), so it's natural for you to miss the good near vision that you were used to.  But that loss need not be permanent.  You will soon be able to regain it with monovision (after a few days of adjustment) or with multifocal contacts.  Meanwhile, I think that you will be a lot more comfortable if you get some progressive glasses.  Most optical shops will let you remake them at no charge if your script changes slightly during the  first few weeks.    

[lorac0813]

Hi Dr Kutryb, thanks for responding to my question. To answer some of your questions, I live in Canada, so my cataract surgery was covered by health insurance, I didn't pay anything. All I know about my implants is that they are the standard monofocal ones, corrected for distance. I should have been more specific about my eye problems - they are occurring in my left eye ONLY, my right eye is fine (had my right eye done first). My surgeon did tell me I could wait a few years for the surgery but not many, because I have (had) early onset cataracts and they were getting worse - which is why I chose to have this done now. I did call the office and told them my concerns about my left eye but they said everything I mentioned (glare, dry eyes, trouble focusing etc) was normal and I would have to live with it. And I guess my biggest regret is that I didn't think through my decision to be corrected for distance and now am missing my close vision terribly. My husband thinks I'm being a big baby about this but these are the only eyes I have and I think it's natural to be worried about them. If these problems I'm having will truly resolve on their own then I guess I just need to be patient?? Thanks for your thoughts.

[lorac0813]

Hi JodieJ, thank you so much for your helpful comments. It really helps to talk to someone else who has had this done. I do think that I should have waited a few more years to have this done and I should have researched it more carefully. The surgeon I went to is very highly respected and recommended in the city in which I live, and when we talked about it he said that cataract surgery was a "breeze" and I would be back on my feet in a couple of days. That of course has translated into almost a month, and I still don't feel 100%, but I'm back to work irregardless. You say that the problems with my left eye should resolve in a month or so - I do hope you're right! About calling the office, I did call last week and was told my symptoms were normal and should go away, and that I would have to live with them if they didn't. I did ask if I should see him again (my surgeon), and they said no. So.

As far as dry eye is concerned, that has been a problem with both eyes and I have been using Refresh Tears every hour on the hour but it doesn't seem to be helping. I did call the office about that, as well, but they didn't seem concerned and told me to use the natural tears, which of course I was already using. Sigh. Dr. Kutryb suggested punctal plugs, which I will look into, and oral flaxseed oil, which I have just started om his recommendation.

When you talk about monovision, do you mean correcting one eye with a contact lens set for close? I did have a question about that earlier and Dr. Hagan responded to me with the same information you gave me, so thank you so much for that. I'm not sure how I would respond to monovision as my vision was driving me crazy for the 2 weeks between surgeries...but maybe I should give it more time.

JodieJ, do you mind if I ask how old you are, and when you had your cataracts removed, and what your vision is like today, and did you eventually stop worrying about your eyes?? Thanks.

[JodieJ]

From my perspective, dry eyes are a post-surgery problem requiring evaluation and treatment, and you have every right to insist on an appointment with your surgeon within the next few days.  If needed, some treatments such as Restasis and punctal plugs require a doctor's prescription.  Although it's great that free advice is available online, you should not have to rely on this method.  It's outrageous, IMO, that your surgeon's staff is telling you to wait till June when you need treatment now.

Monovision would involve correcting your non-dominant eye for near vision with a contact lens.  It works very well for most people who try it.  Or you could experiment with different power contacts to fine-tune a modified monovision correction.  Another possibility would involve wearing multifocal contacts in both eyes.  An experienced optometrist should be able to suggest something that will work for you.

I'm about a year older than you.  I developed a cataract as a result of having retinal surgery (to remove an epiretinal membrane.)  Because of the exposure to oxygen during the retinal surgery, my cataract developed much more rapidly than normal.  I really hated the blurred yellow vision it caused, plus it made my affected eye increasingly nearsighted.  It seemed like every other week I was at my optometrist's office getting a new (and stronger) contact for that eye.  By the time I finally had the cataract surgery, I couldn't even see the big "E" on the eye chart with my old glasses (which had given me 20/20 vision in my affected eye just a few months before.)  So I was actually looking forward to having cataract surgery, and I was pleased with the results.  (At least the experience of having worsening cataracts will not be in your future!)  

  

[lorac0813]

Hi JodieJ, thanks so much for your emails and for your advice! I hope I'm not writing this email twice, I had replied to you but I wasn't logged in so I don't think it went through.

I called my surgeon's office today and INSISTED on an appointment, and I have one for tomorrow already! So I will let you know how that goes. I will let him know the horrible problems I am having with dry eyes, as well.

Thanks for your advice about monovision. I will try that a little later down the road. I am finding work a bit difficult right now because I need reading glasses all the time, whereas before, now and then I could take a break from the glasses. Mind you I'm just using cheap readers from Wal-Mart so maybe that makes a difference.

I am glad your cataract