Update: First of all, thank you all who responded (or read) my post. My cataract surgery was successful (and definitely not as traumatic as a vitrectomy!). I'm currently in the early post-op phase (no lifting, wearing a patch at night, etc.), but so far so good. I found a pair of old glasses that allow me to see fairly well and I will be provided with a new eyeglass prescription in just four weeks! I think I made the right decision about the near vision lens choice and I'm pleased with how well (and clearly) I can see through my one eye again. I so appreciate this forum and the support that is provided (especially to overly anxious posters like myself!).
I agree with Mr. Presley and my doctor set me up slightly nearsighted so both eyes could work together. I had no problem wearing glasses and I couldn't of been happier with this. I didn't want to touch my good eye unless it needed intervention.
I don't want to scare you but the only thing I can recommend is for you and your eye md to regularly monitor your good eye for anything abnormal. Recently, a year to the day of my first vitrectomy/RD repair, my other eye required the same intervention. Healing well so far, cataract surgery is in my future for that one as well.
If you are 63 and your glasses RX before all of this was -4.25 in each eye then you would most likely been in progressive no line multifocal glasses. If you are a 'bifocal hater" and were wearing only distance RX and removing for reading then there would have been many distances you would not have seen well and your near point for reading is awfully close.
If you have a RD in one eye the chance of a RD in the other eye is extremely high, as high as 10-15%. If you have cataract surgery on the "good eye" that makes it much higher still, as high as 25-30% based on what your retina looks like in both eyes. So most physicians would feel it would be a huge mistake to operate on an eye that either has no cataract or a small cataract to balance the eyes. Moreover my experience is that myopes that are used to reading without glasses if given 0.00 (or plano) for distance (20 feet) even if 20/20 without out glasses are miserable. Starting about 15 foot and closer things are very blurry and different glasses RX are needed (no line progressive RX 0.00 OU with +3.00 add )
However if your "good eye" was -4.25 and now is -5.00 and no surgery has been done on it the additional myopia is likely pseudo-myopia due to a nuclear cataract. I suspect you will not make it to 80 without a clinical cataract on the good eye. You indicate you have read my article about IOL power, full monovision, mini-monovision with distance or near bias. To use your eyes together you likely WILL need lasik on the 'good eye" as I doubt you would tolerate full monovision. I suggest you get several more opinions as its a difficult situation and different solutions for different people. I would suggest staying away from cataract surgery on a 'good eye' that does not have a clinical cataract.
I have a near vision IOL at -4.0 in my LE in approximate parity with my non-operative RE at -6.0 and use contacts/glasses for distance. Works great for me.