Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Cataract surgery

I had cataract surgery on my right eye about 5 weeks ago.  My vision is worse after surgery than before.  Vision is double both sideways and up and down.  I decided not to have the left eye done because of problems with my right eye.  The MD doesn't seem to be concerned.  I have a " rough  patch" feeling in my right eye and I have pain in my eye.  I am nauseated, and with the glasses that I had before surgery my vision is distorted.  Any input is appreciated.
Thank you
19 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
So glad to hear that your doctor says everything is fine aside from the double vision caused by astigmatism.  

You will be able to tell if this is the only problem if, with the glasses he recommends, your double vision, nausea and blurring is gone.  I sure hope so as it would be great if that were the only 'fix' needed to make all of those problems go away.

Let us know how the glasses turn out, or if you try a toric contact to fix the astigmatism and how it goes.  Good luck with the correction!

BTW no worries about the name; it's just a screen 'handle' anyway!   So very happy there is an easy fix for your vision problem.  :-)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
  OOPS!!

flossy93, so sorry for the "minor oversight in your name". This is a repeat of my post above:

I just returned from my appointment. The physician says the double vision is due to astigmatism and will be corrected with glasses.  I could go with a contact lens or glasses.  He says the eye has healed nicely and there is no other problem.  I feel much better about the situation.  Thank you so much for your help.  

And thank you LeeSS for your input.  This has been  a trying period and I really do appreciate the help provided by each of you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
So happy you are feeling better.

A minor oversight in "flossy93" 's name.

Best wishes.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just returned from my appointment. The physician says the double vision is due to astigmatism and will be corrected with glasses.  I could go with a contact lens or glasses.  He says the eye has healed nicely and there is no other problem.  I feel much better about the situation.  Thank you so much for your help.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm really sorry that you were not able to be seen on Monday, but by next week you should have some answers.  I am hoping it turns out to be an easy diagnosis and simple remedy to restore your good vision.  

I sent you a private message with some additional thoughts on your case just now.  Let me know if you don't see the message.  

In case you haven't done it before:  To retrieve a private message, just click on 'My MedHelp' at the top of this page, then click on 'Messages' near the top right of the page.

Thank you for keeping us all updated.  Sending positive thoughts for next Monday's appointment!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi flossy93,  

I was unable to keep my "work in" appointment.  I will however keep my scheduled appointment this Monday. I appreciate so much your input.   My vision is still blurry/double in my right eye.  If I try to focus on anything without my glasses, I get nauseous.  Also when  I try to read for any length of time, with my glasses, I get nauseous.  

I will let you know what the Doctor says after my appointment on Monday.   If I am not satisfied with his explanation I  will probably see another eye doctor.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wondering how your doctor's appointment for the cataract surgery followup went yesterday?  

Was the surgeon able to identify any reason for the blurring, nausea and double-vision in your right eye?

I really hope you got an answer about what is wrong with your vision in the operated eye.  Please let us know when you are able.  Hope all is well!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the kind feedback, LeeSS.  I really, really appreciate it.  

I really hope that NeenaPat just has some simple post-surgery complication and that she will have a resolution (and good vision) soon.  Some complications of cataract surgery do take time to develop.  I feel better knowing the pain she was having has gone away.

Sometimes I wonder if I am being too wordy w/ responses here on MedHelp.  It's nice to hear from someone who doesn't think so.  :-)  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, Flossy93

I would like to thank you for the very detailed, and patient explanations to NeenaPat's problems.

I am sure she finds great comfort, and encouragement in your concern and empathy.

May you be richly blessed.

Keep up the good work.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I guess the 'good news' is that the doctor will be able to focus on solving the double vision in your right eye alone; at least it is not a question of your two eyes fighting each other that's causing the double vision.

Sure do hope you get some answers next week.  After five+ weeks you certainly deserve some idea of why your post-op vision is so poor.  

I hope they can do something about your glasses too, since you must still need them for the left eye.

Sending you good luck wishes for the Monday appointment!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes, the double vision is only in the right eye and there is no distance where the vision is clear.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's great to hear that your pain and rough feeling have gone away.  

The Softec HD lens is a monofocal IOL.  This means if everything went as expected with the surgery, the power of the lens was correct and there were no side effects after surgery such as swelling in the eye, pressure changes or infection, you should be seeing clearly at some distance.  

The double vision in particular seems very odd as it is much less common with a monofocal lens implant.

I forgot to ask you one important question before:  Is the double vision just in your right eye?  (If you cover your left eye and look at objects only with the eye that was operated on, do you see double with just that eye?).  

If the double vision is only in your right eye, it seems likely there could be something wrong along the path of travel of light going through your eye.  Examples could be the malposition of the IOL if it has tilted or slipped out of place, dryness or scars/astigmatism of the cornea, something wrong with the 'capsule' (the bag that holds the lens inside the eye), or maybe something on the surface of your retina at the back of your eye.  

This is not an exhaustive list, but just to give you an example of how varied the cause for double vision in one eye might be.  There are even things outside the eye itself that can cause double vision, but these are much less likely.

Please let us know what the doctor says on Monday.  I hope he takes your list of symptoms seriously and with the appropriate concern, and that he can find a definite cause for your vision problems.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
On my card that was given to me to carry in my wallet, it says that my lens is Precision Series SOFTEC HD,  16.5D.  Today the eye pain is gone and the "rough patch" feeling is gone also.  The date of the implant was 2-18-14.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The good news is that it's unlikely that your implanted lens is too strong.  That would not be causing the pain and rough patch feeling you have, or the double vision, so it's more likely something else is wrong.  

In terms of having a 'long' eye this usually means you are nearsighted.  Nearsighted people typically have eyes that are more oblong than round;   their eyes are physically longer from the front surface of the eyeball to the back (the retina) than in people with normal vision.  Your doctor would have measured this length exactly when he calculated what lens to implant in your eye.  

On rare occasions these calculations are 'off' and the implanted lens doesn't give the visual acuity the surgeon and the patient wanted (20/20, or whatever was targeted).  But as I said, this doesn't happen too often.  If it was the issue with your implant, things might look blurry, but given all your other symptoms it's more likely to be something else.

To answer your question, for patients who DO end up with an implant that is too strong, there are various ways to restore good vision (glasses, contact lenses, LASIK, a 'piggyback' (second) lens implant, even switching out the implanted lens if it's far off target (VERY unlikely)).

In your case, the combination of double vision, pain, nausea and blurring should help the doctor determine what could possibly be wrong.  

Re your other question, having the left eye done would not make the vision in your right eye better.  If your left eye suddenly saw more clearly, you might be able to rely on it more and the bad vision in the right eye might be less noticeable.  If your right eye is 'dominant' and your brain pays more attention to signals from the right eye, it wouldn't help much at first, until your brain learned to ignore signals from the right eye.

But if I were you, I would definitely not have any more surgery until the problem with the first eye is identified.  Pain and double vision with a monofocal implant is not normal.  

I would also want to make sure I was comfortable with how my surgeon responded to problems after my first surgery and worked to find the cause and treatment.  I can't think off hand of a reason the doctor would rush you to have the second surgery, before he has diagnosed and treated problems from the first procedure. You don't want to end up with both eyes worse than before the surgery.  

Be sure to bring your glasses to the appointment, and ask the doctor to test your vision in the right eye to see what vision you have now (20/20, 20/40, whatever).  He should be able to put different strengths of lenses in front of your eye, like in an optometrist's office, to see if that improves your acuity, even if you are still seeing double.

Someone there can also take out the right eyeglass lens, if that is better for you, so you can use the eyeglasses on an interim basis.  You can test whether to have the eyeglass lens removed before your appointment, by closing your left eye and looking through the right eyeglass lens, then lower the glasses and see if things look any clearer when you are no longer looking through the lens.

If your surgeon is not able to identify the problem in your next visit, please do as Dr. Vosoghi suggests and go see a different ophthalmologist in a different practice than your surgeon for a second opinion.  Don't wait to do this; there is clearly something wrong, and even if it is difficult to track down it's important, in the unlikely chance that whatever is wrong could get worse.

Good luck to you on Monday.  Please let us know what your doctor says at the next visit.  

In the meantime if you develop a bad headache, if the pain in your eye worsens or if you develop other new symptoms you should call the doctor back and ask for an emergency appointment.  Most surgeons have someone on call who can respond to a patient with worsening symptoms.  There are very rare complications of cataract surgery that can require prompt treatment.  This is very, very unlikely but I just wanted to mention it in case you suddenly start feeling much worse.

Sending you positive thoughts for a solution on Monday!  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
What could be done if the lens is too strong?  Would my vision be better if I had the other eye done?  One thing that was said when my eyes were being measured was that my "eyes were long".  I don't have a clue as to what was meant by that.  My doctor has a good reputation and is highly qualified but that doesn't change my outcome. I trust him but don't want to risk another surgery.
Helpful - 0
1573381 tn?1296147559
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Take the lens out of glasses for the cataract surgery eye to help out with vision for now.  If you feel the surgeon is dismissing your concerns and want a double check, feel free to seek a second opinion from another ophthalmologist to be sure everything is OK.

HV
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm glad you are getting to the doctor in a few days.  

If you qualified for the least-expensive implant option, that would have been a single-distance lens called a 'monofocal.'  That kind of lens should provide clear vision at one distance (usually far away, but sometimes closer).  

Virtually everyone who has a monofocal implant needs a new eyeglass lens for that eye to see things at the distances the new implant can't cover.  

For most patients whose implant is set for distance vision, this means they get new bifocal, trifocal or progressive lenses so they can see things close up.

Even if your implant did not have a toric correction to fix your astigmatism, it should have had some amount of distance correction that would give you clear vision at one specific distance (close, intermediate or far).

In thinking about your case, the fact that you can't see clearly at any distance makes it seem like one or more of several things may be wrong:

1.  There may be swelling in some part of your eye from the surgery, which is interfering with your vision

2.  The front of your cornea may have an irritation or infection from the surgery (the rough patch feeling) that's making your vision blurry

3.  Your astigmatism may have changed and gotten worse after the surgery, and is interfering with clear vision at any distance

4.  The implanted lens may not be the right power to give you clear vision at at least one distance.  If the doctor put in a lens that is too strong for your eye, everything would be blurry.

I'm not a doctor so I am only guessing at different things that could affect vision after your cataract surgery.    

The fact you are having pain and nausea along with the vision problems makes it important you be seen by the ophthalmologist.  I'm sorry they are unable to see you before next Monday.  

Please let us know what the doctor says, and good luck.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I don't know the answer to any of your questions . The implanted lens was without correction as far as I know.  They gave me a choice of either regular lens without astigmatism correction or corrective lens to replace my glasses.  I could not afford the corrective lens   I do have some astigmatism, but not enough to qualify for the lens with that correction.  I called the office today to see the MD and the earliest  that I can see him is next Monday.  They will work me in then.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm sorry to hear about your problems after cataract surgery.  I have a few questions which might help the doctors on this forum help you better:

1.  Do you know what the prescription in your glasses is, particularly for the eye you had operated? (the glasses you can't use now?)  

2.  What kind of new intraocular lens did the surgeon implant after removing your cataract?  If you know the model name or type of lens (examples:  monofocal, multifocal, accommodating, Restor, ReZoom, etc), it may help the doctors figure out what could be causing the double vision.

3. How many times have you seen your cataract surgeon for a followup since the surgery 5 weeks ago?  When was your last appointment?

4. Do you have any other diagnosed eye problems or disease in the affected eye, other than the cataract?  Examples might be glaucoma, retina problems, cornea problems, etc.

It's not surprising you can't use the glasses you wore before after the surgery.  Any vision correction your operated eye needs now is probably different from what you needed before surgery.

It is likely that the new lens put into your eye to replace the cataract had some amount of 'power' like an eyeglass lens, to help your vision be better after surgery without any external lenses.  

Sometimes an implanted lens is calculated only to correct either nearsightedness or farsightedness.  Sometimes it also has some correction for astigmatism.  There are also some lenses have 'multifocal' features that are supposed to let you see well at multiple distances, or allow your eye to 'accommodate' (i.e. focus on both near and far objects).

After surgery some people will take the eyeglass lens out of the eyeglass frames on the side they had the surgery on, as a temporary fix until their other eye is operated. But if your vision is bad in that eye both with and without the eyeglass lens in place on that side, this may not help you.

Please let us know more about your case and hopefully the doctors here can give you some idea of what might be wrong.

Because you are having pain now and a rough sensation in your eye, I strongly encourage you to visit your surgeon for a followup now.  Just because your surgeon isn't concerned doesn't mean that you should not be.  It sounds like something is wrong, and you have every right to go back until you get an answer about what is wrong.  

When you go back to the doctor, bring a written list of all the symptoms you have now and review each one with the doctor, asking what could be causing each problem.  

If your surgeon will not take your vision problems and pain/surgical side effects seriously, or cannot explain to you what might be wrong with your vision from the newly implanted lens, you may need to find another cataract surgeon.  If you feel you need that perhaps others here can suggest a doctor or practice in Charlotte or Atlanta who might be able to help you.
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Eye Care Forum

Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
Eye whitening, iris color change, and eyeball "bling." Eye expert Dr. John Hagan warns of the dangers from these unnecessary surgeries.
Eye expert John Hagan, MD, FACS, FAAO discusses factors to consider and discuss with your eye care team before embarking on cataract surgery.
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
Protect against the leading cause of blindness in older adults
Got dry eyes? Eye drops aren't the only option! Ophthalmologist John C. Hagan III, MD explains other possible treatments.