Anyone had a cataract operation?

[Mr Pointy]

I'm at the point where I need a cataract operation on my left eye & given I'm severely short sighted (-9.75L, -8.00R with astigmatism) I want the right eye done at the same time. I don't believe it's acceptable to be perfect in one eye & -8.00 in the other so it's unlikely that the NHS will be appropriate as they won't operate on the right eye & they won't fit a toric lens either so I would still need glasses to correct my astigmatism.

Given that there's about 2.25D difference beween my far & near vison I need to choose how to have my sight optimised. Do I go for good distance vision & accept I need glasses for close work or do I go for near optimisation & have glasses for driving etc? I tried monovision contact lenses (one distance, one near) & didn't get on with them & I've read too many stories of flare & halo issues with multifocal implant lenses to be keen on them.

Has anyone had lens replacement done & what optimisation did you go for?

Finally, can anyone with experience suggest a good surgeon I should approach. Either East Berkshire or London would be easiest for me to get to.

[towser44]

My dad had his left done shortly before Xmas and he's actually having his right eye done today. He's had them done on the NHS, but both have been done privately on the NHS' behalf by Spa Medica. He was full of praise of the procedure and care from Spa Medica, he had the first one done on a Sunday as they could fit him in at very short notice. I can ask him later specifically about your questions and I'll post back.

[Slushbox]

Can't advise on a surgeon. Had cataracts in both eyes diagnosed three years ago.

Waited until I was on the limit for driving, then got optician to write to GP in January last year. 1st NHS cataract Op in May.

1 month later, that eye was tested at 20/20 or whatever they call it now. Second NHS eye op last week, now have perfect long range vision in both eyes.

NHS op takes 20 minutes. In at 8:00 am, out at 10:30. Eye drops four times a day for a month. No charge. They make you wait for some months ? for second eye until they are sure new eye implant works. Op painless, no worse than a visit to the dentists.

I fly and drive, so went for optimisation for distance in both eyes. Can now read house numbers at 150 meters, let alone car number plates. I have reading glasses for close work, but don't need them for using a laptop, TV or much else. I have great focus now from 1 metre to the horizon.

" I want the right eye done at the same time."

Think you'll only be able to get one done at a time, with a couple of months at least in between for it to settle, plus follow-up tests.

As to that monovision thing, with one eye on short distance and the other long, it worked for me pro tem while waiting for Op #2, but both eyes corrected for long distance and driving is better (for me.) Night vision is fine now in both eyes.

You can google for cataract ops. A lot of the private places do them, often using the same surgeons as the NHS. Prices start from about £1500 upwards.

Edited by Slushbox on Thursday 10th January 12:39

[Davel]

I can't stand anything coming at my eyes.

Can you have a GA ?

I know it sounds petty but the thought scares me stless...

[Slushbox]

Davel said:

I can't stand anything coming at my eyes.

Can you have a GA ?

I know it sounds petty but the thought scares me stless...

The 'help' leaflet from the NHS suggest a G.A. can be offered. The actual procedure is: a nurse drops a wee pellet in your eye to dilate the pupil. There's no sensation. Surgeon comes over 30 minutes later to see if pupil is dilated.

Then you walk to pre-op. Chap administers Novacaine drops. No sensation. 15 minutes later, out-of-sight chap gives injection to top of cheek. Slight discomfort over in a minute. Dentist is worse.

Wheeled into op-room, blue drape placed over face. All you see is a light. About fifteen minutes, no sensation of eye being fiddled with. Starts to get boring. Stomach rumbles, as you missed breakfast.

Plastic eyeshield fitted with sticky tape, then you're wheeled out of op-room. Tea & biscuits given by nursie. Sent home. Do not drive after aneasthetic to avoid crashing, as driving with one eye 'takes practice' (DVLA)

You need to put your own drops in four times a day x 2 types, plus sleep in the eyeshield for a week. A roll of sticky-tape (Micropore) at home helps. No heavy lifting for a month afterward.

A pair of clear plastic safety glasses useful at home for the first month if you want to do gardening (dust/infection hazard) fiddle under the car, or bleach the cat tray, etc.

Edited by Slushbox on Thursday 10th January 12:23

[Davel]

Phew - ta !

[Slushbox]

Davel said:

Phew - ta !

You're welcome. I can add that 'the day after' is better spent at home, as it takes a while for brain to adjust and the strange chemicals to wear off. There's a feeling of wonder at the extreme brightness/sharpness of everything.

You'll need good sunglasses for sunlight. You can take the eye-shield off on the day after and wear your sunnies.

One of the eye-drop bottles needs to be kept in the fridge. A small cool-bag and a frezer block, or a thermos is needed to transport the wee bottle to work and back. Pack of antiseptic wet-wipes useful as hands need to be clean before using the drops.

My car has a 12volt fridge-box in it, so used that for bottle of drops.

If there is a month or two between ops, spec wearers have a dilemma. I pulled the lens out of the 'fixed' side of my specs to wear them around the house. Had contact lenses for the other eye so it wasn't so ridiculous looking for socialising.

Edited by Slushbox on Thursday 10th January 13:22

[Davel]

I'm not at that stage yet but just nervously thinking about when I will be...

[Mr Pointy]

Slushbox said:

I fly and drive, so went for optimisation for distance in both eyes. Can now read house numbers at 150 meters, let alone car number plates. I have reading glasses for close work, but don't need them for using a laptop, TV or much else. I have great focus now from 1 metre to the horizon.

That's interesting & if I could end up like that I'd be happy. Any chance you know how far apart your near & distance prescriptions were?

Slushbox said:

" I want the right eye done at the same time."
Think you'll only be able to get one done at a time, with a couple of months at least in between for it to settle, plus follow-up tests.

I should have been more accurate & said I didn't want to wait for the right eye to deterorate until I had it done. Most places seem to space them out by a couple of weeks.

Slushbox said:

You can google for cataract ops. A lot of the private places do them, often using the same surgeons as the NHS. Prices start from about £1500 upwards.

As with laser surgery personal recommendation is really the way to go & I wouldn't shop for a cataract operation on Google. £1500 would be an absolute bargain but from my research I'm not sure it's a realistic price.

Thanks for posting, it's been helpful.

[Slushbox]

^^^^

I just chucked away three months of contact lenses. :-) From memory left: -4.75, right -5.75 (?)

I had my contacts adjusted for distance, then wore supermarket +1.5 reading glasses. So could drive/fly without specs misting up. Didn't bother with opticians pricey near/distance specs or endless recommendations for vari-focals.

Making decision to go with distance vision is working out well with new implant peepers. Old +1.5 reading specs still good for books. Laptop fine without them.

V. shortsighted before. Also everything was slightly yellow tinted. Like looking through those yellow Quality Street wrappers. Got to the stage I thought all my lightbulbs and headlights needed replacing. Halos/dazzle in both eyes when night driving.

I think the seven month delay between getting the other eye done was probably the NHS waiting list. Surgeon said they do 350 ops per year. Privately, the delay might be less. Otherwise, NHS treatment absolutely first class.

Anyway, bon chance.

Edited by Slushbox on Thursday 10th January 17:50

[HelenT]

In my area for most patients there is a one month gap between the first and second eyes when done privately and 18 weeks unless you are lucky under the NHS. One hospital will do one eye in the morning and the second in the afternoon but that is only for private patients. If you have worn contact lenses in the past it is certainly worth revisting that option for the eye which hasn't been operated on as it will leave you much more balanced as contact lenses do not change the image size unlike spectaclel lenses. You could probably then cope on the close work side of things with some ready made readers.

[Mr MXT]

For similar, I’ve been recommended Allon Barsam https://www.oclondon.com/consultants/

No experience yet but will be seeing him this year.

[So]

Mr Pointy said:

I'm at the point where I need a cataract operation on my left eye & given I'm severely short sighted (-9.75L, -8.00R with astigmatism) I want the right eye done at the same time. I don't believe it's acceptable to be perfect in one eye & -8.00 in the other so it's unlikely that the NHS will be appropriate as they won't operate on the right eye & they won't fit a toric lens either so I would still need glasses to correct my astigmatism.

Given that there's about 2.25D difference beween my far & near vison I need to choose how to have my sight optimised. Do I go for good distance vision & accept I need glasses for close work or do I go for near optimisation & have glasses for driving etc? I tried monovision contact lenses (one distance, one near) & didn't get on with them & I've read too many stories of flare & halo issues with multifocal implant lenses to be keen on them.

Has anyone had lens replacement done & what optimisation did you go for?

Finally, can anyone with experience suggest a good surgeon I should approach. Either East Berkshire or London would be easiest for me to get to.

.

Research suggests that men favour good distance vision, whereas women tend to prize near vision. If I had to choose one, it would be distance with readers for close work, which bears out the research.

I've got multifocal implants though. Yes, there is some glare at night and lights look different. But it is usually not a major problem. The only time it is a slight issue is on an unlit B road when someone approaches with very bright headlights. But I've learned to deal with it and am happy to tolerate it to be glasses independent.

I had mine done with a commercial outfit and was very pleased with the care and outcome. I know a few people who've used them with good results and no problems. Conversely, known a few people who went to RLE consultants and had issues - mostly relating to lack of access to aftercare. YMMV.

Edited to add that, at worst, things look a bit like this, but not as bad as the photo suggests.

Edited by So on Thursday 10th January 21:05

[Mr Pointy]

So said:

I had mine done with a commercial outfit and was very pleased with the care and outcome. I know a few people who've used them with good results and no problems. Conversely, known a few people who went to RLE consultants and had issues - mostly relating to lack of access to aftercare. YMMV.

Can you say which company/hospital you used?

[So]

Mr Pointy said:

So said:

I had mine done with a commercial outfit and was very pleased with the care and outcome. I know a few people who've used them with good results and no problems. Conversely, known a few people who went to RLE consultants and had issues - mostly relating to lack of access to aftercare. YMMV.

Can you say which company/hospital you used?

Optical Express in Nottingham.

I’ve no affiliation to them. They just did a good job, gave fast and excellent aftercare and I was quite happy with the experience.

[Mr Pointy]

So said:

Mr Pointy said:

So said:

I had mine done with a commercial outfit and was very pleased with the care and outcome. I know a few people who've used them with good results and no problems. Conversely, known a few people who went to RLE consultants and had issues - mostly relating to lack of access to aftercare. YMMV.

Can you say which company/hospital you used?

Optical Express in Nottingham.

I’ve no affiliation to them. They just did a good job, gave fast and excellent aftercare and I was quite happy with the experience

Slightly disturbing that I just went through their website form to assess if I was suitable & the result was that 2113% of people with my prescription reached the UK driving standard after the procedure. It also says:

Q: Can I have lens surgery if I am short sighted?
A: The short answer is: A small percentage of patients

Not the best website in the world for someone who is going to be cutting into your eyeballs.

[Prolex-UK]

Davel said:

I can't stand anything coming at my eyes.

Can you have a GA ?

I know it sounds petty but the thought scares me stless...

i had mine done under GA for same reason.

Was not an issue

After op i no longer needed glasses.

Well happy

[So]

Mr Pointy said:

So said:

Mr Pointy said:

So said:

I had mine done with a commercial outfit and was very pleased with the care and outcome. I know a few people who've used them with good results and no problems. Conversely, known a few people who went to RLE consultants and had issues - mostly relating to lack of access to aftercare. YMMV.

Can you say which company/hospital you used?

Optical Express in Nottingham.

I’ve no affiliation to them. They just did a good job, gave fast and excellent aftercare and I was quite happy with the experience

Slightly disturbing that I just went through their website form to assess if I was suitable & the result was that 2113% of people with my prescription reached the UK driving standard after the procedure. It also says:

Q: Can I have lens surgery if I am short sighted?
A: The short answer is: A small percentage of patients

Not the best website in the world for someone who is going to be cutting into your eyeballs.

I am not absolutely sure whether they allow the web designers to conduct the operations, but my guess is that they don't.

The way I made my decision was to have the consultation with OE, then use what they told me for further research.

I knew six or seven people personally who had used OE and their extended friendship group had others who'd used them with no drama. I also found out which surgeon was going to do my op if I went them and checked him out.

I also made enquiries of Moorfields and a surgeon in Bristol. Moorfields suggested a surgeon, whose secretary I managed to speak to. I couldn't access him directly and she was of little use. I asked what lenses the surgeon was using at that time for a given requirement and she replied, "well what sort would you like?". The Bristol chap spoke to me directly but did not impress.

I heard two accounts of patients with problems after going directly to an opthalmic surgeon, both relating to poor aftercare. I also heard one account of a lens needing to be explanted because the surgeon had specified the wrong one.

At that time OE was having some issues with the Lentis M-Plus X lens, but it was not that lens I was going to have so it wasn't an issue. I knew people with the lenses I would be having and all was well (apart from the night driving issues already mentioned).

So basically I took the view that I knew fewer people who'd had problems with OE and as the operation and after-care would be near my house, I wouldn't struggle to get help swiftly if I needed it - which I did in fact. I've had issues in the past with getting support after surgery that I've had privately and I didn't want the same experience when my eyes had been operated upon!

I would add that I am 95% happy with the outcome I had, with the 5% being the glare at night. I would not go back to glasses though!

Edited by So on Saturday 12th January 18:59

[Peter3442]

My wife had cataract surgery in April 2016. She had double figures myopia in both eyes plus astigmatism. Severe myopia makes the estimation of the prescription for the implant more difficult. In addition, two of her family members had had cataract surgery that didn't go very well. Mainly because we were worried about the outcome, she had the surgery done privately by Allon Barsam. He was highly recommended by a very good optometrist and seems to take his work, especially achieving good results, very seriously. So far, the outcome has been brilliant. She can see better than she can ever recall seeing. There's a little astigmatism in her distance vision and she uses glasses for reading. Her myopia was way too bad to use multifocal implants.

[Mr Pointy]

Has anyone experience of LaserVision in Guilford or Woking?