eye cataract question.

12310bch

12310bch

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm starting to feel like, "Tommy," the deaf, dumb, blind kid who played pinball by sense of smell.

My hearing is almost gone because of too much LOUD R@R. Nobody understands what I'm saying because Parkinson's has screwed up my speech.

And now I just came from an ophthalmologist who reports that I have cataracts in both eyes and I am one step short of being a non-driver. He suggests eye surgery.

The question is :Has anyone out there gone through this? Do the cataracts effect my pool game enough to warrant surgery?

I know I have to have it done eventually, but it's a timing thing. If it will have an effect on my pool game I want it done NOW. Otherwise I can wait. The ladies here at Lizard Acres aren't that much to look at anyway.

Help me out , Buds. I trust your opinions and experiences more than I trust the ,"Do it now," attitude of the surgeon.
 
Surgery

I have had the surgery done on both eyes a few years ago. I was glad I had it done. I can see so much better now. The balls are much clearer and I can see the edges better.

BESIDES THAT : I BET YOU CAN"T SEE FOR S _ _ T WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT OR IN THE RAIN.

Get it done you won't regret it!
 
It is routine 20 minute outpatient surgery. I had it done several decades ago. Equipment much better now. You should get 20/20 sight and the colours will be spectacular compared to what you have become accustomed.
 
cataract sug

Had it done dec 31 2009 I have not seen this good in 47 years , don't
need glasses . the sug took less than 5 min . hope you have insurance
the 5 min. sug was 20,000.00 Best of luck Felix :thumbup:
 
In cataract surgery, they're replacing the lenses in your eyes. If you're considering lasik, and have cataract in your eyes, check with your provider. Lasik is not usually covered by insurance, whereas cataract surgery is and both accomplish the same results in the end.
 
Get it done

I had the surgery in one eye that was bad and have to wait for the second because it isn't bad enough and would be considered elective surgery and not covered.

Definitely has helped in the one eye I had done.

Mike
 
I bought the surgeon's speech. "It will only get worse," so I am on the schedule for cataract surgery Oct. 27, 2011. He will do the second one a week later.

From what I have been told one version of the surgery helps distance vision. The other (more expensive version) improves near, intermediate and distant vision. So I opted for the latter. The "better" lens will cost an additional $4,200.00. However, it seems that not everyone is eligible (based on pgysiology) for the better lens so i guess you have to discuss it with your physician.

Right now the glare is so bad I have to read the white computer screen with one eye. I can let you know around Thanksgiving if it was all worth while if you pM me.

I expect it will help my pool game. My eyes have deteriorated rapidly in one and a half years of Florida sun shine and my ability to aim has definitely been hurt by the glare and resulting diffuse visual focus. Seems like I have to make a lot more effort to focus and it takes awhile (15 minutes) for my eyes to get used to the pool room light changes.
 
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Glad to Have Cataracts

I was born very farsighted. My contacts are +8.00's. I retired the end of Sept. at age 61 and have been checking into RLE, refractive lens exchange. There are some excellent articles on the internet by a Dr. Knobbe. I am not a canidate for the laser since my correction is so high. I read up on RLE as much as I could and made an appointment with an opthomalogist intending to pay for the whole procedure on both eyes out of my pocket, if I had to.

The opthomalogist did a thorough exam and found that I had the start of cataracts in both eyes. Yea! This means my insurance will cover it. I have never been able to see well and now its getting worse. I am not a canidate for the fancy, do everything lenses because of my high correction but, and this is the good part, the doctor said he could set my best vision at about 2.5 to 12 feet without glasses.

My right eye is going to be done on Nov.7. Three to four weeks later for the other one. I will come back here at a later date and let you all know how things turn out. I have a little anxiety about getting it done but think it will be worth it. Thank you all for sharing. Retirement is great..so far.
 
lstevedus said:
correction but, and this is the good part, the doctor said he could set my best vision at about 2.5 to 12 feet without glasses.

My right eye is going to be done on Nov.7. Three to four weeks later for the other one. I will come back here at a later date and let you all know how things turn out. I have a little anxiety about getting it done but think it will be worth it. Thank you all for sharing. Retirement is great..so far.
Click to expand...

Keep us posted on this thread. The window the doc is giving you is just about perfect for pool.

I'm gettin' kind of excited now. Thanks for all your help , Buds.
 
JoeW said:
I bought the surgeon's speech. "It will only get worse," so I am on the schedule for cataract surgery Oct. 27, 2011. He will do the second one a week later.

From what I have been told one version of the surgery helps distance vision. The other (more expensive version) improves near, intermediate and distant vision. So I opted for the latter. The "better" lens will cost an additional $4,200.00. However, it seems that not everyone is eligible (based on pgysiology) for the better lens so i guess you have to discuss it with your physician.

Right now the glare is so bad I have to read the white computer screen with one eye. I can let you know around Thanksgiving if it was all worth while if you pM me.

I expect it will help my pool game. My eyes have deteriorated rapidly in one and a half years of Florida sun shine and my ability to aim has definitely been hurt by the glare and resulting diffuse visual focus. Seems like I have to make a lot more effort to focus and it takes awhile (15 minutes) for my eyes to get used to the pool room light changes.
Click to expand...

Good luck with your surgery and I hope that everything will go well. Please let us know how it turns out and how it affects your game. Ain't getting old great?
 
JoeW said:
...
from what I have been told one version of the surgery helps distance vision. The other (more expensive version) improves near, intermediate and distant vision. So I opted for the latter. The "better" lens will cost an additional $4,200.00. However, it seems that not everyone is eligible (based on pgysiology) for the better lens so i guess you have to discuss it with your physician.

....
Click to expand...
to be more accurate :
the first -most"classical"- version of the cataract surgery helps distant vision by implanting an unifocal lens. This technic works very well, and speaking about distant vision, you can be 99% sure to reach a very high level of distant vision confort, which is the most important for pool.

The other version of this surgery improves near (and intermediate) vision by implanting a multifocal lens (can be a bifocal or a diffractive implant).
This is the newest technic, it improves the near vision (most of time) and the final result CAN be very confortable.
BUT you have to know than , since the result will depend not only of the surgeon technical choices, but from your cortical abilities too.
Not only it is more expensive, but the result can't be 100% confortable, especially in low light, at night .... and about distant vision you won't reach the same acuity than with an unifocal implant.
Anyway, it's just a matter of personnal choice (as for example, if you absolutly want to try to avoid to wear glasses to read....)
warning : you MUST know than if you choose for this 2d method ( diffractive or multifocal implants) , there is almost no way of return, in case of bad confort : to remove properly an implant is extremely hard, and they are risks. Usually the surgeons do it only when a medical problem occure, or when the confort is so bad than its impact on your life is high...

Personnally, if you like pool, i would suggest to discuss a lot with the surgeon before to choose the 2d method !!! because there is a risk to not reach a very good visual confort after the surgery, and then you'll have to learn to live with it . I've seen some bad visual results with diffractive/multifocal implants, and the guys weren't pool players, so ...
 
Thanks for all the info. I have already paid for the multi-focal and will let you all know how it turns out.

Guess I will have to change that photo. My hair is whiter, I don't wear a tie anymore, and now I won't need glasses. I don't have as many teeh either though you can't see that. BUT -- I love being retired.
 
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Lasik and lense implants are very different. Get a second opinion!!! I have had the lense implants done 18 months ago and couldn't be happier about it. Since I shoot with one eye closed (my preference), I had the variable lense (for distances 4' to infinity) in that eye. My left eye had a close vision implant for reading. For me, it works great.

Only one problem. My variable vision implant became a little cloudy after 1 year. With an office visit and a 15 second procedure, it cleared imediately.

Total bill about $6000. Medicare paid about $1000 for each eye.



Most importantly---go to the best doctor.


PS--- After surgery you will see dirt every where you look. And the girls look older than the dirt.
 
I had multifocal lenses put in 2006. Out of the box I was 20/20 in broad daylight. If you check and you should I think things have changed for the better over the last 5 years. When you check use the words, "(bad side effects). There are some!
I had ReZoom lenses put in. Are things crystal, no. Are the sharper, yes. Would I do it again, absolutely. Keep in mind once they go in taking them out is very problematic.
Not that it matters but I'm hearing impaired also. Stone cold Deaf in one ear and can't hear everything with a hearing aid in the other.
 
cataracts

I had both eyes done. Eye number one: excellent results; sight like a 15 year old. GREAT for my pool game!

Two years later, eye #2. Terrible result. I ended up with terrible astigmatism: double vision...triple, in fact. Subsequent patch-up lasik improved it but it's still there. Poor vision far and near. Lousy night vision, worse than previously. TERRIBLE for my pool game.

Kaiser did all the work.

Lawyers want no part of it: it's tough to prove.

Good luck.
 
ctyhntr said:
In cataract surgery, they're replacing the lenses in your eyes. If you're considering lasik, and have cataract in your eyes, check with your provider. Lasik is not usually covered by insurance, whereas cataract surgery is and both accomplish the same results in the end.
Click to expand...


They are in fact completely different procedures for completely different pathologies that accomplish completely different results.


1) Always get a second opinion for an elective surgery.
2) Generally speaking the most experienced surgeon is better. Fancy surgical centers with are not necessarily the best, just fancier.


No, I have not had it done, but I have done it. Yes, I am a doctor. :smile:
 
I've noticed that right after a player gets it done, s/he shoots like a god....


...for about 2 weeks and then goes back to the same level as before the surgery.




I don't know if this is common, but it's what I've observed.

Jeff Livingston
 
Go For It

In November 2009, at age 68 and a diabetic, I had lenses implanted in both eyes due to cataracts. Each eye required about a 7 minute surgery and I was able to actually play pool that same night. Before surgery I could not drive or read; now I do not even need glasses. There was not any pain or discomfort. The only problem (?) was having to sleep with an eye shield at night for a week to prevent rubbing. I only wish I done it sooner.
 
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