Wellness

[chrystaltree]

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@Sooner wrote:

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@hoosieroriginal wrote:

Last time I went to eye dr (quite a while ago I'm afraid to say) I had the start of cataracts.  I make sure I wear sunglasses everytime I'm outside.  My sister always wore sunglasses and warned me - I never listened - wish I had. 

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Don't worry.  My dad NEVER wore sunglasses and farmed.  I never stepped out of the house without them.  We had cataract surgery at the same age.

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        Same with my sister and my mother.  They wore sun glasses religously, to be honest, they wore them to prevent wrinkles around the eyes from sun exposure.  However, they both had cataracts.  My mom was 70ish but my sister was barely 50 when she had bilateral cataract surgery.  

[ThinkOutsidetheBox]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you who were diagnosed with cataracts were ever on any type of medication, over the counter or prescribed, long term? My mother had cataracts, and was always on and off some form of medication during her 30s and 40s. Her aunt had cataracts, but I do not know if she was on meds. Her mother, my grandmother, never had cataracts, and she avoided all medicines like the plague. I had always thought cataracts were an inherited problem, but within our family, that does not necessarily seem to be true.

[2blonde]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

@2blonde  ThankYou for sharing! I understand that the insurance will not cover the lense that lets you see close up with out readers. THE BETTER LENSE.  Good for you getting that one! I will have . to decide if I can afford it.  I am so use to readers now, I do not think needing them after surgery will get  big deal.....but I need to think about that more.

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@SeaMaiden  If you decide to get the premium lenses and are not sure about afording them, you can start a Care Credit account (most eye doctors and surgical centers accept it).  I have 1 year to pay off the money without any interest.  I comes out to $500/month, which I can just cut back on my other spending to cover that.  Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have the best, most highly recommended doctor and surgical facility.  It does make a difference because there are different techniques and machines they can use to ensure a better outcome.  I talked with one man who had come to my doc to get his second eye done because his first doc had scratched his cornea on the other eye.

I know some people don't seem to mind wearing glasses, but I'm not one of them.  I'm on a computer all day, and I can't tell you how great it is not to be constantly taking my readers on and off.  The cataracts do also affect your presbyopia.

[2blonde]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

Ive had cataract surgery on both eyes and didn't come out of it with 20/20 vision.  In fact I need to make an appointment for an exam as my vision has gone downhill the past couple of years. 

The surgery itself is a piece of cake.  The worst part is having to use drops afterwards for a couple of weeks.  I had surgery in the morning and kept a dentist appointment in the afternoon.  Figured I might as well ruin the WHOLE day. 

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@Kachina624  If your vision has changed, you should have it checked out.  My doc told me that many people develop a "film" over the implanted lens.  He said that some get it right away, but others develop over years. They simply laser that off and your good again.  I actually have it already on my left eye, and he will laser it off in a month or two.  It has only affected that eye slightly.  It's no big deal.....you can drive yourself to and from, etc.

[2blonde]

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@I am still oxox wrote:

I had some sort of an anaomoly with my eyes I had my first cataract surgery at 38 and the second at 43.

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@I am still oxox  I asked the doctor's assistant what the average age for cataract surgery is (I'm 68), and she said it's all over the place.  She said the youngest she had seen was 32, and the oldest was over 80!

[bonnielu]

I wore glasses since the age of 2 1/2.  (Far sighted since birth)  Cataract surgery a real gift.  No more glasses except to read small print.  Feel so blessed.  One of the best things that have ever happened to me .. So grateful  Insurance paid it all.

Hubby just had his done. He bought the expensive lenses and paid over the top for them.  Not totally working for him. He might still need glasses to read. Not sure yet. 

So two different people, two different outcome.  In any case it is not the end of the world to have to wear glasses to read.  Readers are rather good looking, at least the ones I found from QVC and HSN.

[2blonde]

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@viva923 wrote:

I had cateracts in my early 50's. Not known as to why so early. Family gentics???  Medication I take daily ???

I had my cateracts removed in  2003-2004. The heal time for me was quite long almost 6 months without glasses, couldn't drive or do close work. The eye drops that you must use before and after these are a MUST to help healing.  

I wear deep dark sun glasses everytime I go outside now. 

Just make sure you have a good reputable doctor. this I did nothave. I was like a bouncing ball . the doctor that did the surg bailed the same week the surg was done. I was passed around and around trying to see me to make sure I was healing.that was plain awful healing.

I was seeing optomitrists instead of opthamoligists which I should have been seeing.

I am doing OK now, can see excellent, bright lights bother me but I am clear.  I still have to wear regular glasses.

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@viva923  Cataract surgery has improved immensely since 2003.  They have better lenses and better techniques and technology now.  As for the eye drops, my doc gave me two bottles.......one for each eye.  Each bottle is a combo of 3 meds, so you don't have to use so many drops.  I did 3 drops per day in each eye starting 2 days before surgery and ending when the bottle was empty (about 2 weeks total).  Since my surgeries were 2 weeks apart, I never was "dropping" more than one eye at a time.

[daisyz]

I was diagnosed with fast growing cataracts last year.  In  matter of months, I lost my peripheral vision and was rapidly losing it all.  My doctors didn't recommend the multi-focal lenses, but did think I was a good candidate for having different focuses in each eye.  As a result, I see up close in my left eye and distance in my right.  It worked for me.  Not everyone is a candidate for doing this (I was 65 yrs old).  Your doctor can help you to make that determination.  Hope this helps.  

[SeaMaiden]

@2blonde  Thanks again for your input!  I might just look into that pay it off with no interest in a year loan.  

[2blonde]

@bonnielu You know I had readers all over the house......in my purse, in the garage, the basement.  I also had varying strengths as my eyes had worsened and I needed stronger ones for doing really close stuff.  They are really pretty colors (I had gotten most from QVC), but now I think I may have to give them away to someone who needs them, or a charity!