Re: Cataract Surgery -- Preliminary Report

Well, Ms. Brainy, congratulations on having it all behind you. It
sounds like everything went well. I have the same model IOL as you do
in both eyes. (I opted for a clear lens exchange in my non-
vitrecomized eye, since I saw it as a chance to rid myself of high
myopia.)

I think you will be pleased with your AcrySof IQ. It's Alcon's
aspheric IOL, the type of lens that Dr. Stacy recommended to you on
this forum. (Aspheric IOLs are reputed to improve night vision,
although its questionable to what extent.) In any case, I've never
had a problem with glare, halos or the other visual aberrations that
post-cataract patients sometimes experience. My vision in the clear
exchange lens eye is every bit as good as it was with my natural lens
(corrected with glasses or contact.) I really don't understand why so
many people suggest that you should delay cataract surgery until it's
really needed so that the drawbacks of having IOLs are easier
tolerate. (What drawbacks?)

That said, I do have one complaint about the AcrySof IQ. In some
lighting situations, the lenses seem to create an amber glow in my
pupils. It's sort of similar to the glow in the eyes of the aliens in
"Village of the Damned." On the other hand, with the current media
emphasis on having a "youthful glow," maybe this effect is actually an
asset.

My surgical experience was a lot easier than yours. I opted to skip
the sedation and had topical anesthesia only. I didn't have any pain
and I didn't need a bandage or patch. Did you have topical
anesthesia?

On Jun 27, 3:25 pm, "Ms.Brainy" <mikabra...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Neil Brooks wrote:
But first ... please answer THESE questions ;-)
Who'd you go with ...

I went with the good doc and everything was fine.

How'd you finalize that decision ...

I checked with a couple of people who know him and his record, got
only very positive opinions.

What refractive endpoint were you shooting for ....

-2D

Did you get the lens you wanted ....

I believe so. I even have an "IOL ID Card", stating the following:
Alcon AcrySof IQ IOL
UV with blue light filter
Model: SN60WF
Power: 20.0 D
Length : 13.0mm
Optic: 6.0mm

Mabe somebody advise me on the quality of what I got...

Other than itching ... how would you say it went ...

The surgery went apparently well, but I can't testify since I was
fully sedated and practically wasn't there when the procedure was
done. It was like a general anasthesia, except that it was much
shorter. When I woke up I had a mild pain and was given Tylenol 3.
The itching that followed, however, was unbearable!

Keep us posted on the progress!

Today I had a followup, at which the shield and the bandage were
removed, together with the nightmarrish itch. However, I still have a
mild deep pain, which the doc said would go away within a few days.
As to my vision, well... it's "so-so" -- somewhat better than before,
but still not very good. The doc said it'd take a couple of weeks to
settle, at which time I will get a new Rx for new glasses. He did a
quick refraction to see the correctable potential, which was 20/80 but
without correcting the astigmatism -- much better than my 20/400 pre-
surgery with glasses. The prediction is that eventually I will have
corrected vision of 20/50 or even 20/40, with 20/20 in the other
eye.

People have told me that a cat surgery is a piece of cake compared to
what I have been through. Well, I am still waiting for the
cake... :-) My next followup is next Tuesday.


.

Relevant Pages

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