Hubby has had both eyes done. No heavy lifting, bending. Not hard at all. Lots of eye drops afterward. I kept a paper and wrote times down to keep it straight.

I heard another patient getting the "no bending over" instructions following my cataract surgery, but the nurse told me the woman had another doctor, and my surgeon's instructions were different. They were--and my surgeon is at the top of the hierarchy in that medical group.

You'll probably have a schedule for using a couple of prescription eye drops prior to the surgery and for a couple of weeks after. I was told not to use mascara or eye liner for two weeks, and not to rub my eye indefinitely. Bending over was okay.

I wouldn't be concerned about the recovery period. There's really nothing to it. You'll come home from the surgery with a dilated pupil, and the facility will probably supply you with very dark glasses. Once the dilation goes back to normal, you'll notice an improvement in your vision. At least I did; I had corrective lens implants (toric lenses for astigmatism).

The only problem I had with my surgery was a terrible reaction to Versed, the sedative/memory eraser they used. I will never permit anyone to use that drug on me again. It was administered to me several times before (for other procedures) with "only" memory loss as a side effect, but this time was quite different.

I wrote about it in my blog in August. I didn't go into a lot of the wretched details, but it gives the general idea.

I had both eyes done in 2010. First, the right eye and six weeks later the left one. My opthalmologist thinks I had them done too soon. I had asked him when I would know it was time and he said when I can't see anymore. The world had turned brown and I had to be right next to a sign to be able to read it. Maybe he thought I should be completely blind. But anyway, yes, the colors are beautiful but the light bothers me considerably. Sunlight is particularly unpleasant. There were several different drops that I had to put in my eyes at certain times of the day- right now I don't remember how many weeks-maybe three. I remember being so glad when I didn't have to do that any more.

I have a question to add to this: Approx how soon can you drive afterwards?

Shirley

Surgery is a piece of cake....the remembering to do the eye drop stuff is worse! I wasn't told not to bend over, though. What was so funny after I had the first one done was to see that my house and car were both light blue....I thought they were grey. I also had an African Violet that became red instead of purple! I do still have to wear glasses, but that's OK, too.

You can't ever rub your eyes??!!! Just the thought is making my eyes itchy! Phyllis why the glasses?? Did you have a high RX prior?

My mom was having problems seeing at night while driving and had hers done last year. I was surprised at how simple it was. The surgery was literally 10 minutes. I believe my mom just had to use some eye drops a day or two before the surgery. She had an eye patch to wear afterwards. She was told not to bend over at the waist because of the pressure it puts on your eye. You can lower yourself straight down. She took it easy for a few days but she said it was a piece of cake.

She had her 2nd eye done one month later. She was amazed at how good her vision was afterwards. You can choose from different lens and she went with the multi? (most expensive). But now she doesn't wear glasses. The doctor warned her it could take 6months for her sight to level out and adjust but her vision was great a few days later. He said she was the poster child for how easy the surgery can be!

Good luck!

I just had both my eyes done in December. The procedure really is easy. Don't be worried about that at all. The actual procedure took less than ten minutes. I spent more time lying on the gurney waiting to go into the procedure room than I did having it done.

I was at the surgi-center for two hours altogether with each eye. I got up and walked out. My son drove me home.

I was allowed to drive the very next day, and I did. I just didn't go too far.

I had no restrictions. I didn't even get those goofy sunglasses, although you are more sensitive to sunlight. I had to wear a clear plastic shield (kind of looks like a colander) over my eye the first day and at night for a week.

You can't rub your eyes for awhile, but I am rubbing mine lightly now.

The only mistake I made was to get monovision -- one eye for distance and one eye for seeing close. It is driving me nuts. The doctor said he could do one eye over again to give me distance in both eyes. Not so sure I want to do that. Just get standard distance vision, don't be talked into the new multifocal lenses either, such as ReStor of ReZoom.

I am still putting drops in my eyes four times a day. I have no problem with that. I hope you have a prescription plan because they cost a fortune.

Relax -- you'll be fine. The hardest part is getting used to all the beautiful colors and seeing things you never knew were there (this includes cobwebs. LOL).

marita-
Don't freak out. This is a very quick and very low risk surgery. I had both of my eyes done about 4 years ago (one month apart), and had no problems. You are lightly sedated and you will not be aware of anything. Each time I had to wear an eye patch for 24 hours after the surgery, and take some drops for a couple of days. The side benefit is that if you wear glasses now, the replacement lens the doctor inserts can have a prescription built into it to correct your vision. I went from being terribly nearsighted to being able to drive without glasses. You won't regret doing this.

I'm also freaking out because this is in my near future. Husband had both done about five years ago, and had to have them redone a month ago. He said that's common. I dread it. I am such a woosy. I don't know if he was told not to bend over but he did the drops for awhile. I don't use mascara, but I do use eyeliner and shadow. How long can't you use them?

lily-
Are you sure your husband had to "have them redone"? There is often a hazing up of a thin membrane behind the implanted lens several years after cataract surgery, and this is taken care of with a simple laser treatment, on an outpatient basis, that takes 15 minutes in the doctor's office. It requires no surgery in the conventional sense, and you walk out of the doctor's office seeing better right after.

What exactly are you freaking out about? Sure, it would be great if we all had perfect vision for our whole lives, but the reality is that many folks get cataracts if they live long enough, and there is a simple surgery to correct it. The way I look at it is that not only did my cataracts get fixed, but I ended up with better vision than I had had in 60 years. My wife keeps hoping to have cataracts so she can have the corrective lenses put in that will fix her nearsightedness!

Thanks everyone, for your responses. It is really helpful to hear experiences. I go back for another appointment next week but from the information the doctor gave me yesterday I will now have to choose between a monofocal or multifocal lens. Has anyone chosen the multifocal (which of course sounds better but may not be covered by insurance)?

I paid for lens implants to correct my vision. The surgeon describes what he did as "mini-mono." It works very well for me. After wearing glasses all the time since age 6 (and my vision was never all that great, even with progressive lenses), I'm thrilled with my perfect distance vision. The "mini-mono" makes it possible to use the computer without glasses and read dials on the stove, etc., but I use cheap reading glasses to read fine print, especially in low light.

I had the surgery done in May and June (one week apart). My night vision didn't improve, and last month I had the laser procedure Kudzu describes above. What a difference it made!

Lily, I use eyeliner and shadow, too. I had to refrain from using the eyeliner for two weeks after each surgery. I'm not sure about the shadow....that might have been okay.

I should add that my surgeon will not use the much-advertised Crystalens implants. (Florence Henderson is the spokesperson.) Much too risky, he says.

My toric implants cost $1,000 apiece, and I had to pay for them myself. I'm really glad I did!

Isn't it interesting all the different instructions each of us gets from their doctor? My doctor made no mention of eye makeup. My doctor told me I would never have to wear glasses again, except for reading. I need to get in to the DMV and get the glasses restriction taken off my license. My vision is not 20/20 now, it is 20/30 in one eye and I am not sure what the other one is. I find having to wear readers is a hassle, especially when cooking. Since Medicare pays part of the cost of my first pair of glasses after the surgery, I am going to get glasses that will bring my distance vision to 20/20 and eliminate the need for readers. I won't wear the glasses all the time. I can't wait for summer and water aerobics. How fun it will be to see clearly in the water.

My hubby had both eyes done this past summer and couldn't be happier....He could not believe how and what he saw, after surgery....The most important instruction was Do Not Rub the eyes and not to get water in them for a couple of days....The drops were a pain in the butt (for me), I was the one the did the dropping.....Highly recommend....

alisande - are you saying you had an elective cataract type surgery to implant lenses just to correct your vision (vs. lens implants to correct cataracts)? Just curious as I have a friend who has terrible vision - not fixable with lasek - but fixable with cataract procedure. I told her she should just do it even though her cataracts are not bad yet. It seems like why wouldn't you do this procedure to correct your vision as people do with lasek. I've never heard of people doing it though so was wondering if that's what you did. Kind of sounded like it but I may be misinterpreting.

On a cataract surgery note, I was talking to a friend of the family about his cataract surgery. He was commenting on how much better he could see after the surgery - and that he hadn't known how wrinkled his wife was!!

There are other reasons to have lens implants besides cataracts. I guess if your vision is particularly bad and can't be corrected with LASIK, new IOLs (intraocular lenses)can be implanted.

LASIK is much less invasive than lens replacement and if that works for you, I would certainly go for that over surgery.

I also had to choose between the multifocal (at an additional cost of $4500)and the standard lenses, either both for distance or monofocal. I decided against the multifocal although many seem to be happy with them, but there are those who cannot adjust. I got the monofocal and it is taking awhile to adjust tho them. I hope I do eventually. If I were doing it again I'd go with the standard IOLs, both set for distance and just wear readers as needed.

I also have a vitreous floater in my right eye that is very annoying -- not the little "threads" but a hazy blob that moves around.

Getting old is hell. I will say that I am very much enjoying not having to wear glasses all the time.

my mom had the surgery way back when it was 2 stiches, lol...in fact the doc gave her a vcr tape of her operation...now i don't know if it was las vegas sun all the time, but she did wear from then on, dark sun glasses...and she did have reading glasses..but understand it's changed since then...

Harry had both of his done about 2 weeks apart. I agree about those drops and had to laugh at SunnyD because I had to put Harry's drops in, too. Three different drops three times a day One was an antibiotic and I don't remember what the other two were. Had to use them until they were all used and they each took a different number of drops. I thought those bottles would never empty.

He still wears glasses although I don't think he needs to. He says he has an astigmatism but his vision is 20/30.

Marita, I share your fears about any type surgery. We should form a support group :-)

marita-
I was given the choice of monofocal, or multifocal at a lot higher price. I ended up with monofocal after talking with two different eye surgeons. It wasn't the cost that swayed me...I would have chosen the more expensive ones if I thought they were best. The multifocals have some benefits and some drawbacks. I've included a link that summarizes some of these considerations.

I ended up going with monofocal and, although I see well enough to drive without glasses, I do wear glasses to correct a little astigmatism, and for reading/computer. I've worn glasses since I was a kid, and actually like to have them on to provide eye protection (I've had a couple of close calls doing projects around the house). For me monofocal was a good choice. But either one is good...it just depends on understanding what the pros and cons are for each and what your expectations are.

Here is a link that might be useful: Multifocal pros and cons

You're right Kudzu..Husband had to have the haze cleared up in two separate visits last month. He's doing fine now ,but his vision had clouded .

Gibby, my lens implants were part of cataract surgery. In the surgery, the cloudy lens (cataract) is removed and replaced by a clear lens. My insurance (Medicare) would have paid for a non-prescription lens, in which case my extreme nearsightedness would have continued.

I'm told most insurance companies will not pay for cataract surgery unless it is deemed necessary via a special exam. In my case the decision to operate was based on my eyes' response to bright light (as in night driving).

LASIK is not something I ever would have considered. I know too many people who have had bad outcomes from that surgery.

Speaking of floaters, after my two post-cataract surgery procedures to improve my night driving I experienced a lot of tiny floaters for a couple of weeks. It was like being plagued by fruit flies. :-)

okay alisande - I see - you have to pay for the corrective lense vs. a plain lense.

alisande-
I am surprised that Medicare would not pay for a prescription lens. It's my understanding that, while the multifocal lenses are considerably more expensive, the monofocal, single prescription lenses are not. As a matter of fact, everybody's natural lens has a prescriptive power associated with it, so a "standard" implant does have a prescription in it just to restore you back to what you were before. It's just not customized to offset any nearsightedness or farsightedness you already have. There is no such thing as an implant without a prescription. If they didn't do that, then you would be left very farsighted. Remember years ago, when they didn't do lens implants for cataract surgery? They would just remove the natural lens and then people would have to get those glasses with the super-strong prescription that made it look like their eyes were giant size.

So now, typically, what they do is take some measurements of your eye and put in an implant with a prescription that is either stronger or weaker than the natural lens to compensate if you are nearsighted or farsighted. The goal is to bring you as close as possible to not needing glasses (except for reading).

I probably used the wrong terminology, Kudzu. Gibby stated it plainly in the post above yours, and I think she summed it up well. The way it was explained to me (by the surgeon) was that Medicare would pay for the surgery, but the replacement lens covered by Medicare would not correct my vision. If I wanted improved vision I would have to pay for it myself.

Perhaps the $1,000 (per eye) fee had something to do with the type of lens. My toric lenses correct my severe astigmatism.

Every once in awhile I find myself pushing my (nonexistent) glasses up my nose. :-)

Alisande, I do the same thing. Push my imaginary glasses up my nose, grab them to take them off for a photo, reach for them first thing in the morning. It's so odd how ingrained it is.

I don't have Medicare but had a 20 percent copay, so I paid $1000 for both eyes.

This discussion about costs is really interesting...and disturbing. I had a total co-pay of $75 per eye for the surgery and corrective, prescription implants. If I had opted to have the multifocal implants, it was going to be $750 per eye, but that also included followup Lasik to correct astigmatism. I do have good health insurance from a major healthcare co-op, and actually had the surgery done before I qualified for anything from Medicare. As I mentioned above, I was mainly concerned about the best decision, not the money, and ended up choosing the monofocals. But the range in prices is pretty crazy. These huge variations in charges for the same procedure based on what insurance you may (or may not) have are really unfortunate.

Thanks again for this continuing discussion. I haven't returned yet for my next appointment to discuss what lense is best for me, but I sure hope the multifocal, if I'm a candidate, isn't as much as $4500. Ouch. I did check with my insurance (BCBS): they will pay for the surgery but not the lense--any type of lens.

The Crystalens, with its reported iffy results, is a multifocal, I believe. Are all multifocal lenses risky, or just that brand?

Kudzu, it's good you had your surgery before qualifying for Medicare!

I too was terrified but when no longer able to read exit signs on Interstate Hwys., I knew it was time.
First Dr. I saw (closer to me)wouldn't give detailed explanations about procedure, saying; "I'll explain it all @ hospital the morning of your surgery." 'Not!' Talked to a lot of people who had used or had close family memeber who'd used one particular surgeon, tho' further away. They all loved her & had super results. I did too & it was mcuh easier than I'd tought.

A friend's DH chose one of those clinics who advertise relentlessly on TV -she was skeptical from his 1st visit...said they ran 'em thru like cattle. Sure enough he's had a lot of problems. Last visit, Dr. wrote an RX for glasses & tried to charge him $25.00 to write it!

I'd rather pay $125. out of pocket for more than one office visit than have a Dud who does not have enough time allotted to do it right. I'd recommend a bit o' research before choosing.

grittymitts-
You raise some good points about being careful/comfortable with your choice of doctor. I checked out the doctor at my healthcare coop who was supposed to do my surgery. He was board certified and had been doing about 8-10 of these surgeries a week for almost 20 years. He also answered all my questions in advance, and answered my several emails promptly. With this kind of surgery, you definitely shouldn't settle for someone you aren't fully satisfied with beforehand.

I think the doctors make a lot of money on the multifocals, which is why they push them. My doctor "sells" the ReStor lenses and ReZoom is another. I don't think Crystalens is used too much anymore.

My insurance (BCBS)was provided by my former employer which is a hospital system. If you use a doctor from their system, it is fully covered, if not, you pay 20 percent. Fool that I am, I thought my ophthalmologist was part of that system but he isn't, so I had to cough up the co-pay. I am an idiot. However, my doctor is well-trained and very good, so it wasn't a complete loss.

There was no extra charge for the lenses since I chose standard lenses, not multifocal. As I said, I wish I had gone for distance in both eyes instead of one eye for reading, one for distance. It's annoying.

I had one done about a year ago....and since I had previously had RK done (several cuts in my cornea with a scaple), I was sent to a specialist...the first lens implant was not strong enough, so I had to have stronger lens exchange, then it became blurry and I had a lazer treatment....but everything is so much brighter... I need the other one done before long, but I am going to put it off as long as I can.

Had my eyes done.No problem.Doctor told me to buy dollar store glasses for reading and sun glasses the rest of my life.Love them both.Makes me feel like a movie star.The worst part keeping track of the drops you must put in after surgery.This don't last forever.You soon for get.It's like haveing a baby you forget the pain as soon as you see your new offspring.

Id better make an appointment for an eye exam soon. I'm having trouble driving at night and reading street signs in daylight. Colors appear 'faded'. (I'm 70.)

What should I be looking for in a surgeon and for lenses to correct my vision when I have cataract surgery? Is this surgery considered a 'medical expense' (covered by our Aetna Medicare Supplement) or 'eye' (not covered)? In December I had a tooth pulled by an oral surgeon -- not 'medical' (well covered), but 'dental' (poor coverage). It's bad enough to be falling apart, but this parsing of my 'parts' is too much!

I have an astigmatism. My nearsightedness (from age 13) has lessened with age. I still wear glasses all day, but have recently found myself getting around in the house quite well before putting them on! I remove my (old prescription) trifocals to read, but must hold a book no more than a foot from my face. At this rate I might be glasses-free by age 100.

Susan -- Your warning about Versed has been absorbed by me. I suspect I will need what you have -- 'toric' lenses? Can you describe them further? Im quite sure I don't want the 'one lens for near; one lens for far' option. My brain is too old to be re-wired for that.

Chisue, I wonder what they'll offer you instead of Versed.

Re the toric lenses, they're designed to correct astigmatism. If your astigmatism exists in only one eye, you can get a different lens for the other eye. They were not covered by Medicare, so they cost me $1,000 apiece.

I wouldn't describe my lenses as "one for near, one for far" exactly. The right eye has 20/20 distance vision, and the left eye is (in the surgeon's words) "slightly nearsighted." This makes it possible to see the following without glasses: my computer, appliance buttons, restaurant menus (some), and some books with decent type in good lighting. For most books, and very close work like rug hooking, I use reading glasses from the dollar store. I've been happy with the outcome.

If you chooses standard lenses, it will be covered by Medicare. Chisue, you certainly sound like you have cataracts, as though were my symptoms, especially not being able to see to drive at night.

I got one toric lens for my astigmatism and there was no additional charge for it.

Coincidentally I met someone who today who got the ReStor multifocal lenses. She is in misery with them and cannot adjust. She works as a bookkeeper and now cannot see the numbers.

I'm still having trouble adjusting to the monovision. I am getting glasses soon and if I am still having problems, then I will try a contact lens in my "near" eye to give it far vision. What a huge pain in the patootie. If anyone asked me now, I would say to go for the best distance vision possible in both eyes and use reading glasses for close up.

I finally got to the opthamologist yesterday. Yes, I have cataracts. Yes, I need surgery. So...now I'm back to reading this thread with even more interest! I have an appointment to be 'measured' for lenses and to hear more about my options, but I wanted to ask what y'all think I need to consider.

I have an astigmatism (both eyes). I am nearsighted, although less so at age 71 than when I started wearing glasses/contacts at age 13.

I am leaning towards lenses that will correct my astigmatisms and let me see distances and my computer. I don't mind donning reading glasses. (Right now I wear glasses for distance and remove them to read, holding a book a bit closer than would someone with perfect vision.)

Is it reasonable to expect to ONLY need readers when *reading* (normal typeface) -- I won't need them to see a computer screen or to find something in the freezer to nuke for dinner? LOL How will I see to put on lipstick and mascara? (Oh, maybe I could stand a normal distance from the mirror instead of inches away as I have all my nearsighted adult life!)

Will I be getting 'toric' lenses, like Alisande? Am I avoiding 'night halo's' with this choice? If I chose one eye 'distance' and one eye 'near', wouldn't one eye tire? (I am a big reader!)

I'm told that Medicare will pay 100% for the distance only lenses, but that the 'glasses-free/multi-adjusting lenses' would add about $1,000 each -- and require more adjusting, and risk the night halo effect. (I'm not sure they mean *Medicare* will pay the whole thing. We have supplemental that picks up any difference.)

This MD has been doing the surgery for many years; operates a full day and a half every week. I've also asked my primary MD for his recommendations.

This opthamologist doesn't use Versed for patients over age 50. He said too many of them become agitated and disinhibited, moving around and behaving as if 'drunk'. (Not good when you are trying to operate on eyes!) He said he uses Benadryl -- ???

Wow--smart opthamologist, Chisue!

As for the lenses, all I can contribute is my own experience. I'm probably repeating myself, but I don't mind if you don't. :-)

The "mini-monovision" I was given with the Toric lenses is designed to enable me to see just about everything--including the computer, music at the piano, knobs on appliances, and food in the freezer--without glasses. I don the reading glasses for rug hooking and other very close work, as well as tiny print and not-so-tiny print in dim light. I can read in bed without them most of the time as long as I have bright light, but they do make it easier.

My night vision did get worse (halos and starbursts) after the surgery, but a quick laser procedure (in a chair, wearing street clothes) fixed that--and Medicare paid for it.

I paid the $2,000 out-of-pocket for the Toric lenses, and feel it was money well spent.

Hope this helps you decide!

Oh, how FUNNY that chiuse revived this post today!!! I am the original OP and I got back literally 10 minutes ago from the cataract surgery that I learned I needed in January! It went very, very well: the actual surgery was under 10 minutes and was, in fact, anticlimactic. And I'm 55 and they gave me Versed, just a little bit as they told me,simply to relax me. I didn't feel drugged or sleepy whatsoever, but I also felt absolutely no pain or anxiety. Anyway, for anyone planning cataract surgery: it is just what they told me, a walk in the park! I have a patch on the eye that I'm supposed to wear until tomorrow; then I will drive myself to the post-op appointment. At the moment I'm sitting with a friend eating bagels and chocolate and drinking hot coffee. . . If anyone wants to chat, feel free to pm me.

So glad to hear it went well, Marita!!

Many thanks alisande!

By the way, my implant was the AcrySof IQ IOL monofocal lens. It was the only one the doctor recommended for my situation, and it was corrected for reading. My other eye is 20/20 for distance, so I now have one reading eye and one distance eye. This is pretty much what I had before the cataract developed and it works very well for me as I am a teacher and need to look down at my books or notes as well as look up at the class in rapid succession. Insurance does pay for the monofocal, but not other types of lenses. (I had the wrong information on this given to me by BCBS at first, but found out that they did cover it later).

Hah! What a coincidence! Glad the surgery went smoothly, Marita. Hope you'll report back on how you adjust. Which lens type did you get -- mono- or multi-?

I'm not worried about the surgery part -- just want to have a good result with as little adjustment as possible. This MD can do my eyes April 11 and April 26. There are 'day after' and 'four days after' appointments for each eye.

I just noticed the MD wrote "Restor" on the corner of some paperwork I was given. He did NOT encourage me to try the multi-vision lenses; probably makes his life easier when people have less trouble adjusting. Or maybe that's not an option for someone with astigmatism, like me. I've yet to hear the word "Toric", but will ask.

chiuse I had the monofocal. I was not a candidate for the mutifocal due to other issues in the eye, so I had no choice.

Marita-
Glad it went well. See...you can trust the advice in ths forum sometimes!

The surgery is really simple, isn't it? As I mentioned above, I had both my eyes done last December. I have monovision -- one eye for distance and the other for closer. I've had a hard time adjusting to it and if I were to do it again, I would go for the very best distance vision and wear readers at the computer or when reading.

I had to get glasses to help "even out" my distance vision. I was hoping I would not have to wear glasses after the surgery, other than readers. The glasses I got are bifocals. I can actually get by okay without the glasses, but I do feel a little eyestrain and slightly off balance.

I also have to have the YAG laser procedure as there is some clouding resulting from the surgery. That will happen in May.

Almost everyone I know who got simple monofocal lenses for distance is very happy with their result. I wish I were one of them. I would NEVER get the Restor multifocals. Too much risk.

My night vision is greatly improved and I am happy with that.

This is just wonderful, to hear everyone's story!

My primary MD just called to say he thinks the MD I'm going to for the cataract surgery is "excellent". Hooray! Full speed ahead...well, after I review the real experts here at KT! LOL

I had cataract and glaucoma surgery 2 weeks ago. When I went back to the center where they did my surgery I found out that my surgeon left a large piece of my old lens in my eye. Now I'm going to have the whole thing over again. The Scarlet part is their is a lot of risks in doing this. Has this ever happened to anyone before ? I would appreciate your feedback thanks Mary