Talk to your surgeon. I elected to have plain lenses. I think they are classified as monovision. You will still need glasses but the glasses will be nearer to what you currently have. Be aware that your eyes will take at least a year to fully adjust and will probably need stronger glasses as you age. I just did my first annual check up and need slightly stronger glasses but like you I do not use them for reading or close up stuff. A lot will depend on your eyes what you can expect.

I chose multi-focus lenses, the last eye done about 5 weeks ago. It’s amazing how well I can see. I tested at 20/20 for reading and 20/40 for distance last week. If in a few weeks I am not happy with the distance, a Lasik procedure can be done to tweak the left. I have no need for readers. Can go from watching TV from across the room to reading the newspaper with no problems. My distance vision only bothers me when I can’t read a street sign that is a block away. It’s so nice not having to wear contacts or glasses.

Maifleur, are you also nearsighted? Are you able to read close up without glasses with the monovision?

maddielee, multi focus sounds perfect but I have Fuchs' Dystrophy so I can't have Lasik to tweak vision. Even cataract surgery is trickier because more damage to the corneas needs to be avoided.

My mom had multifocal lens, they caused her so many problems with headaches and vision that she had a second surgery to remove them and replace with a standard lens.

My hubby had a monofocal lens put in and, at his doctors suggestion, his lens is focused so he can see clearly at arm's length and needs contacts /glasses for distance vision.

Yes I am nearsighted. I am still near sighted because unless the implanted lens corrects the angle that the image reaches the back of the eye anyone nearsighted will always be nearsighted. Only if you have laser surgery to correct the shape of the actual eyeball do you loose the nearsightedness. Contrary to what most people think having 20/20 vision does not mean that you can see perfectly but that you can see things clearly at 20 feet. I also have astigmatism which is worse in my left than my right.

Sorry edited to add that I can see to read without glasses but when I am tired with the astigmatism I can see letters that appear blurry. Not bad enough to wear glasses for reading but can be irritating and I have to make my eyes focus.

Texas_Gem, are both your mother and husband very near-sighted? I sure hope the doc is going to have some sort of demonstration eye wear to simulate each lens. Otherwise it'll be very tricky to pick out the correct type.

Maifleur, thanks for the clarification, I am glad to read (no pun intended) that you can still see to read without glasses. I am hoping for the same. Are you able to clearly see intermittent distance with glasses, like the pc monitor?

I would say an unqualified yes but that would depend on your own vision and the distance you keep your monitor from your eyes. I normally use a laptop for everyday things and it is about 18-24 inches on a movable stand from my eyes. I still have a tower that I keep old records on which has a different monitor that is farther than my laptop and it is higher than my laptop. I can see better on it. There may be times that you might have difficulty with the amount of light from your monitor. Most current ones have a method in settings to dim the amount of light. They also have a night setting which on my laptop adds an amber color which I do not like.

I got one of each. I don't usually wear my glasses because I don't need them for regular life. I do need them to read prescription bottles, instructions for some frozen food or some gadget / appliance guide or instructions that are very small. if it's something I might use fairly often I just put it on my printer and copy it at 150% and put in a gadget/appliance binder I have. And I'm trying to train myself to write larger and clearer on my grocery list. but some of that is my change in handwriting because I have 3 trigger fingers on my right hand and sometimes it shakes. I forget I'm no longer the younger me!

I did need my glasses (new ones) for the 1st 6- 12 months after surgery. My eyes often take longer to 'wake up' in the mornings, but my body is very close to them in that.

I do usually carry my glasses in my purse in case I need them at the store. that's usually my main use of them now. And I've regularly worn glasses since my mid 20s or so.

I set the type on my computer up to 125% for normal reading on forums etc. but there's smaller type along side of this post and I can read it - I just don't want to read it in larger masses like posts on here.

Kadefol- yes both are near sighted. I'm not sure how bad my mother's is, but I know my husband's is pretty bad.

His doctors suggestion was to keep his up close vision clear since 90% of the things he does on a daily basis involve up close/arm's length sight. It has worked out well for him.

You can be near sighted for more than one reason. It can be the lens or it can be the length of the eye or any number of less usual reasons. For me my eyes are unusually long so the focal point from my lens didn't reach the back of my eye. I was extremely near sighted. I opted for standard sight so that I can even see to drive, I don't have to wear glasses to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I have to wear them for close up work, reading and even grocery shopping. The multi focal lenses have a higher incident for problems but some people get lucky with them. I miss being able to read without my glasses and being able to really look at things close up but that had faded for me anyway with going far sighted as my eyes aged. that happens for very near sighted people later than normal sighted people. I also could not have Lasik's since my corneas are already too flat. It is different for everyone. I was 800 in one eye and 700 in the other-very nearsighted indeed.

Maifleur, thank you, that sounds perfect. Hope mine turns out as well.

Desertsteph, thank you. I've worn glasses or contact lenses pretty much all my life so I am okay with having to wear them post surgery. Agree about the delayed waking up, at least there is coffee for the body. :)

Texas_Gem, thank you. I am in the same boat as your husband in that most of what I do during the day is computer work, etc. So I'll have to make really sure to pick the correct lens.

Patricae, I would miss being able to read without glasses as well, would be hard to get used to after decades. I am 57 so maybe age related far-sightedness is still a ways away and won't happen even with the new lenses.

The only picking of lens for me was the surgeon asking at the initial consultation if I wanted different lens in each eye, one for near and one for far. The other option was the same in both eyes. I had already talked to my regular eye doctor about wanting to be able to see close up without my glasses. There is a slight correction in the lens because the card that they give you shows on mine that they are not the same power.

Any research on types/brands of lens should be done well in advance so that you can tell your surgeon/eye doctor that you want a particular type of lens. Do not be surprised if the doctor advises that particular type was not the best for your type of eye and expectations. Selecting lenses for implantation is not like going to an optical shop where you are given options. There may be surgeons that do this but from the group of people I interact with none have been given much of a choice other than what I outlined above. The only other one I remember is someone that was asked if they wanted a tint other than the normal light one that is used. I was not aware mine had a tint until I was looking for sunglasses and it was mentioned at an optical shop as being normal.

Thank you, Maifleur. Sure is a lot more pressure to pick out the right implant lenses than to pick out glasses. :o}

Kadefol, my vision was exactly like yours before my cataract surgery. I loved being able to work at my desk without glasses and also read without them. I got one lens for distance and one for reading ( monovision). I am not at all happy with it. My brain simply could not adjust to the difference in my two eyes. I had hoped to finally be free of glasses after a lifetime of wearing them but now I have to wear them so my near eye is corrected to match my far eye. Hope that makes sense. I toyed with the idea of having the lens replaced but hated to take the chance. If I were to do it again I would get standard distance lenses in both eyes and use reading glasses as needed.

Kadefol, I had excellent near vision prior to surgery and told my surgeon that I wanted to be able to have near and far 20/20 vision. He agreed that was a great goal but I needed to see a macula/retina specialist so he could determine if that was possible. That specialist found I was not a good candidate so I had to settle for 20/20 far vision with readers. It was initially irksome to put on glasses for reading but I've adapted.

It's really key to find a surgeon that you can trust and is willing to guide you through the process. He tried multiple lens so I knew exactly what to expect post-op. Mono-vision would have been a terrible choice and that's what another surgeon recommended.

dedtired, I am sorry your results are not what you were hoping for. I have only one correctable eye, I am very vision impaired in the other. The doc said the surgery might improve matters a bit, but not enough to meaningfully improve vision in the "bad" eye and neither far nor near clear vision would be obtainable. But I would like to be able to continue to read close up without glasses with my "good" eye and also have better distance vision with the aid of glasses. I guess with my tricky eye situation the doc is going to have his work cut out for him.

Nannygoat, thank you. I guess I'll just have to compromise, with all of my eye issues I'll probably be stuck with glasses anyway.

Follow the recommendations of ones ophthalmologist. He/she knows your eyes.

Had my consultation and since I do a lot of computer work and do most of my reading on a tablet, the doc advised to go with near vision instead of long distance. He said he has had quite a few people who wish they'd picked near instead of distance because they now need glasses to read their cellphones and other devices.

On the weird side, I was told my corrected vision is currently 20/70 and the vision requirement for driving is 20/40. So I would flunk my driver's license renewal test if I had to take it now. Thankfully, post surgery I should be close to 20/20 with glasses.

I wore glasses for nearsightedness since first grade. I have astigmatism in both eyes, and for a long time before my cataract surgery I took my glasses off to read. During the surgery toric lenses were implanted to correct the astigmatism, and on my doctor's recommendation I was given "mini-mono" vision; that is, distance vision in my right eye and closer focus with my left. If the print is very small or the light dim, I use $1-store glasses for reading.

This worked out very well for the past 8 years. However, in recent months my vision has changed--gotten worse--and I'm going to need glasses for driving, especially at night. The doctor who examined me recommended glasses with progressive lenses like I used to have. I am not happy about this. I suppose I should have asked to be sure before I had the surgery, but I assumed the $2,000 I spent on the replacement lenses would enable me to be glasses-free forever.

No ones eyes remain the same no matter what kind of surgery is done. They change with time which was in the literature that I received when I had my cataract surgery. It stated that it could be a year or more before the eyes stabilized and in the future glasses might be needed again.

Alisande, I feel for you. I really envy people who are born with 20/20 vision and don't need vision correction until they are very old, if ever.

Maifleur, I didn't realize it might take a year, yikes. That would be annoying to purchase expensive glasses and then already have to replace them after only a year.

kadefol as a person who has worn glasses since an early age it has always been recommended that people have their eyes examined yearly. With that recommendation having your eyes change during that time should be a no brainer. It does not mean that you will need new glasses only that your current glasses are not exactly the strength that you need. I purchase what I want with the idea that if my eyes change I can have new lenses put in the older frame. Normally since I am active by the time I am ready for the next pair the frames are shot.

Maifleur, I have my eyes examined every year as well, but my prescription usually doesn't change that quickly. And with frames and lenses as expensive as they are, I am glad about that. Especially since I haven't been able to find any optical shops that cut their lenses on-site and let you use your existing frames.

Kadefol they do not cut their lens on site but send your frames off to the company that makes the lens. The new lens are inserted and the glasses sent back to you.

The reason I was given for "can't use your existing frames" was that frames develop wear and tear and could break if old lenses were removed and new ones put in. I've checked with several local optical shops and they all have the same policy.

I've had my frames reglazed without scare tactics. I accepted the risk that they might break but that never happened.

You have to accept the risks. Some frames cannot have lenses removed without breaking the frame if the frame is hard plastic. Most are made so that if you should pop a lens out they can be popped or in extreme cases glued in. Gluing will remove some of the flexibility of the frame which can make the glasses feel different after it is done.

Ask the shop if a lens popped out could it be put back in. If they say no you know that particular frame cannot be reused. If they say yes but also state the frame cannot be used either they lack the knowledge of knowing that it is the same thing or they are simply trying to sell you new frames.

I usually stick with flexible metal frames and I would gladly sign a waiver in case they break. I suspect their policy is in place to ensure being able to charge for new frames every time a prescription changes.

I was legally blind with immeasurable eyesight, so about 30 years ago, I had RK done to both eyes and within 7 minutes and 9 little slits in each eye, I was able to see better than 20/20...no glasses and I was thrilled! Being rid of those “pop bottle” eye glasses was the best money I have ever spent!

When I developed cataracts, I did go to a specialist who was very familiar with RK eyes to have them removed because the cataracts grew into the slits. They did do a lens exchange in one eye since sight was not 20/20, but it was a simple surgery.

If I have a good light, I do not need any glasses to read but keep readers handy. I do not drive at night anymore because I have the starting of MG and Glaucoma and oncoming lights cause a halo effect. But at 78, that is a minor problem .

Yup, it's all about the money.

I cannot vouch for this company, but they offer to do exactly what you want. Might be worth it to contact them for specifics.

https://www.eyeglasspeople.com/content/replace-the-lenses-in-your-existing-frames/

Nanny, many thanks for the link. I am saving it and will check with them when I've had both eyes done and get my new prescription.

Phoggie, when I hear comments like " the cataracts grew into the slits " it puzzles me because it sounds like cataracts are growths--sort of like barnacles. I've heard other people say similar things. But my understanding (and the way my doctor described it to me) is that a cataract is simply a cloudy lens.

There are several types of cataracts. Mine were the type that were not cloudy but when looking through them my vision was like I was looking through a glass of jelly. Cataracts since your lens are in contact with the eyeball I can see since they can be the build up of material that causes the thickening and hardening that the material could easily work its way into the cuts/slits made by the previous surgery especially if part of the surgery was near the edge where the lens touches the body of the eyeball. Search for parts of the eye and you will see how close the lens are to where the shaping of the eyeball during surgery would take place.