I'm almost 65 years old, wore contacts for 40+ years, had lasic surgery done on both eyes in 2002 (with stellar results, although I suffered from presbyopia, so wore the small, over-the-nose reading glasses when necessary), and in 2008 and 2009 I had cataract surgery performed, one eye each year. Because clarity of vision is exceedingly important to me, because I absolutely did not want anything to do with the mono-vision approach, and because I'm physically active, with lots of outdoor activities, I decided it was worth the money to purchase the special lenses that would allow me to see long distance as well as read. In 2008, I had the ReZoom lense inserted into my right eye. Here's its link: http://www.rezoomiol.com/ In 2009, I had the ReStore lense inserted into the left eye. I think you must have information on this lense, so I've not included a link. With both lenses, there was a "learning curve" while the brain adjusted to the different "readings" on the lense, and learned where to go on the lense to view things in the distance or read. I rarely use "reading" glasses, except in situations where the light is very low or the print is very small. Reading the newspaper or books without my glasses, reading recipes without glasses are just some of the pleasures of using these lenses. Similarly, I can easily see the computer and engage in other mid-range tasks, without using glasses. And my distance vision is very good. I golf, and can easily see the golf balls. When I'm outside, I often am the first to spot a deer or some other sight, and have been frequently complimented on my vision. When I do drive at night, I do so without any qualms. I don't detect any halos around on-coming lights, but I confess I never had this problem with either my contacts or the post-lasic surgery, so maybe my eyes aren't sensitive to lights??? For me, the better reading lense is the ReStore lense, which is why my doctor recommended that lense instead of the ReZoom lense when it came time for the second surgery. But this is really a matter of personal adjustment. As my right eye adjusted to the ReZoom lense, I kept complaining about the reading print being a bit blurry -- I am VERY picky about clarity of vision. So, when it came time to select the lense for the other eye's cataract surgery, we went with the ReStore lense. I think my eye dominance switches between the right and the left eye. Normally, I'm right-eye dominant, and I think this applies for long distance vision. When I'm reading, I think I become left-eye dominant, because I see with excellent clarity...it's like the left eye's ReStore lense over-rides the right eye's ReZoom lense. I can tell you that I have never regretted spending the extra money for these lenses, and that the quality of my vision is very, very good. Each year I test out at 20-20 at my eye exam. Also, in my own case, I'm very glad I had each eye done 12 months apart because that gave me an excellent opportunity to determine how well the first lense was working. I would not have been happy had both eyes had the ReZoom lense, with its less-than-perfect clarity for reading. But I want to emphasize that these are my results, only, and every patient is bound to have her own unique experience. The final point is the importance of a thorough and skilled surgeon. My surgeon obtained many, many readings from the opthomologist that did my lasic surgery in Virginia. In fact, he would not schedule the surgery until he had those readings to ensure he was ordering the correct readings for the implanted lense. And this was on top of the lengthy and many measurements performed on my eyes during the pre-surgery sessions in the office. I hope this information helps.

My situation is probably different because of my astigmatism. Others may have better outcomes. I am unhappy with the Toric lens I had implanted Sept. 26. I was told I needed this special lens to correct my astigmatism. It didn't correct the astigmatism. I will still need to wear glasses full time. (I see 'shadow' images. For instance, each letter on a street sign has a blurry shadow of itself to the right. You sometimes see this when a newspaper or magazine is printed with the different colors not properly aligned. They are 'out of register'.) I'm out $1245 for this special lens, and, of course, have lost the eye's natural ability to change focus, near to far. I'm not having the left eye done, as I had planned. I've recently had two people comment that they were told by doctors that they *needed* cataract surgery, but have did not have it, and subsequently were told by other doctors that their cataracts were not serious enough to warrant surgery. Everybody HAS cataracts eventually, but I'd urge people to consider for themselves if theirs *require* surgery. I do have more light IN the operated eye, but I don't see an enormous difference. I think I was persuaded to act prematurely. (I'm 72.) This is a quick, very safe procedure for a surgeon to perform, and Medicare pays for single-distance lens surgery. I imagine there is a profit on 'special' lenses too.

I had Lasik on both eyes 20+ years ago. At the time, I knew I was going to need bifocals or reading glasses with the Lasix procedures. I detest bifocals so chose to finally have Lasik. Fast forward to about 3 years ago and I had a cataract develop in one eye. It was between a grade 3&4 so I could have waited bit decided to proceed. Good decision to go ahead and I would recommend it. The other eye has not developed a need for the surgery. About a year later, DH needed cataract surgery and decided to have both Lasik and the cataract surgery at the same time. One eye one day and the other eye two weeks later. Perfectly successful both times. Yes, he needs reading glasses but he couldn’t be happier. 20-15 vision in both eyes. Mine is still 20-20 and I have slight astigmatism which cannot be guaranteed to be successfully corrected surgically. edited finally to correct the spelling of Lasik

I can't imagine separating the cataract removal and the lens implantation. After all, cataracts are simply cloudy lenses. It's not as though a cataract is some kind of growth on our lenses; it's the whole lens, which has become cloudy. When it's removed, we need a new lens--I would think immediately. I had the surgery 12 years ago, a week apart. I wish I'd been offered the option to have it done without Versed, the memory eraser. I asked, but was told Versed was essential. They promised to use the bare minimum. (Yeah, right.) I'd worn glasses since first grade, and was nearsighted with astigmatism. Toric lenses were needed to deal with that, and I paid for them out of pocket. My doctor suggested the "mini-mono" option: distance vision for my dominant eye, and closer focus for the other. It's worked well for me. I've never heard that it affects depth perception, and I certainly haven't noticed that. As for a lot of follow-up, I didn't experience that either. After a couple of months I noticed a problem and was told moisture had built up under the lens. They said it was common (I wish they'd told me it was a possibility before it happened), and the fix was simple: I sat in a chair while a machine used a laser to create a tiny hole in the lens. It took one second, if that. I would make certain the surgeon is experienced. A friend of mine was referred by her eye doctor to a GP who had "taken classes and got a certificate." Um . . . no. The other thing I wish I'd known beforehand is that the corrective lenses might not provide the right amount of correction forever. It never occurred eo me to ask about this; I just assumed I'd never need glasses again. But recently I've noticed that road signs aren't always easy to read. The optometrist said it's normal for eyes to change as we age, and I might need driving glasses. Even though I wish I'd known this, I would have gotten the surgery with the same new lenses anyway. Very happy with the outcome overall.