I had mine done in 2019, one eye at a time. My surgeon was Dr Killmore...lol. Despite his name, he was a terrific surgeon, did my husband's years before mine , and retired shortly after mine. I think mine were done a month apart, and it was non-problematic. I had a shield on for a day or two to sleep, and I didnt like the drops, but I kinda wish I would have had them both done at once just so I didn't have to repeat the process. I think you weren't supposed to drive for two days.

Wow both at once? I had mine done last year and because I had laser surgery, I had to have mine done 1 month apart. I was terrified before the first surgery. I did not know what to expect. But there was absolutely nothing to be concerned about. The drugs worked their magic and I was in the waiting area before and then I was awake during the surgery though unconcerned and next thing I was in recovery. I have since been there for my niece who had it done about 6 months after me and I didn't even get two pages of my book read before she was in and back to recovery. It really is that fast. The second surgery for me was even easier knowing so much more about it. Everyone had told me how easy it is, but until you go through it, it can be scary.

I have since learned that surgeons all do it differently. I had 3 different eye drops I had to do. I received a printed out schedule to help me with that. But I have known people who only had 2 different drops and one had none at all.

I don't think they will let you drive to the follow up the next day, certainly not if they are doing both eyes at once.

When I came home from the first surgery, I had the expected double vision. I just took a nap and in a few hours that was gone. My myriad of eye drops kept me busy but it also made my recovery very easy. Unless someone is going to stay with you for the whole day and night after surgery, I wouldn't recommend doing both at once. Even just doing one, they wanted someone to stay with me (I live alone). My niece stayed a few hours and then I sent her home. I could see very well with both eyes because they took the lens out of my glasses for the newly done eye. I couldn't read too well but could see perfectly still wearing my glasses. I needed my niece to take me to the followup appointment which was the next morning for me. There was yet another followup appointment one week after surgery and I was able to drive myself. Your doctor should give you tons of information and very clear instructions of what you can and cannot do. As someone who prayed very hard immediately before the surgery, it really was not difficult at all.

I would say the most difficult part of it for me was the eye drops. I had never used any eye drops so it was a learning process for me. Good luck. Getting others experience should help. Like I said, there is no one way to do this surgery. So follow all directions to the letter and you will be amazed at how great it is. Everything is so much brighter and since I got lenses that allow me to see distance, everything is clear all the time. I kept my old glasses and had them made into reading glasses. I did that because I like them but more because they fit me perfectly. I do have one pair of drugstore readers here in the house but I don't like them. My prescription ones give me perfect vision.

I had one eye at a time. Because of my serious near sightedness I was scheduled close. two weeks, but it was a pain. I eventually covered the new lense eye so I could cope with the lack of coordination between my eyes with the glasses I had. This is my issue and not the norm. No depth perception. The eye that was done was fine for vision. So I am sure it would have been possible to drive but your brain has to register the new input. So dont expect to drive just to be safe. I didnt have to go back the next day though. lots of drops.

Thanks everyone. Eye drops are going to be a problem for me, which is one of the reasons she recommended doing both at once, to cut down on the # of weeks I will need to do them. I just sent for a device that's supposed to help, so I am going to practice with non prescription drops for a while and see if I can do it. I have a nurse friend who offered to spend the night and help, so I will just take her up on her offer and she can drive me to my appt the next day.

@murraysmom Zone 6a OH did you have laser correction surgery at the same time as the cataracts? I thought (mistakenly) that cataract surgery would help correct my vision, but doc says no, I'd have to schedule laser surgery later, if that's what I want. I have Medicare and I don't think they cover vision correction surgery, so they wouldn't do it at the same time (which I didn't know was even possible).

My wife had it done about 5 years ago at the local medical school, by a faculty member. She had each eye done separately with, as I recall, a separation of a month or two. I remember that the doc recommended she not drive for a few days afterward and to wear a patch on the treated eye until a week after the procedure if she did.

The procedures were easily tolerated and the results have been as she had hoped for. She didn't opt for any of the funky alternatives - like for near vision in one, far vision in the other, and simply got two normal replacement lenses. One post-procedure consequence is that she is now more sensitive outdoors to days of bright sunlight. As are most days here. She has a "collection" of sunglasses stored here and there and wears them more frequently than before.

Good luck.

Olychick - Sorry if this is stupid question but have you tried just putting eye drops into your lower lid rather than onto your eyeballs? A million times easier. I don’t know why some doctors don’t do it that way. Same with putting on contact lenses, I can’t stand the way optometrists seem to do that and I stopped letting do it for me.

Olychick, not sure where you're having yours done but I went to Evergreen Eye Center. They're all over. My procedure was "dropless cataract" surgery. I was supposed to use 3 or 4 drops five times a day, but said heck no to that. Instead the surgeon put whatever all those drops were supposed to be for in my eyes and they were slowly released. I then only had one drop to put in. And easy - just pull down on your upper cheek to expose the white of your eye and place the drop in your eye. No need to tilt your head back and aim, lol.

I had my astigmatism corrected so now don't need glasses for driving or reading.

@foodonastump I have never been able to put in eye drops. I can drop them in the general vicinity of my tear duct gland in the inner corner and blink them in, but it's kiind of hit or miss. My eyes are super sensitive (I cannot open them in water while swimming, or in the shower. When I was young, we had a family friend who was an optometrist and I wanted contact lenses to lose the glasses. He said when I could touch my eyeball with my finger, he would fit me. Well, that NEVER was going to happen, lol.

No need to go the tear duct, right in the middle is fine. But I get that some people are more uncomfortable than others.

A for your optometrist friend, I’m not a fan of his prerequisite. Touching your eyeball is a lot more unpleasant than placing in a lens. At least for me. Just thinking abouy it is making me uncomfortable!

I may have been able to get a lens in, but I'd never be able to get it out - my worst nightmare, lol!

So the weird thing was I have sage green and ivory kitchen cabinets, and I bought a large green pear years ago at TJ Maxx that sat on the island. Imagine my surprise when, after my cataract surgery, I found that it was, in fact, a medium BLUE pear. >>Drops were the biggest pain, and since I never use them, sometimes my husband administered them.

Put the drops in from the outer edge of the eye. Tilt your head sideways and put the drops into the outside corner. That way you dont have to see the dropper coming and cause the reaction to that which causes you to close your eye. Really. Just get some ordinary wetting drops and practice. Tilt your head or lay down with the side of your face up. We were taught this in EMT class. Look outward and come in from the side.

I put in eye drops daily (for ocular pressure). The approach my ophthalmologist suggested I could use was quickly learned and works.

I sit in a chair and tilt my head all the way back. My favored hand holds the bottle and rests on my cheek. With the other hand, my thumb gently pushes down the lower eyelid and my index finger pushes the upper one. I move the bottle directly above the eye and squeeze the bottle gently. It's impossible to miss. I could do both eyes maybe twice in succession in the time it took to type these sentences. Very easy.

I appreciate everyone's favored hints for eyedrops but I have 70 years of trial and error and know what doesn't work for me. All except Patricia's trick of going in on the outer corner. The inner corner works ok, too, but unless I get the blinking just right, the drops run down my cheek. I'll try that, thanks Patricia!

" A for your optometrist friend, I’m not a fan of his prerequisite. Touching your eyeball is a lot more unpleasant than placing in a lens. At least for me. Just thinking abouy it is making me uncomfortable! "

I've been wearing contact lenses for almost 50 years, and no one ever asked me to touch my eyeball - not that I recall. But while I was in the waiting room at my optometrist's office last year, I overheard an assistant asking someone whether they'd been practising touching their eyeball, because they were going to get their contacts that day.

I wonder if it has to do with wearing soft vs. rigid lenses, since soft lenses are grabbed with your fingers, whereas rigid lenses are sort of popped out by manipulating your lids.

i had mine done last year, 2 weeks apart. i was able to drive to my follow up appointment the next day (doctor approved) with no problems.

i have found through much trial and error and youtube videos that the easiest way for me to get drops in is to close my eye gently, tilt my head back and put two drops on my upper lash (inner corner).

i never had dry eye symptoms prior to catarac surgery but have had it since so i use eye drops every day.

good luck with your surgery. you will be simply amazed at how much more vivid the colors are!!

I had cataract surgery in 2017. The improvement in color rendition and brightness was amazing. Left eye first (it was the worst of the two), right a week later. I had three different med-drops afterward .. all three the first week, then two the second week, then one for the third week ... so the two eyes were on different schedules. Sedation was done during the procedures so it apparently was different method than sephia_wa references above regard to following instruction to look up, down, etc. I was not allowed to drive home afterward so required a chauffeur (sister). There was no post-surgery eye patch/cover. Vision was blurry but I remember marveling at the renewed intensity (and accuracy) of colors on the hour-long ride home. I wasn't allowed to eat the mornings of the surgeries, we stopped for burgers on the way home each time.

I opted not to do a lens upgrade being it was $6,500 (or some such large figure) out-of-pocket. I wish now I had done so. I still need spectacles for both astigmatism and reading/computer. Distance isn't bad and I can see road signs to a reasonably-functional extent but it's better/safer with the spectacles and the dashboard is fuzzy without them.

I've been on a glaucoma/pressure med since 6 months before the surgery. I use this simple aid device: Owen Mumford Autodrop

I often have dry eye in the mornings but probably is related moreso to the glaucoma med than the surgery.

Olychick, I had my laser surgery (corrected for distance) in 2004. But because I had it done, my doctor had to schedule my cataract surgeries 1 month apart. And I had an extra test done for the measurements. It wasn't any problem. You won't need laser surgery. You will choose a lens to see far away (most common) or up close. My friend chose that and now regrets it. You will see 20/20 for distance and need reading glasses for up close. They do have a lens that does both but it is VERY expensive and Medicare does not cover it.

Great idea to practice doing drops with saline or something like that. I had never put drops in my eyes. I did have contacts so used to touching my eyes but not doing drops!! It was hard at first and lots ran down my face so I get that. Now I just put my head back and watch the bottle and give it a shot. lol It can be hit or miss. I use Systane eye drops now, recommended by my doctor, available at Kroger. I like it much better than Refresh which is a thicker substance. The drops feel good now.

You can do this!!!!!!!!

ETA, I just saw Elmer's comment about his wife being more sensitive to light. My lens implant has UV protection. So the eye is protected if you don't wear sunglasses though they certainly do help.

dadoes, I opted for the lenses that would eliminate the need to wear glasses for distance and reading, but my cost for both eyes was $4,500. Because they were able to correct my astigmatism and I wanted to live life without glasses I opted for that "upgrade" vs the basic procedure that Medicare covered entirely.

A friend has a saying that I love:

"Don't go cheap on yourself." I worked a whole lotta years to now enjoy retirement, and paying a little extra to be free of glasses was worth it.

Sophia what lenses did you go? I also have astigmatism. ( Along with narrow-angle glaucoma.)

Good luck Oly!

I know almost nothing about cataracts, but am following along with interest. At my last eye appointment the doctor said I have one just starting. And I swear to you my first thought was, well that can't be possible because only old people get cataracts! 🤣🙁

Oh. Yeah. Sigh. I guess I do fit in the demographic. WTH?! What a blow to my psyche!

Anyway, good luck and I hope it goes as smoothly as everyone else is reporting. 😘

eld6161, my lenses are Toric intraocular lenses. This describes them:

"Toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) replace the cloudy lens during cataract surgery while simultaneously correcting astigmatism. These premium lenses feature built-in specialized powers aligned to your eye's unique shape, which can vastly improve your uncorrected distance vision and reduce reliance on glasses.Standard cataract surgery with a basic monofocal lens covers your base vision and is often covered by insurance (e.g., Medicare), but it does not correct astigmatism. If you opt for a toric lens to fix your astigmatism, you will typically pay an out-of-pocket premium because it is considered a lifestyle upgrade. Costs can vary significantly depending on the facility and the exact IOL technology."

Be sure that you have some good sun glasses. It has been about a year since I had mine done & I am still very sensitive to the sunshine. My vision has never been better than it has been since having the surgery, I will never need glasses again.

@sephia_wa thanks for mentioning those lenses. I just messaged my surgeon to see if they would be an option for me. I do have astygmatism and can afford to pay out of pocket. I would be so happy if they improved my vision!

Such great info in this thread! Thank you everyone!

I had an eye exam yesterday and talked with the Optomtrist at great length about cataract options. He is retiring soon and patient load has lightened so he had plenty of time to do so.

I wear bifocal lenses and have so so vision with them. With bifocal lenses, you get good distance and close up vision but not great. There's a trade off to be had with them.

I was concerned about that trade off with cataract lenses. He explained that because of it being an ocular implant vs a contact lense, the vision would be much better. I was happy to hear that.

He did say that he was not completely happy with the vision option that he chose himself 5 months ago. He went from a -6/-10 to a -1. He was very pleased with that. Especially that he could grab any frame and a cheap lense and it would now work for him. He was second guessing his choice of where his vision is best. I believe the short of the story was that he thought he would only wear glasses to drive and in reality he is wearing them all the time.

Moral of that story is to really pay attention to what you do during a typical day and pick a lense that suits that. Example-if you rarely drive, corrected distance vision may not be your best choice.

RNmomof2 zone5, you said your Optomtrist "is retiring soon and patient load has lightened so he had plenty of time to do so."

I hope you meant an ophthalmologist. An optometrist can detect and diagnose cataracts, but only an ophthalmologist - a medical doctor - who specializes in eye surgery, can perform the surgery. Optometrists provide pre-operative evaluations but aren't trained and licensed to do the surgery.

I just heard back from my surgeon about the Toric intraocular lenses that Sephia mentioned. She said it was a good question (whether I was a good candidate to receive those for my astigmatism). She said they work great if, during cataract removal, the astigmatism won't be corrected, but her measurements indicate mine would be almost fully removed during the surgery, so the lens won't be beneficial. Good news! Just saved several thousands of dollars!

Yes, my Optometrist performed my eye exam for contact lenses. Nowhere did I say that he was going to perform a surgery. He sees patients after cataract surgery so he has first hand knowledge of how long term, patients are doing after surgery. He is very knowledgeable and was a perfect person to talk with me about options and his surgery.

Nowhere did I say that he was going to perform a surgery

Okay, calm down. Slight overreaction to my comments. I interpreted what you wrote differently than what you meant. I guess you can sue me now 🙄

Yayyy Olychick! Saving $$ is always a bonus!

The only thing that was differrent for me than for friends, becaue of the kind of lenses, was that I couldn't read for two days after the procedure. It was explained that the back and forth motion of your eyes when reading could dislodge the lenses. I couldn't even text! So I just watched a lot of TV. I'm not a big TV watcher so that was a long two days, lol. But not a big deal to become free of glasses.

@Ally De, what do you consider as "old" vs. "young?" I was 54 when my cataract surgery was done. The condition was developing over some years. My optometrist put the decision in my court, said I can have the procedure done whenever the deterioration gets bad enough per my choice. The trigger was a road trip from TX to TN with a longtime friend/ex coworker to visit his sister. He drove both ways. My vision was so cloudy, particulary on the left-side eye (worst of the two) while looking at passing scenery that I thought my spectacles or the car windows were dirty. That wasn't the cause ...

Olychick - I don’t have much to add beyond what everyone else has shared. I will tell you though that I do understand your squeamishness about the procedure - I was the same way. My ophthamalogist refused to do both eyes at once. He did offer me valium for the first eye procedure which I declined. I decided that if I was brave enough to undergo a colonoscopy - well - how much worse could this procedure be? I learned that it was exactly what everyone assured me it would be - a piece of cake! My second procedure was exactly that. I have no memory of either procedure. It must be conscious sedation that’s used.

I did have a post procedure situation that isn’t much talked about and I don’t know why since I’ve read that it occurs from 20 - 50% of the time - I don’t know about the wide 30 point spread there but I keep reading that same 20 - 50 range. That is “Post Cataract Haze”. I only was aware of it because an acquaintance mentioned it happened to her when we were talking about my upcoming procedure. The opthamalogist can see the new lens is hazed over when looking into your eye. The patient - me- saw a loss of the clarity gained from the cataract removal. The haze developed in both of my eyes a few months after cataract removal. The fix is easy - an in office laser procedure called ”YAG Laser Capsulotomy”. I had this done in both eyes. No pain, non-invasive, fast but again I was nervous. Anyone who has had cataracts removed and who is again concerned with hazy vision or loss of detail and color as before the cataract removal needs to visit the eye doctors because it can be corrected quickly. Search on “posterior capsule opacification (PCO) or a secondary cataract“ for a detailed explanation.

KW PNW Z8, my ophlamologist mentioned that too me too, the "haze" after cataract surgery. He described it just as you did. My procedure was so recent but I'll be looking to see if I develop that haze.

And I was a tad squeamish about the procedure at first too, that they're messing with my eyes, lol. Wish I'd known about thinking of a colonoscopy vs cataract surgery ahead of time 🤣

@sephia_wa My eyes hazed over one at a time & a few months after the cataracts removed. There’s no usual timeline when it might happen - it can be weeks, months, years. Maybe that’s why the odd wide range of % of occurence - the timing makes it more difficult to track.

Cataracts vs colonoscopy? Well, I had no problems with someone dealing with that end because I couldn't see it coming, lol. I've been squeamish about eyeballs my whole life. Recently watching The Odyssey brought back the trauma of my childhood, where I went to the movies (I was probably 9 or so) with some family friend's teenage daughters. I was enamored with being with teenage girls! I don't remember the name of the movie, all I can remember is a giant cyclops who ended up with a spear in his single eye! OMG...I sat thru the rest of the movie with someone's coat over my head! And, totally not thinking there would be a similar cyclops scene in The Odyssey......I about died. If I could have easily gotten to the exit, I would have left the theatre, I didn't have a coat for my head, but closed my eyes and plugged my ears, lol. eta: I had to search to see if I could find the movie...1957, probably this one: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050281/

@KW PNW Z8 thanks for that info about the haze. I'll remember that.

My optometrist has mentioned the haze and the simple laser procedure to clear it. I have not developed it thus far, 9 yrs post-procedures (7/12 and 7/19).

I've had two colonoscopies, age 52 and 62. Easy/peasy. I don't even mind the purge procedure. Worst part of the 2nd was getting the IV started. The prep nurse had trouble. They called in the anesthesiologist, he did it on first try with minimal discomfort.

@KW PNW Z8 haha, but getting me in the door is the problem.

Dadoes, you are as young (or old) as you feel. 😄

And sadly, I feel about 150 right now. Been on a wicked run of health problems lately and am feeling pretty sad about it all.

I have little remembrance of the event except that it was at an ungodly hour in a town nearby. His office, where I get my yearly exam, is 1/2 mile away, but he did surgeries elsewhere. I remember their conversations as it was happening to me.

About the haze. My husband had the laser procedure done six months after his operation. I keep asking my optometrist if I need it, and he said not really, but when and if, it's done down the hall. At least I won't have to have it done at dawn.

@Ally De sorry to hear of your health problems. I hope things improve for you as soon as possible.

I went for the latest and greatest (and most expensive) LAL type lenses that allow me to see both near and far without glasses. They require three or four post surgical treatments, so they wouldn't be right for you. My doctor did my eyes two days in a row so he could check on the first eye before doing the second, but still have both of my eyes on the same treatment schedule. The worse part was, since I had surgery that second day, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything anything before seeing him. I guess the doctor was used to those bad breath appointments, but I felt self-conscous.

I bought a little plastic device for a couple of dollars at the drugstore that helped tremendously with using eyedrops. It held the bottle and fit over the entire eye. It had a tiny hole to focus on, which automatically made the drop go in the right place. Very easy and never spilled a drop.

I wish I could still see blues as brilliantly as I did the first week after surgery. Now my brain has adjusted, but in the beginning it was magical. Now, when I go for my regular check-ups. I always wear blue for the pleasure of the recent cataract patients.

@Jupidupi. My MD talked with me about these after. I am glad to hear they are working well for you. Did you require adjustments? I am very interested in these.

RNmom, the adjustments are part of the process. They put in the lenses and for the first couple of weeks, you get used to what is already much better vision. Then every few weeks, you go into your doctor's office, they shine a special light in your eyes for about a minute, and it adjusts the lenses even clearer. You tell them when you are happy with your vision. (For me, this was challenging. I always have a problem with the regular vision test where they ask "Is 1 or 2 better?" and I can hardly tell the difference.) When the lenses are the way you want them, they lock in the adjustment. The lenses are adjusted with ultraviolet light, and for this reason, you have to avoid UV light while undergoing the process, which can take weeks or months. They give you special sunglasses and also clear glasses for indoors, in case you are near a window. I liked the big sunglasses. But the indoor glasses were seriously ugly -- they reminded me of 1970s Michael Caine.

updated above.

Wow Oly! You’ll be a whole new woman with a new lease on life after you’re healed from your second carpel tunnel fix. Great to hear that your vision is really improved. One question - don’t you need both hands to put the eye drops in? Will you be able to manage the drops for another 3 weeks okay after this next carpal surgery? I’ve never had that done otherwise I might know the answer!

You must be so happy it is over, and YAY for seeing better!

Congratulations!