Cataracts and Light

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leehljp

leehljp

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I posted this on another forum this afternoon, but thought it might have significance here too:

What Cataracts will do . . .

Back in the early 2000's when LED home lights came out, I was in Japan. I usually came home (USA) yearly for a month or so and checked in with HD and Lowes and other hardware stores - on their LED lights. Japan always seemed to be ahead by 2 or 3 years over the USA on the diversity of light sizes and tints (Ks) for the home.

Back in 2004 & 5, I was impressed with the 4000K, thought the 5000K was too white and even had a hint of purple (IMO), and 6000K was a very purplish tint to me. By 2011-2012, when I returned home (USA) for good from Japan, the 4000K light here (USA) seemed to have a hint of yellowish tint and 5000 was bright daylight white. IN the last 3 or 4 years, 5000K seemed to be fading a bit and 6000K seemed to be the bright daylight white.
I had become convinced that LED light manufacturers were doing with LED grades - the same as amplifier manufacturers used to do with sound amps in power measurements back in the 60's and '70s.

THEN . . . THEN I had cataract surgery on one eye yesterday (Monday). WOW, with one eye's cataracts removed, and the other one not yet done - the newly fixed or rather cataracts removed eye saw bright bluish 5000K lights of our kitchen, living room and bedrooms, while the not-yet-removed cataract lens looked at the same lights and saw them with a slight yellow/amber tint.

What a difference cataract make to the way we see things!

I just got back from my 1st day surgery followup. Doc asked me to read the chart. He was impressed when I read the very bottom line on his chart one day after the cataract removal, and with a corrective lens inserted. My doctor said I had moderate cataracts, not real serious, but not minor either. For me, on the first one - No pain, no problem. I will have the followup surgery for the right eye in 3 weeks - after two different business trips to Fl and GA.

If things don't seem as bright as they used to be, consult your specialist. It sure is better when the cataracts are gone.
 
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Yep. I had worn glasses for 50 years. Not wearing glasses is nice but readers are everywhere. I keep a pair of "thin optics" folded into a fob on my keychain.

I only have 1 vision related issue which is seldom disclosed before the surgery but for me a huge PIA. Even with that, I love my lens implants.
 
Glad to hear you've had that done Hank. I had both done in 2005, and could not believe the difference. Now it's Macular Degeneration. But I can say I've seen a lot in my day. 😊 Congratulations!
 
My eye doctor says I'm borderline when it comes to cataract surgery, I've been doing my own research and the more I find out the more I want to get it done.
Do any of you have the LAL (Light Adjusted Lenses) , those sound very intriguing to me. I also have astigmatism so that might narrow down my choices.
 
I'm convinced that print quality has declined over the last few years. 10 years ago print was crisp and well defined, as time goes by all printers and computer screens are lowering in resolution and letters and numbers are fuzzy. There must be a vast commercial conspiracy at work - Big Pharma? Luminati? The Federal Reserve?

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I had a retina surgery that caused a cataract. Going from good vision to cataract and back was a sharp contrast.
 
I've had cataracts removed from both eyes and, like Hank, experienced new vision in terms of brightness and colors. It has been wonderful. I had corrective lenses used with one eye getting close up correction and the other far away correction. I no longer use readers and can read the next to bottom line on the eye chart. It took a few days for my brain to figure out the vision correction. It has been great.

I do have to wear glasses when I drive at night. The glasses correct the close up lens to match the far away lens. Otherwise, all lights are star burst and depth of perception is shot.

Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
Thanks for bringing this up Hank! I am coming up on needing cataract surgery. Last year my eye doc said not yet. But in the past few months I've noticed a decline in my eyesight, so I'm thinking this might be the year. Wish me luck!

Scott.
 
I've had cataract surgery in both eyes - and in both cases, the results were dramatic, and the surgery is as close to a non-event as any medical procedure can be.

I opted for the simplest interocular correction possible - distance vision only. However, I later had a detached retina (unrelated to the cataract surgery), and while it was eventually corrected anatomically, it took three separate surgeries and left me with so much scar tissue on the retina that I have essentially no vision in that eye. I can still do pretty much whatever I want to do although I have to be careful when filling a fountain pen or pouring a glass of wine - depth perception at close distances is pretty dismal. I can still use my lathe - in fact, I didn't start turning until a couple of years after the retina problem - I just have to make sure that I have enough light to throw distinct shadows in order to see edges properly. But at the suggestion of a very wise optometrist, I wear bifocals at all times instead of readers so that I have physical protection for my good eye.

Getting older ain't for sissies.
 
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leehljp said:
I posted this on another forum this afternoon, but thought it might have significance here too:

What Cataracts will do . . .

Back in the early 2000's when LED home lights came out, I was in Japan. I usually came home (USA) yearly for a month or so and checked in with HD and Lowes and other hardware stores - on their LED lights. Japan always seemed to be ahead by 2 or 3 years over the USA on the diversity of light sizes and tints (Ks) for the home.

Back in 2004 & 5, I was impressed with the 4000K, thought the 5000K was too white and even had a hint of purple (IMO), and 6000K was a very purplish tint to me. By 2011-2012, when I returned home (USA) for good from Japan, the 4000K light here (USA) seemed to have a hint of yellowish tint and 5000 was bright daylight white. IN the last 3 or 4 years, 5000K seemed to be fading a bit and 6000K seemed to be the bright daylight white.
I had become convinced that LED light manufacturers were doing with LED grades - the same as amplifier manufacturers used to do with sound amps in power measurements back in the 60's and '70s.

THEN . . . THEN I had cataract surgery on one eye yesterday (Monday). WOW, with one eye's cataracts removed, and the other one not yet done - the newly fixed or rather cataracts removed eye saw bright bluish 5000K lights of our kitchen, living room and bedrooms, while the not-yet-removed cataract lens looked at the same lights and saw them with a slight yellow/amber tint.

What a difference cataract make to the way we see things!

I just got back from my 1st day surgery followup. Doc asked me to read the chart. He was impressed when I read the very bottom line on his chart one day after the cataract removal, and with a corrective lens inserted. My doctor said I had moderate cataracts, not real serious, but not minor either. For me, on the first one - No pain, no problem. I will have the followup surgery for the right eye in 3 weeks - after two different business trips to Fl and GA.

If things don't seem as bright as they used to be, consult your specialist. It sure is better when the cataracts are gone.
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Getting my cataract eval tomorrow. When my in laws were in their 70s, they had cataract surgery. They said they could see better than when they were 16!
 
rherrell said:
My eye doctor says I'm borderline when it comes to cataract surgery, I've been doing my own research and the more I find out the more I want to get it done.
Do any of you have the LAL (Light Adjusted Lenses) , those sound very intriguing to me. I also have astigmatism so that might narrow down my choices.
Click to expand...
No, I do not have the LAL. I discussed it with the doctor and my use of LAL glasses came into play. That type of glasses in the past did not serve me as well as I liked. They (light adjustment) may be close to "instant" now, but I am not ready for it.

I have mild astigmatism and he said it would be corrected for me.

I look forward to the other eye being corrected so that I don't have to wear glasses except for reading.
 
One note: in my followup, with LOML present, LOML asked a question indirectly related (and I was not paying attention to her question), the doctor who looked to be in his early 30's said: "Well, you are my grandparents age, so yes, probably so". I heard that answer and laughed. LOML didn't like it - referring to us as that old. 😅

It was LOML's eye exam with her doctor 5 weeks ago that made me decide to see a doctor in that clinic (Memphis Eye and Cataract Associates). Her doctor did not do cataract surgery; but he recommended another doctor in that clinic. The recommended doctor was young looking, and me being old (76), I had my thoughts about such youth. BUT, when the exam came, 3 different assistants came in one after another, and each with different machinery checking my eyes. That spoke volumes to me that each assistant was a specialist for different tests.
 
I started wearing corrective lenses when I was 7, now 72,. In 2004 I had Lasik done on both eyes and went from greater than 20/400 (in the military I was told that one eye was 20/800 and the other was 20/700) to 20/20. That was the best 3500 dollars I have ever spent in my life.

I still need to wear reading glasses, but do not have issues with cataracts, at least not that I know of. I will need to get an eye exam done at the VA hospital hear in Atlanta.
 
My only issue with both eyes has been nighttime "ghosting" and/or double vision. When asked, the smartass doctor response was "It'll go away or you'll get used to it". Neither of which is true in my case. TV with white text on dark background is impossible to read.

Mine are the standard distance lenses & my astigmatism hasn't been an issue. I couldn't make any consideration for lense upgrades for the money.
 
leehljp said:
No, I do not have the LAL. I discussed it with the doctor and my use of LAL glasses came into play. That type of glasses in the past did not serve me as well as I liked. They (light adjustment) may be close to "instant" now, but I am not ready for it.

I have mild astigmatism and he said it would be corrected for me.

I look forward to the other eye being corrected so that I don't have to wear glasses except for reading.
Click to expand...
I don't think we're talking about the same thing Hank, these (LAL) lenses allow the doctor to adjust your prescription after the lenses have been implanted. Here's a link to some info. on them...
www.clevelandeyeclinic.com

The Light Adjustable Lens - Adjustable Cataract Lens Implant

The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is the only IOL that enables you and your doctor to design, trial, and customize your vision after cataract surgery.
www.clevelandeyeclinic.com www.clevelandeyeclinic.com
 
At 81, I don't have cataracts - at least not yet - but I did notice my eyes have change focus.... I came out of the navy wearing glasses to see distance... just to read a street sign across the street... and up close could see the fuzz on a gnat's behind..... now I see distance okay, but need readers to see my hands.
 
rherrell said:
I don't think we're talking about the same thing Hank, these (LAL) lenses allow the doctor to adjust your prescription after the lenses have been implanted. Here's a link to some info. on them...
www.clevelandeyeclinic.com

The Light Adjustable Lens - Adjustable Cataract Lens Implant

The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is the only IOL that enables you and your doctor to design, trial, and customize your vision after cataract surgery.
www.clevelandeyeclinic.com www.clevelandeyeclinic.com
Click to expand...
Sorry about the miscommunication. LOML has been on my case about taking the wrong meaning for a word from unfamiliar contexts!

My doctor provided me with numerous variables in lens. I was not expecting this and it is something I usually take a few days to mull over. Again, LOML said I was given a brochure on the subject, but I was only concentrating on getting the cataracts removed. That was goal number one. Everyone I talked to all said how much better they could see, and no one talked about this being an "implant". So, after a dozen or so conversations with those who had cataracts removed, I had not heard the word "implant" even one time.

Then when the doctor showed me the large chart with different kinds of lens, I was intrigued - until I heard $3000 - $4000 per lens for the different type that my insurance would not cover. But for normal distance OR reading, or a combination was covered 100% by my insurance.

He did mention adjustable "something" but in the next sentence told the price, so I just forgot "adjustable" after hearing the pricing. LOML said I should have read up on it more, and usually I do, and now I wish I had - for the information only. I have since (this week) told people - relatives my age to read up on it and expect numerous options that I was not aware of at the time.

HOWEVER Knowing what I know now, 5 days after the surgery, I would have chosen the same path.

I ran into a similar situation 20 years ago when I tried to go to contact lens. I asked for distance for BOTH eyes with the idea I would use reading glasses for close up, but the doctor gave me one of each (1 distance and one reading), and refused to give me two distance contacts but did not tell me. He said I would need a week to get used to them. I returned 3 days later and confronted him. He would not give me both in "distance", so I told him I did not want his contacts and refused to buy them. I got trifocal glasses instead. . . I am fanatical concerning depth perception. I learned as a teenager that I had exceptional depth perception. I maintained this ability all my life. I used to be able to walk into a room, look at it for about a minute and size it up within 2 inches without fail, time after time. I guess this is related directly to depth perception. I used to, without thinking, be able to saw on a tablesaw (when rough sawing a board or plywood to a rough size) - I was able to saw perfectly, on the money without using a fence - even though that was not my intention. I enjoy vision that allows this precision, even if it means close distance glasses or reading glasses.

For that reason, I didn't want variable or anything adjustable. Give me one set lens and I will adjust it with glasses. I listened specifically to the doctors statement that I would not need to change glasses lens from now on. THAT spoke volumes to me! And Yes, I know that I am hardheaded! :oops:😁

Thanks for the link.

Edit in: I am with LOML visiting her sister in the Tampa area. With my left eye, wow, I can see things in her yard and neighbors yard with much more precision than I can with my right eye and glasses! LOVE IT !!!

ONE CAVEAT to ask my doctor, and some of you may know the answer: When I wake up, it takes about 30 minutes before my left eye can see clearly. I can see leaves on a tree at about 60 - 80 ft but they are fuzzy. After 30 minutes or so, they are CLEAR and SHARP. Is this normal?
 
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Only your doctor can say. In my case, my eyes dialate larger than the implant so there are times when some light imagery goes around the edges of the implant & "competes" with the perfectly corrected image.
 
rixstix said:
Only your doctor can say. In my case, my eyes dialate larger than the implant so there are times when some light imagery goes around the edges of the implant & "competes" with the perfectly corrected image.
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That is good to know. I will be watching to see what happens with my new lens and eyes.
 
I didn't have corrective lenses inserted...just clear ones, because I really only need reading glasses...my distance vision is still very good. I wear progressive eyeglasses because I spend so much time on a computer I needed reading correction at two different distances...book and computer, and a slight astigmatism. My left eye developed a bad cataract VERY quickly. I didn't realize it until I was driving down the street and raised my hand up to adjust the visor, which blocked my right eye and the whole world went blurry. WOW. I had that cataract removed immediately and a couple of years later had the other eye done...it was a much slower growing cataract.
 
leehljp said:
ONE CAVEAT to ask my doctor, and some of you may know the answer: When I wake up, it takes about 30 minutes before my left eye can see clearly. I can see leaves on a tree at about 60 - 80 ft but they are fuzzy. After 30 minutes or so, they are CLEAR and SHARP. Is this normal?
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I've had this experience. Also, some scratchiness early in the morning. My doctor suggested an over-the-counter artificial tears drop. Seems to do the job.
 
sbwertz said:
I didn't have corrective lenses inserted...just clear ones, because I really only need reading glasses...my distance vision is still very good. I wear progressive eyeglasses because I spend so much time on a computer I needed reading correction at two different distances...book and computer, and a slight astigmatism. My left eye developed a bad cataract VERY quickly. I didn't realize it until I was driving down the street and raised my hand up to adjust the visor, which blocked my right eye and the whole world went blurry. WOW. I had that cataract removed immediately and a couple of years later had the other eye done...it was a much slower growing cataract.
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Sharon,

Thank you for this bit of information. I have never liked progressive lens in the past (I had two pairs in the last 30 years) because it limited my peripheral vision as I had to turn my head to see clearly something to the side. Now that my eyes are (well one has been) corrected for distance, I will need computer and book distance. The progressive lens sounds good for this. I am not sure I want to be carrying around a set of glasses in my pocket. I just as soon keep them on, if progressives will do that - book distance and computer distance with nothing corrective for distance. I have a lot to think about.

I am in many places on a daily basis and constant need for near and far - computer (laptop), PDF docs, driving, peoples yards, examining church buildings, driving, all in one day, most days. I hate the thought of carrying around a pair of reading glasses and putting them in my pockets and leaving them behind on a table.

Thanks for the idea! I will run the by the doc when I see him next week.
 
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