Cataracts [ocular, not Hardinge]

Mike,

I am predominately right handed with a left master eye, I have shot rifle and pistol right handed but left handed shotgun.

Varifocals for me, distance and car instruments all clearly available, but I would like what they used to call "pilot" lens with an upper reading element, for when my head is in milling machine mode.

Edited By KWIL on 30/11/2016 21:56:47

Bet you can't guess what I do for a living?

@KWIL and others: So much for progress. Time was you could order whatever combination of lenses you fancied in the same pair of glasses. This form of lens, the 'Franklin Split Bifocal' (bet you can't guess who invented them? ) consisted of two pairs of lenses of the required prescription cut in half, or thereabouts, and cemented with Canada Balsam to create what was in effect a pair of straight line bifocals (similar to the 'executive bifocal'. So you could have distance at top, reading at bottom or any other combination of distance/reading/intermediate/custom range. If you ask your optician for a pair today, he or she will either look at you blankly or tell you they can be obtained but are very expensive (which they are because someone has to actually make them by hand rather than pressing a few buttons). These lenses had a few disadvantages but served their purpose for particular applications, such as ours.

Hi all,

it's a bit depressing to read about all that successful cataract operations. So I can keep the balance to show one which went belly-up.

About 5 years ago my eye doc found it necessary to talk me into a cataract surgery. I had the usual fears, but finally succumbed and went ahead. But afterwards I had the feeling that something was wrong. Straight lines were not straight, circles were more like eggs, all persons on TV had flat head sides etc. etc. Naturally I immediately cancelled the second surgery date. A long series of tests followed, culminating in a second surgery in which the glass body in my eye was removed. Unfortunately the success was almost nil.
One of the tests was a laser scan of my retina. This is what it looks now:

The upper wavy line is the retina surface. Maybe you can understand a bit what kind of 'picture quality' results from that. A further problem is that part of my short-sightedness was corrected with the artificial lens, so I have now two very different apparent picture sizes in my eyes, which somehow the brain tries to overlay. Estimating distances is quite difficult now.

I don't want to bring panic an all those who stand for that decision, but unfortunately the docs never tell what can go wrong. 999 out of 1000 come out well, but if you happen to be the one...

Kind regards,

HansR.

Thanks for the 'reality check' Hans ... and very sorry to hear of your problems.

My vision has deteriorated so much in the last six months that the operations are probably mandatory.

Retinal scans, Fields Test, and pressures are all good [despite my 'Iris Pigment Shedding'], so I have to trust in the Consultant's opinion that I have no other choice.

MichaelG.

Hi

While I do have the beginnings of cataracts they are not "ready" according to my opthomoligist. I do wear glasses for long sightedness, from age 50 I needed them. Now I need glasses for all distances. I wear them nearly all the time.

I switched to continuous varifocals a few years ago. The standard type are heavy. Thinner lighter types are available at higher cost the refractive index of the is different making them thinner and lighter. The benefit is my nose can cope with the weight better, as your prescription changes and if your glasses are getting thicker worth looking into.

Yes the days of levelling work by eye are gone.... varifocals put paid to that, there is too much distortion. You get used to the distortion within a week or two, the human brain is a wonderful thing it adjusts to them. I would never switch back to separate reading and distance glasses.

As you can see from my photo I prefer aviator style glasses with wire frames, better protection and a wider field of view. They also tend to stay on when I am looking down into a piece of machinery, they don't fall off. They are sturdy. I also look for big softish nose pads for wearing comfort and request they be fitted no charge when I order a new pair.

My worst experience with glasses was when a pair was fitted too high.
When you order your glasses they will ask you to look into a device that looks a bit like a pair of binoculars or alternatively they will put the glasses style you are ordering on and mark the dummy plain glass lenses that are fitted to the shop samples with a felt pen. What they are actually doing is measuring your eye height relative to your nose and the lens.
They got the measurement wrong; they did not fit properly, now I pay particular attention when they take the measurement. Ideally you want an experienced specialist fitter.
For something you wear 16 hours a day it is important to get it right.
The same applies for the eye test, repeat each step until you are sure that A or B is better, don't let them hurry you.

Regards
John

Edited By John McNamara on 01/12/2016 11:09:49

My mother was strung along with this not ready thing, her quality of life was seriously impaired before she finally joined the waiting list which added another six months to her not being able to read or see that she had missed things when cleaning. Is this ready thing just a delaying tactic to keep the waiting list down? The treatment when she finally got it was absolutely first class but with the benefit of hindsight I think she could have had a much more enjoyable couple of years if she had gone private and got it sorted quickly instead of soldiering on with seriously impaired eyesight, being from the generation who don't complain and just get on with things doesn't always serve you well as we live in a world where the people who make the most noise get the most attention.

Mike

Mike

Cataracts become more brittle as they get older so removal methods involve breaking them up in situ and removing the pieces. According to this link :- **LINK** ultrasound is the most common way but there are several others. Bringing the cataract out in pieces minimises the size of the cut made in the eye to get the cataract out which is clearly a good thing. Modern replacement lenses can be folded for insertion which further reduces the size of cut needed.

Flip side of this is that you have to be sure that the cataract is brittle enough to break up cleanly so all the parts can easily be removed. I imagine there is a considerable judgement call as to when the cataract is old enough and brittle enough to break up properly with the equipment the surgeon will be using. Better to err on the side of caution and wait a bit longer until the thing is certain to break up than having to make larger cuts to get the bits out. Being biological catarcts are unlikely to be homogeneous so its easy to imagine a situation where part of the cataract is less brittle than the rest so a longer wait is needed to ensure that it will all break up properly.

Clive.

The NHS are indeed putting off treatment as long as possible for budgetary reasons. Also they may only treat one eye 'to keep you going'.

I had both eyes done privately four years ago, one was more urgent than the other and treated in January, the other in November. The actual procedure is painless and straightforward, no worse than a visit to the dentist.

With regard to the distance setting, I have worn varifocal glasses for many years very successfully and after discussion with my consultant I opted for the implants to give a similar focus to that already existing which mean that there should be less likelihood of any adjustment complications. This seemed to work out pretty well for most situations but if I really want close up focus then I can get this by removing my glasses. You will never get everything perfect and everybody is different. Earlier this year I did get some regrowth over one of the new lenses but the YAG laser treatment treated it in just a few minutes.

The other huge bonus of the new implants was the restoration of colour. As cataracts are gradual you don't realise just how much they are dulling your vision. Afterwards it was a revelation with everything bright and vibrant. Just in time for our holiday to New Zealand!

At the time it cost me about £2,300 per eye but was money well spent. If you have set aside money for a rainy day then this is it!

Colin

I consider myself lucky in consideration to many of you here with various eye problems etc. I can only endorse the use of Vari-focals from my perspective.

I've had to wear glasses since I was Forty. Possibly hereditary, more probably due to the Eye strain from spending 8 hours + in front of flickering 50Hz Monitor Screens and early VDU screens. One day at work, my eyesight just went out of focus for short-middle distance. Started with a plain lense for PC work etc. 10 years later, I was on the 'Varies' and after getting used to them, really suited my needs.

The last 2 sets I've had, I specified Premium grade Lenses with Close Focus (25 cm min) on the bottom. I actually took my Depth Gauge to the Test, so I could be sure to read the 1/64th graduations ok. Top end is infinity and I can adapt instantly to all distances in focus with very little head adjustment.

Had 2 pairs made, 1 of them with Reactive Glass for outdoors (bright light phyiscally hurts my eyes).

I know these are not for everyone, but it is possible to adapt

I also use a 4 dioptre Jeweller's Loupe direct for the really small stuff.