Going from being very shortsighted to having distance vision after Cataract Operations.

[Placetobreathe]

I 'm in my early 70s.
I've been very short sighted all my life.
I've used contact lenses for 50 years , apart from when i'm in the house and garden when I use varifocals. When I'm at home I "ve always preferred to read and do close work without any glasses on at all. For many years I've worn a contact lense in my left eye for distance and a contact lense in my right eye with a reading prescription in it.

Because of the waiting list in my area to even get an initial appointment re my cataracts - which have been getting rapidly worse this past year - I decided to have them treated privately. I wanted to have the lenses which allow for good far distance and middle distance sight but because of the severity of my shortsighteness and previous eye problems the surgeon recommended monovision lenses.

So I had the operation on my left eye this week. So far so good. But. After being shortsighted all my life i'm struggling with the new sensation of being able to see distance with my left eye. I keep wanting to take my glasses off and then realise I'm not wearing any. And I'm absolutely panicking at the thought of having my right eye done in a fortnight's time and no longer being able to read or do close work without glasses to enable this.

I wondered if any one had experience of going from being very short sighted to only having distance vision and needing glasses for close work after a cataract operation?
Or whether anyone had experience of having one replacement lense that enabled reading etc and one for distance vision.

Right now I feel like cancelling my second operation for the time being.

Yes, this was me 15 years ago. You will be able to get glasses with some reading correction built in - so variafocals. For make-up etc you will find a magnifying mirror very useful. And those magnifying glasses that you can get from Boots will be your friends.

Thanks for you reply.

They told me after the operation to buy some over the counter reading glasses. So I know, as you say, i'll be able to find some solution. But for some reason the thought of not being able to read or thread a needle or similar without glasses is panicking me.

Have you adjusted to your new eyesight post cataracts?

Did they not offer you mono vision (one eye distance one eye near) like your well established contact lens prescription?

No not really.
I read about this option before I went to the consultation and I considered about asking about it. But I was so nervous about the operation in the first place because I've been repeatedly told by various experts that cataract surgery is high risk for me I just went along with what the surgeon suggested.

I'm seriously considering getting back to them on Monday and seeing if I can have the different type of lense in my right eye. And if they say no cancelling the second operation until such time as I feel comfortable with what they are going to do.

I'm absolutely panicking at the thought of having my right eye done in a fortnight's time and no longer being able to read or do close work without glasses

Why would that be so bad? Millions of people do this.

I get you. Not quite the same, but I am extremely short-sighted (-13) and starting to develop cataracts. But if I have prescription lenses at full strength I will lose my ability to see super close without glasses or contacts, which is extremely useful at times. No reading glasses would give me that back. I would go back and ask more questions, it is a big thing to cope with.

I have one lens for distance and near ( done privately- it adjusts )and one for distance only- done later on the NHS. It works really well for me.
Hopefully I won’t ever need glasses so it’s definitely worth checking out.

I suggest you ask for mono vision - one eye for distance and one eye for close up. Between having my two eyes done - which were 2 months apart - I had mono vision contact lenses and I quickly adjusted.

Such a shame they didn't give you the chance to still be able to read without glasses. My eyes were -5 with +1.5 (roughly) and I now have one at -2.5, which means I can still read a book without glasses, and the other eye at -1, which means I don't have to wear glasses all the time. I do have specs for driving adn work and these are varifocals.

@illuminada The distance and near lens was the one I asked for at my consultation but the surgeon didn't want to do that. I was disappointed but didn't feel I could go against medical advice.

@ChurchWindows I understand my panic might not feel rational to you. But I'm used to being extremely short sighted as my norm and correcting my vision to see distance when necessary is what 'm used to. I have never even worn my glasses round the house unless i've needed to - to watch TV or do certain tasks. And just being able to pick up a book, or my knitting, or sew, or look at my phone with no glasses or lenses is my norm. And these things are what makes my life worth living.

@mugglewump
Thanks for this.Yes I think i'm going to ask about this. Or at the very least cancel my second operation until such time as I am certain about what I want to do.

Many thanks for all replies.

Such good news that glasses will be able to keep you doing all the close work you so enjoy though OP. My sight is poor both long and short distance. I've worn glasses 100% of the time since infant school. I'm so grateful for them as I'd be stuck otherwise.

I was -10 and have had lens replacements in both eyes. One was for an acute cataract after a retinal detachment and the other was for early onset cataract and to balance my vision as I was wearing one lens (and other indications for the surgery to sort lattice degeneration of the retina).
I now have pretty much perfect unassisted vision. I occasionally need a pair of plus ones for very close things like sewing where I need a bit of magnification. I had mono vision replacement lenses for distance.
I agree that it is a bit odd. I find waking up and being able to see a bit strange but being able to sleep on planes comfortably and not having to cart contact lens stuff around has been a revelation.

Oh don't get me wrong: I am profoundly grateful to have sight at all - my father was registered blind for the last 30 years of his life and it was devastating for him, and my mother too actually.

But being told for years that the cataract operation would be particularly risky for my eyes has made this a very traumatic experience. And I actually never anticipated the mental shock of having distance sight in the eye they have operated on after a lifetime of being profoundly shortsighted.

I know I have to, and will, make the best of whatever outcome I end up with but at this point I want to try and make the best decision for the future. And I'm not feeling particularly competent atm.

I went from being extremely short sighted (-16) in one eye to needing reading glasses after cataract surgery earlier this year.
The freedom of long-sighted vision is making up for the minor inconvenience of needing reading glasses for close work. Varifocals are also an option.

See I’m not sure I’d feel that way, I have the freedom of both distance and close vision by having slightly undercorrected single vision contact lenses and don’t nead reading glasses at nearly 60. I can sleep in the lenses on planes etc as a PP mentioned because they are the type that are licensed for it, and I am really not keen on the prospect of having to have reading glasses if I need my cataracts doing because despite the -13 prescription distance vision just isn’t an issue for me with contacts. I might not suit monovision cataract lenses because I did have monovision contacts for about 10 years but it got to the point where it didn’t really work any more.

I had mono vision lenses for years and was happy with my vision. But my eyesight went into free fall in the last couple of years to the point it wasn't possible to correct fully with lenses. So, for me, this is amazing immense improvement whereas for you OP, maybe not so clear cut.

Hi, @Placetobreathe I hope you don't mind me asking how you are feeling now? I am in exactly the same position as you back in January, and am now wondering whether to go for distance correction in both eyes, or monovision? Or just leave it for now and keep using a contact lens, as my second eye is not as badly affected by cataracts.

I was all set for distance vision until the surgeon said (2 minutes before the surgery!) that he would advise monovision.

Gosh that must have been very disconcerting to have the surgeon give you that advice at that stage.

So I had my second operation and I now have distance vision in both eyes. I'm delighted with my left eye. I've got what the optician described as better than 20/20 vision in that. My right eye is slightly less good but still 20/20 according to her.

I don't know whether it's this slight discrepancy that makes me feel not quite as satisfied with the right eye as the left. But honestly that is me nit picking because overall I'm delighted with the result of the operations. I'm still a bit sad I need reading glasses - not so much needing them for reading but if I need to do anything fiddly like threading a needle. I used a couple of my redudant old frames and got prescription reading glasses but use over the counter ones to take out with me because I'm a terror for losing things.

I must say LittleStranger I'm really pleased to see the back of contact lenses. Having worn them for about 50 years I felt very strange though getting rid of all my contact lense paraphernalia.

Whatever you decide I hope you are happy with the outcome. After all my stressing out over things I must say overall I am pleased with how things have turned out.

Thanks so much for your update @Placetobreathe and pleased that the surgery (which obviously we are very lucky to have access to) worked out for you.

I only had the first eye done this week, so will let my vision settle down before deciding what to do next. Both optometrists I had seen recommended distance vision, so for the surgeon to advise monovisin so late in the process really threw me.

I was -9 and -11 and ended up with one eye undercorrected because my astigmatism exceeded the maximum for a toric lens. I need glasses to read or sew in poor light, otherwise not at all. After a lifetime of myopia it’s brilliant.