Optician Prescription changes and Cataracts

[RosesAndHellebores]

Has anyone else struggled with needing prescriptions altered frequently? Since 2023, my prescription has changed a little three times. About every 15/18 months. I am struggling with work screens and night driving (glare, halos, dazzle and unclear boundaries/edges/shadows).

The optician has been reluctant to refer due to risks of surgery but very keen to prescribe new varifocals, occupational glasses and driving glasses. I sought an ophthalmologist private referral from my GP and pretty much had to beg because opticians know best, and was advised to give up driving at night. I did get the referral after about 15 minutes of arguing my case and saying I'd accept it if an ophthalmologist recommended three pairs of glasses every 12/15 months.

A major issue is that I have -7.5 short sight as well as +2.5 long sight plus astigmatism so a pair of varifocals costs about £800 and the other types of glasses woukd be £4/500 each.

Does anyone have advice or experience. I am seeing the ophthalmologist next Tuesday bit am now doubting my approach, especially if they say nothing is wrong with my eyes.

Same, I think my prescription is too complex at -13, varifocal, astigmatism to risk online.

I am 53 and will be having cataract surgery in 2 weeks. 18 months ago my glasses prescription was -8 in one eye and -8.5 in the other with varifocals of +2. Then my right eye started changing rapidly. I now have a prescription of -8 and -12. My optician referred my to the cataract clinic due to the speed of the deterioration and the difficulties I was having. I was referred in May, assessed in July and surgery this month for the bad eye. I will need the other eye operating on due to the large difference in prescription that will remain after the op. I will be having the operation on the NHS. I looked into going privately and getting the multifocal lenses. After much research I decided that monofocal lenses were the better option for me.

I cannot believe that you were advised to stop driving at night! What kind of advice is that when there are simple and safe surgeries to solve your issue? I'd be furious.

Crikey, that's a rapid deterioration. Mine are changing just 1/2 a diopter at a time, in a backwards and forwards fashion

Best of luck with your surgery.

I'll report back after my appointment on Tuesday!

Optician here…

the NHS has really strict guidance for referral for cataracts, if your vision can be improved with glasses, you often don’t meet the referral criteria, which varies in each area.

if you are thinking of private cataract removal, either payable or via health insurance, your optician should be able to do a referral, have you asked for them to do one? (As I wonder if they think you are wanting NHS referral and not meeting the criteria?)

If you do get an appointment with a consultant to discuss surgery, do consider whether you want to remain a little short sighted? As if you are -7.50, you will have amazing vision close up without glasses (but a very close working distance),
if you opt to remain a little short sighted, you might be able to read well without glasses, and just need glasses for critical distance tasks (which might be easier than taking reading glasses on and off!)

Cataracts are really common, and do cause your prescription to change frequently, so while your situation is frustrating, it does happen!

good luck 🙂

Yes mine absolutely galloped - I went from a clear optician appointment to both eyes having yellowing diminishing vision and advanced cataracts in about 6-8 months. I was told this is not particularly unusual with younger cataract patients.

@FlamingosRock yes, I told the optician I had health insurance. However, they were very circumspect and wouldn't provide a clear answer about whether I specifically have cataracts, saying "most people of your age have evidence of cataracts". The emphasis was on selling me new varifocals, driving glasses and occupational glasses and told me not to worry about the cost because they could put me straight onto a payment plan. It felt very "off".

I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist on Tuesday and shall see what he says. I have no qualms about wearing glasses, I just want to see clearly, feel balanced and continue driving for as long as possible. >>whispers<< at my age glasses slightly disguise a bit of crepyness under my eyes

Yes that's what I do with my slightly under-strength distance contact lenses and top-up glasses for night driving (I am legal in just contacts but the glasses sharpen up road markings and signs and reduce glare). I'd want to do the same with cataract surgery. The one thing that really puts me off is losing my superb ultra-close vision, I am the family go-to for splinter removal.

@RosesAndHellebores I do hope you get somewhere with the ophthalmologist.

Pretty much the same here. My right eye has been a bit dodgy for years but at 53, it went overnight from my "weaker" eye to being like looking through patterned glass. I'd be trying to thread a needle and it was a case of "which needle am I threading?" and I was bumping into things on that side and struggling with crossing the road and couldn't trust myself to open the car door without bashing the car in the next bay.

As soon as I realised I had a problem I went straight to the optician and we couldn't get any improvement. She had a look after dilating drops and she spotted a tiny cataract, right in the centre of my vision. My main prescription is a fairly strong astigmatism and I'm slightly long sighted, before my reading addition. My left eye was absolutely fine (now has signs of pre-catarsct) so when I had the op, we ended up just fixing the long sight because the imbalance would have been intolerable.

My parents were both on cataract waiting lists at the same time as me.

Annoyingly, nuclear cataracts do make you go more short sighted (myopic).

We usually only refer for cataracts when they start making your corrected distance or near vision blurred - simply because it's an operation and although it's usually pretty straightforward, there are no guarantees and there is a chance your corrected vision could be worse afterwards.

When you are quite short sighted anyway the risks of cataract surgery are higher too. Having said that though, they are going to need doing eventually - cataracts don't get any better, it sounds as if though, it may just be cheaper to pay!