Old Age and Cataracts

ditrina

ditrina

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Tis' time my opthamologist pronounced:eek:..

Ok I knew it was coming, that's not the problem.. At 69 somthing gonna give:rolleyes:

So the deal is, the procedure is covered under my current medical plan, Medicare and Supplemental. This covers the straight up lens replacement done surgically by standard procedures.

BUT WAIT.. there's more:rolleyes::mad:

He proceeds to tell me that the way to go really is by having Laser Surgery, better faster more precise BUT NOT COVERED by insurance at a paltry sum of $1800.00 PER EYE:eek:

Ok, it's my eyes no expense spared:rolleyes: But is the Laser Surgery REALLY that much better?

Oh yeah one more option an extra $300.00 of the " Bi Focal" implanted lens that basically eliminates the needs for glasses.

If you have been through this, your input is appreciated.

Thanks
 
My 83 yr old ma did the laser version about 6 months ago.I suspect the results weren't as good as she hoped,she's driving less.Shes still too vain to wear glasses,I know one eye isn't quite right [emoji57]
 
My mom had cataract surgery. In and out quick. Her vision improved by she still had to wear glasses as she did before.

She was offered laser surgery also but decided not to. She was about your age and she was used to glasses and her doc said that not every one is a candidate for laser surgery and at her age the results may not be all that good.

She considered the cataract surgery to be more about quality of life rather than improving her vision beyond what it was before.
 
Not to be critical of your Doctor but I would seek a second opinion.

First on the bifocal option, my ophthalmologist said no except in rare cases. For those of us who shoot a straight distance correction is best. If you have astigmatism the corrective lens for that is extra and worth it.

I have seen a lot of discussion about laser surgery but none that said it was appreciably better.

Cataract surgery is a very common operation, and the people who do it are very skilled the success rate is very high.

I had both eyes done three years ago and my eyesight is 20/30 left & 20/20 right, I am shooting with iron sights and doing quite well for my age (82).

Since your eyes will no longer focus you may shoot pistols better with a slight correction in your dominant eye to bring your front sight into sharp focus.
 
I had my cataracts replaced with distance lens, so that I could see from the end of my arms to infinity. I wear reader glasses for close-ups. I definitely did not want the bi-focal option, and we didn't even discuss the laser type of surgery, as the standard procedure is so quick and easy. I can highly recommend this operation to anyone whose vision will be improved by it. You won't believe how great the results are. Clear vision and brighter colors.
 
One of hunting buds just had both eyes done, a week apart. He was always home by dark as he couldn't see at night, now he says his vision is perfect.
I have an appt March 4 with an optomologist, I have the same night driving issues but do go out at night. :D

For you Early Bird Floridians, is it really an issue? :p :D
 
Visited the eye doc two years ago and he referred me to the cataract clinic. Their testing showed I was barely legal to drive so put me on their urgent list. Three months later I was scheduled for laser work. When I talked with the surgeon I requested a "distance" correction. First eye was done on a Tuesday and then checked the next day. Thursday the other eye was done and checked on Friday. Saturday I golfed and was able to follow my ball as it sailed into the trees. Two month checkup confirmed one eye 20/10 and other 20/20. I still wear glasses which are basically readers on bottom and uncorrected on top which serve as readers and safety glasses while working in the shop. As others, have also vastly improved night vision. It is also great to be able to utilize regular sun glasses.
 
My wife did laser surgery five years ago. Medicare and Blue Cross covered it all. She is 20/20 now and does not need glasses.

My doctor tells me the cataracts are growing but not big enough for insurance to pay for it. I will get the laser surgery then. Hopefully after that I can see a paper target at 25 yards again.
 
Hi Ditrina:

I had cataract surgery on my (non-dominant) left eye about a year and a half ago. I was 58 yrs. old at the time, so slightly younger than average for cataract surgery. I am horribly near sighted, and have worn glasses for most of my life. I sprang for the toric lens and am very happy with this decision. I can hardly wait for the cataract in my right eye to develop so I can have a toric lens implanted in it. Prior to surgery, I was 20/400 in both eyes uncorrected. With glasses, I was 20/20 to 20/25. After the cataract surgery, I am 20/20 in my left eye. I wear a contact lens in my right eye, and I also have a pair of glasses as back-up. I use reading glasses when I need them, but it is great to have vision that God intended us to have. The extra cost of the toric lens is, in my opinion, well worth it.

I agree that a second, or even a third opinion would be a good idea. I'd ask other ophthalmologists in the area who they recommend for doing the cataract surgery, and go from there.

Best of luck,

Dave
 
.Had both eyes done by Lazar 4 years ago. Major improvement! I have been wearing gasses since I was 5 (now 70) and after the Lazar I passed my DMV test with ease with no glasses. I still needed a ‘‘Reader’’ lenses for computer and reading and I keep taking my glasses off and then having to locate them. From what I gathered most all procedures are done by Lazar in this area. My health insurance paid all but $50 of the total bill, (Including the special very expensive lenses)

I also was a construction worker all my life and my regular glasses were legitimate safety glasses.

To be frank I missed the safety of always on glasses and being I still need readers I had my Doc spec me out a bifocal prescription so that I went back to always on glasses. Being I had used Bifocals for over 20 years I was totally comfortable being back of all time glasses.


From what I have seen nothing has changed in regards to shooting issues!
 
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I just had cataract surgery. Second eye done a week ago.I paid 3000.00 a eye extra for special lenses .I believe they are called crystalense (sp).I can now see my front sights and red dots on work rifle again.It was expensive out of pocket but I am a young 60.And plan on staying in law enforcement a few more years.
 
Believe me on this as both my wife and I have had cataract surgery on both eyes within the last year. Go for the plain vanilla distance vision correction procedure only. Simple, painless, and no complications. Don't go for the bifocal lens procedure nor having a close vision lens in one eye and distance vision in another. This was all discussed with our eye surgeon at great length prior to surgery. You will need to wear corrective glasses for close work, but because my wife and I had worn glasses for many years, that was no hardship for us. It turned out great that way for both of us, couldn't be happier with the results. Same experience as stated in posting #9 above.
 
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I had mine done at the age of 55. I was the youngest by far in the waiting room. Portable oxygen bottles and walkers seemed to be de-riguer accessories for most of the patients waiting. The cutie at the reception desk thought I was delivering something.:D
The laser assisted cataract surgery hadn't happened yet so mine was done the old way. No big deal. My ins. wouldn't pay for the multi-focal lenses either so I opted for mono-vision. Left eye set for reading and right eye for distance. My advice: If a doctor suggests this, get a different doctor. It was my idea as I didn't start wearing glasses until well into my 40s and never liked them and couldn't wait to be completely done with them. Mistake, big one.
My vision works well if I'm not tired, but when the old brain gets drained I get tons of blurring. Corrective glasses, the left lens is about three times thicker than the right one and they're hard to wear unless I'm sitting down. So now I wear a contact on the left side only to correct it back to distance to match the right eye and use readers for close up. I have allergies and considerable scar tissue from that in my eyes so the contact causes irritation after a couple of days.
My vision is vastly improved and I'm not sorry I had the surgery. I realized after having it done that I'd been viewing the world through a dim, vaseline smeared glass for years. Good luck!
 
One more happy customer here. I had both of my eyes done the old way 5 or so years ago. The procedure took less time than it has taken me to write this. My wife had her eyes done last year and I think it was the laser method. Again, a very quick procedure. I had worn thick glasses for 55 years. The improvement was a miracle. I am a better shot and can wear cool aviator style sunglasses. We can both drive at night now also. We both paid extra for the multifocal lenses and I highly recommend it. I wear reading glasses if the room is dark or the print is very small.

There have to be numerous places in Florida that specialize in this procedure and I recommend you check with them.
 
I had my 2nd complete eye examination with my Ophthalmologist since having cataract surgery done in 2013. He used the knife, and used a toric implant because my existing astigmatism was at 4.50 in each eye. There was an upcharge for the toric over single vision implants.

Although I'm past having to consider types of cataract surgery, I did discuss laser cataract surgery with him, since it's being hyped on every TV station around.

He told me bluntly, that he stopped using laser surgery on his patients, and he's one of the top ophthalmic surgeons in Michigan. He advised that the results of laser surgery were not worth the extra cost ($1800). He's tracked his patients, and no one has done better with laser than without it.

My implants are slightly different in each eye. My dominant right eye is stronger at distance, and my less dominant eye is stronger at near distances.

If you want to search the older threads, I wrote several on my experiences.

I only need glasses rated at 1.5 diopters for reading, and my vision has remained very good.

Like others have written, I'd get a second opinion, and consider any additional money spent on upgrades to the implants. I've saved a ton of money not having to have eyeglasses every other year, or so, and having to get inserts made for my shooting glasses.

And the other thing I enjoy, is that I can now wear Wiley X and Ray Bans that don't need prescription lenses. :D :D :D
 
cataract surgery is a "walk in the park"....i had both eyes done and the procedure took about 20 minutes for each eye.

vision was remarkably improved the next day.......just make sure you choose a well qualified surgeon, who will take the time to measure for the artificial lens very precisely prior to surgery.

DWALT summed it up nicely in his post.......go with the basic procedure and keep it simple...you can correct your vision as needed in the future with glasses...which you will need anyway.

the $$ you save can always be used to purchase another S&W firearm........

good luck.....
 
I also had the "basic" distance lens implant by the routine surgical procedure. Actual procedure took maybe 10 minutes, per eye, done a week apart. Total time to register in, pre-op, and recovery maybe 2 1/2 hours. Eyes a little light sensitive for about a year, but now no worse than when I was younger. I have a prism as well as a little astigmatism and had Tri-focal for years, so I found I needed two different pair of "readers", one for store shelves and one to read, plus the need for a 3 degree prism I went back to glasses, with the upper lens literally plain glass. I got the Transition with Verilux lenses in Poly they are my shooting glasses also. Since Ive worn glasses since I was 15 there is no change for me, other than I can wear regular sunglasses If I want to drive.
 
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