swiftbison7 said:So, someone here is currently going through the whole lens replacement process, and honestly, I just finished my checkup at the Eye Center for cataracts—I'm sitting at -16 diopters with only about 10% vision left in my right eye, and let's just say I walked out of that clinic in absolute tears.
The plan is to have Gabric perform the surgery using a Bausch & Lomb aspheric monofocal IOL, which means they’ll leave me with a little bit of nearsightedness after they finish up with some laser retinal protection first.
I'm definitely not a candidate for anything fancy like Symphony or those multifocal options because my blood pressure is hitting 18/19, so I can't really brag about my health stats, I'm just praying to God that I'm in good hands.
Well, I’ve actually had artificial lenses implanted in both of my eyes—both cases were due to cataracts.
I had the right eye done back in 2016 (if I recall correctly, I mentioned this earlier in this thread) over at the Mayo Clinic. They went with a standard spherical lens because, let’s face it, Medicare doesn't cover the high-end stuff. Even after the surgery, I was still left with about a -2 prescription (it was -10.5 before the procedure). Honestly, I didn't run into any issues following that one.
Fast forward to 2019, and I started noticing some trouble with my left eye. During a checkup at the Mayo Clinic, they told me cataracts were starting to develop there, too. Since my job is pretty fast-paced and demanding, the blurry vision started becoming a real problem. I couldn't afford to wait months just to get an appointment at the Mayo Clinic, so I booked an exam at LensCrafters instead. I ended up having the surgery on December 21, 2019 (yeah, a Saturday!). This time, they implanted an aspheric lens, leaving me with a residual prescription of roughly -0.5 (down from -12.5 beforehand).
And man, am I thrilled with it. I’ve never seen better in my entire life. As soon as I walked through my front door after the procedure, I tossed every single pair of glasses I’d owned up to that point straight into the trash...
Now, addressing what you wrote, based on the info you provided.
When it comes to an IOL implantation, the surgeon usually aims for a slight nearsightedness in the calculation—something minor that remains after the surgery. You definitely don't want the eye to shift into being farsighted (+).
Regarding laser retinal treatment: I actually had that done myself, though way back in 2005. Looking at your numbers, it seems your prescription is -16. From what I understand, with severe myopia, there's a much higher risk of retinal detachment because the eye is physically elongated. To prevent that, they use lasers to basically "weld" the layers of the back of the eye together. It’s a little uncomfortable and takes a bit longer, but hey, you'll survive.
Aspheric lenses are perfectly fine. But things like Symphony or multifocal lenses? That's a whole different ballgame—not something I even considered. Back when I was at the Mayo Clinic during the 2016 Republican National Convention era, I heard stories about people getting those fancy lenses at private clinics only to have them removed later at the Mayo Clinic.
That "10% vision" part... I'm assuming that's because the cataracts have progressed quite a bit? You really shouldn't have waited this long, but honestly, once the surgery is done, you're going to be absolutely floored by how clear everything looks with the new lens.
Before the procedure, they'll give you a sedative to help you relax, and once you're on the table, you just need to let go. The actual lens replacement only takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The surgeon will talk you through everything they're doing as they go...
As for the retinal laser, if it's the same thing I went through... yeah, it's a bit unpleasant, but just keep your eyes on the prize. Crystal clear vision for the rest of your life!