My wife and I have decided to go ahead with it after some extra consultations... I’m really curious to see what the turnout will be like—specifically, what percentage of the kids in our child's class end up getting vaccinated.
I have a quick question regarding the topic here. My son is fully up-to-date on all his standard shots—you know, the ones required by law—and we even went the extra mile with some extras because of certain health concerns in our family, like Hepatitis A and chickenpox (though I can't quite remember if those are mandatory now... back when he got them, they weren't).
Anyway, we just got a flyer home from his school about the Pfizer vaccine. It’s listed as optional, and we need to sign a consent form if we want him to get it. To be honest, I had absolutely no idea that boys were even being recommended for this, and now that I know, I find myself feeling pretty skeptical about it.
I'm curious to hear what you all think about this.
Steven Stewart5 said:My prescription will probably drop even further. Maybe not all the way down to zero, but this is already incredible. I'm sitting at about a minus ten in both eyes, so if I could just get down to a 1.5... that would be more than enough for me.
Keep in mind—if you decide to go through with the surgery just to fix your vision, you actually get to keep your natural lens inside your eye. That's a huge deal. It’s likely a totally different experience than mine, since my natural lens had to be removed entirely. Honestly, I think things would work out even better for you because of that.
Day two post-op:
I don't really have much else to report, to be honest. There's absolutely nothing in my eye—it feels like there isn't even anything there. My near vision is still great. Distance vision? Not quite there yet. But man, the combo is working wonders: I've got my classic refractive lens in the left eye and an intraocular lens in the right operated eye. Basically, I'm using one eye for distance and the other for reading. 🤔 🤦
But alright... here's the one hiccup. I tried to take the lens out of my old glasses for my right eye, thinking, "Hey, maybe this works?" Well, nope. It doesn't work like that—my brain just can't fuse the images from both eyes together because the difference in prescription is just too massive.
EDIT: And for heaven's sake, I'm not allowed to brush my hair yet...
So, I just wrapped up my first follow-up appointment.
Once they finally peeled off the bandage, the protective shield, and the gauze...
well, let's just say things are looking decent. It’s a massive improvement compared to when I was dealing with cataracts, though maybe I was expecting a total miracle right away. See, the main reason I went through with this was the cataracts—but before the surgery, my prescription was sitting at a heavy -10.5. Now, while I was sitting there in the exam room, the doctor checked me and said I'm at -1.75. Honestly, given the state of my eye, he says that’s a fantastic result. I’m still kind of adjusting to this whole "new vision" thing, and the doctor mentioned that I won't truly know how much I can actually "see" until a few more days pass—ideally by my next check-up in 14 days, and then again at the final exam after about a month and a half or two months. I also have to swing by the pharmacy to pick up some ointment and drops that I need to apply four times a day.
Other than that, I feel fine—no pain, just a bit of itching here and there, but nothing like having something stuck in my eye.
The doctor gave me the usual warnings: don't overdo it physically before the next visit, don't let water get in the eye, and stay super disciplined with the ointments and drops...
Anyway, that's the update. I'll check back in with you guys in a few days.
So, here’s how the whole morning went down—I showed up at the surgical unit ready to go. In a nutshell, it looked a bit like this:
- First thing in the morning, I arrived at the ward, changed into my hospital gown, and got settled into bed. 🙂 - Then they started dilating my pupils and doing one last round of eye measurements to make sure they picked the right lens. - I grabbed a jelly donut for breakfast while I waited. 😉 - By about 9:45 AM, I was being wheeled off to the operating room...
Basically, they get you suited up in those green scrubs, pop a cap on your head, and even put those little green fabric booties over your feet. Once you’re lying on the table in the OR, the worst part hits: they cover your entire head with this heavy green drape that only leaves a tiny opening for the eye being operated on. To make sure you can actually breathe, they give you oxygen through a little tube in your nose. Honestly, it felt like having a tent flap draped over my face! They open the eye and secure the eyelids, but before the "drape" even goes on, they apply the anesthetic and sterilize the area. I don't really count that part as the actual surgery itself.
The real deal starts once the surgeon walks in. My discharge papers say the procedure itself only took 6 minutes (!). Personally, the only thing I actually felt was a bit of pressure in my eye at one point—I'm guessing that was when they were removing my natural lens. The surgical lights were so incredibly bright that I didn't even notice the moment they swapped in the new lens; I could just sort of sense its shape. I didn't feel any needles or anything, just some occasional light pressure. According to the paperwork, there weren't any complications during the procedure at all.
My nephew was running a little late picking me up, so I didn't finally make it back home until around 11:30.
My eye is taped shut, of course, but I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow, so I'll check back in then with an update.
Exactly! I’ll be checking back in on Tuesday—fingers crossed I can actually get it done and everything goes smoothly. To be honest, my eye is going to be all bandaged up for the first day, so I probably won't have any groundbreaking news to share right away, but we'll see how it goes.
1. Mayo Clinic 2. Unfortunately, all I know is that they’re monofocal—though I’m really crossing my fingers that they’re aspheric. The catch is that Medicare won't cover the cost for multifocal lenses. I haven't been able to track down the specific manufacturer for any of the ones being mentioned here on the forum yet.
EDIT: Just a quick heads-up, I'm getting an IOL implanted because of cataract surgery, and I'm also dealing with nearsightedness.
I haven’t forgotten about this thread, I promise! It’s just that I haven't actually pulled the trigger on anything yet, so I haven't had much to report.
So, I’ve got a question for the group: When you're dealing with nearsightedness—meaning there isn't a cataract involved—does the procedure to implant an intraocular lens also require removing your natural lens first?
I’ve heard the buzz, but honestly, I don't spend much time dwelling on them. Most of those headlines feel like they're just designed to pump up stock prices and drum up more capital for their R&D departments...
To be perfectly blunt, I haven't the slightest clue what makes them so much better than everyone else out there—or even how their actual process works.
Steven Stewart5 said:Doctors never seem to have time to actually talk to patients, and they don't realize how much stress we go through having someone poking around in our eyes. Honestly, I'd rather lose an arm than my sight. I watched some videos of lens implant surgeries on YouTube, and while putting them in looks okay, taking them out seems intense. You really need a top-tier surgeon for that. Now I'm stuck wondering if I should wait for newer, better technology or just pull the trigger now. It's not an emergency, but life with glasses is a struggle. I used to wear contact lenses—semi-hard ones—and they were great, but I ended up with astigmatism after thirty years of wearing them. Did you manage to get an appointment?
That's interesting. I actually started wearing contacts way back in 1978 (!!!), and to this day, I still tolerate them pretty well. As for me, no, I haven't gotten an appointment yet—they haven't called me back. I'm expecting things to move along by the time we pass Our Lady...
I'll definitely post an update here on the forum once I know more.
Steven Stewart5 said:Good luck with the procedure. I'm also at a ten diopter deficit, but since I don't have floaters, I'll be paying out of pocket... I'm 50 now. Do you know what kind of lenses they're planning to use?
I grilled my doctor about pretty much everything—here's the breakdown of what I managed to squeeze out of him (he wasn't exactly the chatty type, though):
- Medicare only covers monofocal lenses. I totally forgot to ask if they were aspheric—which, honestly, should be better than spherical ones—especially regarding how they handle optical distortions from bright light sources at night.
- I asked him about multifocal lenses too. Since Medicare won't cover the cost, he mentioned he's actually seen cases where patients come into their clinic specifically to have those multifocals removed just to switch back to basic monofocals. This doctor insists that with multifocal lenses, there are always these "transitions" where the light refracts differently, and that's where the issues start. Then again, the internet is absolutely flooded with glowing reviews for them, so... I don't really know what to make of it all.
- With monofocal lenses, it's not unheard of to end up seeing well both near and far (I was actually messaging a guy from Canada about this via PM), but the standard approach seems to be aiming for clear distance vision and then just handling the near vision with reading glasses.
I’m just sitting here waiting for the call from the Cleveland Clinic to get my surgery scheduled. I’ve already knocked out all the pre-op exams and everything—so now it’s just a waiting game. I’ll be sure to post an update once it's all over and I'm on the mend. To give you some context, I'm heading in because of some retinal detachment issues, and honestly, my vision is pretty rough—I'm sitting at a -10.5 diopter on that eye.
Quick question here—I was wondering if anyone else on the forum has been through this or maybe knows someone who has...
Regarding surgery at the Mayo Clinic, do they actually offer multifocal lenses as an option within the public hospital system? I’m dealing with nearsightedness on top of a bunch of other eye issues, and it's getting a bit overwhelming :-(
Look, I know health should always come first, but honestly, I just can't swing the cost of a private specialist right now. I really want to know what my options are when it comes to multifocal lenses through the standard healthcare route.
Honestly, I’m just looking to sit down and talk with someone who’s actually been through this—someone with real-world, boots-on-the-ground experience rather than just a doctor reading from a textbook. I was really hoping someone would reach out, but so far... nothing.
It’s not even that I have a list of specific questions ready to go—I don't really know what I'd even ask—because, truth be told, I already know quite a bit about the situation myself.
What I really need is just a conversation... and a little bit of hope.
My son just got put on the liver transplant waiting list. Please, if you have any advice or experiences to share, reach out via PM. I'd really appreciate it.
I couldn't find any existing threads about this, so I figured I'd start my own.
My son is 13—and just a quick note, I’m posting this under General Health rather than Pediatric Health because, honestly, I don't think age is really the defining factor here. We hadn't noticed anything unusual before, but this year, once we started hitting the pool and spending time out in the sun, I spotted these pale patches on his arms (mostly around his fingers) and some smaller spots on his feet. It turns out I have a couple of little spots on my own palm too, maybe covering about a square centimeter total. His patches are definitely larger than mine.
Anyway, we took him to see our pediatrician, who told us it looks like skin depigmentation and suggested we follow up with a dermatologist sometime in September.
I wasn't actually at the appointment—my wife took him—but from what she described, the doctor didn't seem particularly concerned or even alarmed by it. That's what has me thinking, though. Is depigmentation really that harmless? He’s already gotten quite a tan, which makes the white spots stand out more. Should we be applying sunscreen specifically to those pale areas since they lack the natural pigment to protect themselves?
Does anyone know how you even go about treating depigmentation?
Douglas Stewart3 said:When I pull my graphics card out and plug the monitor straight into the motherboard, it actually recognizes the integrated graphics on the board (it's a Biostar)—I've got 1 stick of 4GB RAM running at 800MHz
Wait, seriously? Could you tell me exactly which MBB you're using? I'm genuinely curious because I can't wrap my head around which AMD MBO with an FM socket actually features built-in integrated graphics like that.
I find that pretty hard to believe, honestly. Usually, if you pop the dedicated GPU out of the MBB, you just get the video signal from the APU and call it a day—just install the AMD drivers for the APU and you're good to go.
Roger Gray8 said:Hey everyone... I'm actually looking into getting a new GPU myself. To be honest, I'm pretty frustrated with this ASUS HD6670GDDR5—it just can't keep up and starts stuttering like crazy whenever I try to run anything modern... I haven't pulled the trigger yet, though—I'm planning to hold off until closer to Christmas when things hopefully settle down..
Here’s what else I'm running... My AMD A10 6790 k is currently pushed to 4.3GHz, but since I just picked up a new cooler, I'm definitely going to try pushing the overclock even further 😬 Asrock FM2A88M Extreme4+
I honestly can't believe you haven't given AMD's hybrid CrossFire a shot yet???