Vision correction with intraocular lens implants

Steven Stewart5 said:Just a quick disclaimer because I'm definitely not a doctor and might be getting this wrong. My guess is that the surgeon will address both the cataracts and the nearsightedness at once. If that's the case, she should see clearly at most distances, though she’ll likely still need reading glasses for that age-related presbyopia... We had our procedure done in about three hours and headed straight home. Since she's older, maybe they're just being cautious regarding potential complications. That's just my two cents, though—again, I'm no expert...

Thanks for the reply. I actually chatted with the doctor last night, so I figured I'd share what I learned in case it helps anyone else out.
The lenses the doctor picked are the absolute best fit for her specific situation—honestly, even if she went with the pricier multifocal ones, they wouldn't necessarily be better. The goal is to bring her nearsightedness down to zero or something very close to it, and they're actually going to cancel out the farsightedness too... I didn't even realize that was part of the deal. As for glasses, she'll likely have one eye with a standard lens (or whatever the post-op measurements dictate) and the other eye will stay as it was before the decision to go through with the procedure.
Even though Mom is getting up there in years, she looks way younger than she is—she's a total firecracker. But, because her vision hasn't been great lately, she's actually had a fall once this past year.
Wishing everyone the best.

I started seeing these flashes about two months after my surgery, and honestly, the constant inflammation in my eye hasn't let up either. On top of all that, I've got this Weiss ring showing up, and even after trying to fix it with the YAG laser, everything still looks cloudy. It’s frustrating because getting back to the surgeon who actually performed the procedure is basically impossible—they won't see you just to fix complications. Instead, they just point you toward the ER, where they don't really do anything to help.

Just set aside a few hundred bucks and head over to the Eye Center to see Dr. Miro Kalauz. Give them a call and get an appointment on the books. You really shouldn't mess around when it comes to your eyes...

So, I finally got an appointment set up over at the Eye Center. Hopefully, they can actually figure something out this time.

Keith Morris3 said:So, I finally got an appointment set up over at the Eye Center. Hopefully, they can actually figure something out this time.

Good luck with the eye... hope everything turns out okay.

Steven Stewart5 said:Just set aside a few hundred bucks and head over to the Eye Center to see Dr. Miro Kalauz. Give them a call and get an appointment on the books. You really shouldn't mess around when it comes to your eyes...

Sorry for jumping into someone else's thread here—how are you guys liking Dr. Kalauz? I'm actually thinking about taking my mom to him for her surgery,

Best,

Davorka

I’m incredibly happy with both my doctor and the entire staff. They are true professionals—kind, welcoming, and very reasonable regarding the costs. My prescription went from -13.50 all the way down to 0.25, so I'll let you be the judge of the quality of his work... Highly recommended.

Keith Morris3 said:So, I had surgery to fix my detached retina about two months ago, and ever since then, I’ve been dealing with this constant inflammation in my eye. Because of that, I’m pretty much holding off on getting the second eye done for now. I was wondering if Mirko could weigh in on how he handled the massive difference in prescription after his own procedure? Right now, one eye is sitting at -6 while the operated one is at -1.

Hey everyone, sorry I've been MIA for a little while.

So, here’s my situation. After the surgery, my prescription in that eye ended up at about -1.5. Right now, I don't wear any extra glasses or anything for that eye—it’s actually fantastic for reading and close-up work.

On my other eye, the prescription is -12, so I just stick with my contact lens like I always have. That eye gives me great distance vision. This setup works for me because the brain is pretty amazing at merging two different images, even when there's a gap of about 4 diopters.

That's how I'm getting by—I even passed my medical exam for a new job I picked up recently!

The reality is that you can't really fix a massive gap like -12 in one eye and -1.5 in the other with standard glasses—the difference is just too extreme. But contact lenses? They can handle it just fine.

My doctor did suggest I come back in a few months to get a custom lens made for the operated eye, but I haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

As far as comfort goes, I don't have any issues—no scratching, no irritation, nothing. It honestly feels like there's nothing in my eye at all.

I think I mentioned this in the thread already, but my IOL is just a standard spherical monofocal Alcon lens. If I remember correctly, Steven Stewart5 has an Alcon aspheric monofocal.

Benjamin Rivera4 said:Hey everyone, sorry I've been MIA for a little while.

So, here’s my situation. After the surgery, my prescription in that eye ended up at about -1.5. Right now, I don't wear any extra glasses or anything for that eye—it’s actually fantastic for reading and close-up work.

On my other eye, the prescription is -12, so I just stick with my contact lens like I always have. That eye gives me great distance vision. This setup works for me because the brain is pretty amazing at merging two different images, even when there's a gap of about 4 diopters.

That's how I'm getting by—I even passed my medical exam for a new job I picked up recently!

The reality is that you can't really fix a massive gap like -12 in one eye and -1.5 in the other with standard glasses—the difference is just too extreme. But contact lenses? They can handle it just fine.

My doctor did suggest I come back in a few months to get a custom lens made for the operated eye, but I haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

As far as comfort goes, I don't have any issues—no scratching, no irritation, nothing. It honestly feels like there's nothing in my eye at all.

I think I mentioned this in the thread already, but my IOL is just a standard spherical monofocal Alcon lens. If I remember correctly, Steven Stewart5 has an Alcon aspheric monofocal.

Thanks for getting back to me. On my operated eye, I'm sitting at a -1, and I'm trying to manage with glasses for now until I can get my contact lenses ordered. Honestly, my operated eye hasn't been peaceful at all; it’s just one complication after another. One issue is vitreous detachment, so I end up walking around with this huge floater in my vision whenever I step into the light, and then I get these dark spots on the edges when it's dark. They already had to perform a YAG laser capsulotomy on that eye, and it looks like they might have to do it again because the lens is clouding up once more. I mean, what can I say? Just one bad thing after another with this eye, and it was perfectly fine before the surgery. To make matters worse, the surgeon at the Mayo Clinic just keeps referring me to the ER whenever something needs fixing, instead of actually handling his own work.

Man, you really hit a rough patch there. Where did you even end up having the procedure done?

Benjamin Rivera4 said:Man, you really hit a rough patch there. Where did you even end up having the procedure done?

Mayo Clinic. Honestly, I don't think the hospital itself is the problem; it’s more about the surgeon. It’s like when a mechanic skips the diagnostic check before tearing an engine apart—they just dive in, and then if things go sideways, they just toss you over to the ER where you end up being a teaching tool for every resident on duty. Right now, I've got this Wies ring constantly dancing in my vision, just blurring everything and making a mess of my sight. It's incredibly frustrating. I'm trying to get some help at a private clinic, but if they can't get that ring to settle down, my only real option might be a vitrectomy. Which means... yeah, back under the knife.

Hey everyone,
Where would you all recommend going for an ICL lens implantation? 👁️
It seems like the pricing is pretty much identical no matter where I look... 🧐
Has anyone here actually gone through it? Any experiences to share?
Thanks! 🙏

By the way, I’ve noticed that while every clinic seems to be running sales on laser eye surgery lately, nobody is offering any discounts on IOL implantation.
Does anyone here happen to know anything about why that is?

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.

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!

Benjamin Rivera4 said: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!

Thanks so much for the reply, I actually had one done before I turned 20.
I'm doing the laser stamps preventatively.
My doctor is recommending it again now.
I didn't wait too long after the diagnosis, but the cataracts suddenly tanked my vision from 40% down to 10% this past year.
Maybe it was just a really stressful year, I guess stress can definitely mess with things.
How was it for you after the lens swap where you were at -2, did you still need to wear contacts or anything?
Because my daughter is at -2 and if she isn't wearing her contacts, she can't even recognize people, and since I can't really tell what "good vision" even feels like anymore, I don't even know how to judge if -2 is bad or not.
Regarding the multifocal stuff, I was hoping for the ones they offer at Light, but my doctor shot that down immediately because she said it would be too much of a shock to my eyes, my brain, and my whole world.
She also mentioned some other option that's around $1500, but I can't remember the name of it.
It's something that isn't strictly monofocal, but my doctor will look into it during my exam this Sunday.

I'm still pretty confused about all this because my prescription is sitting at -16.50.
I can't see a single thing with my right eye using those.
Even with these heavy-duty lenses at -16.50, everything is just a total blur.
When I check the automated readings over at Light, the results show -19.
But then when the doctor runs the manual calculations, it comes out closer to -14 or -12.
I'll go ahead and post a photo of my actual results here.

https://i.ibb.co/NVmGJn9/0-B419-ECD-...00732-F217.jpg

swiftbison7 said:Thanks so much for the reply, I actually had one done before I turned 20.
I'm doing the laser stamps preventatively.
My doctor is recommending it again now.
I didn't wait too long after the diagnosis, but the cataracts suddenly tanked my vision from 40% down to 10% this past year.
Maybe it was just a really stressful year, I guess stress can definitely mess with things.
How was it for you after the lens swap where you were at -2, did you still need to wear contacts or anything?
Because my daughter is at -2 and if she isn't wearing her contacts, she can't even recognize people, and since I can't really tell what "good vision" even feels like anymore, I don't even know how to judge if -2 is bad or not.
Regarding the multifocal stuff, I was hoping for the ones they offer at Light, but my doctor shot that down immediately because she said it would be too much of a shock to my eyes, my brain, and my whole world.
She also mentioned some other option that's around $1500, but I can't remember the name of it.
It's something that isn't strictly monofocal, but my doctor will look into it during my exam this Sunday.

So, I actually had surgery on my eye—the one where I’m sitting at a -2.00—and honestly? I haven't touched a single pair of glasses since. It’s kind of wild, but my near vision is absolutely stellar now—I can read fine print, go over blueprints, and spend hours staring at my computer screen without any issues at all. To be fair, though, my distance vision isn't exactly perfect. For anything far away, I usually just pop in a contact lens in my other eye to balance things out.

So, now that I’ve finally had my second eye surgery done—leaving me with just a tiny -0.5 correction in the other one—I’m basically using my glasses strictly for distance now. And honestly? It’s been a total game-changer. I can actually see clearly whether I'm looking at something right in front of my face or way off in the distance. For me, this setup is absolutely perfect. I’m already thinking about getting a specific pair of shades tailored just for those long-distance road trips on the highway.

swiftbison7 said:I’m still feeling pretty lost on a lot of this—honestly, I have so many questions left to ask. For starters, my prescription is sitting at -16.50, which just feels completely overwhelming.
I honestly can't see anything useful from them on my right side—it’s like they aren't even there.
I picked up those thick nails for $16.50—and honestly? It’s a total joke. I can barely see a thing with them.
I’m staring at my equipment budget spreadsheets over at ExxonMobil, and I keep running into this nagging issue—it keeps throwing a negative 19 right in my face.
And then you have my boss sitting there doing all the math by hand—like, manually calculating -14 minus 12 on a notepad—as if we don't have high-powered software right in front of us! It’s honestly wild to watch.
Alright, I’m going to go ahead and upload a photo of my test results now.

It’s like you can’t even get a clear view anymore—and I don't mean just with contacts or glasses, either. The whole thing is messed up because the light isn't hitting the retina correctly; instead, it’s being refracted all wrong, so only bits and pieces actually make it through to focus properly. It’s honestly such a struggle. It reminds me of when you have a windshield that’s been spiderwebbed by a thousand tiny cracks—you know, like after a nasty impact or just years of wear? You simply can't look through it clearly until you get it replaced entirely. It’s just not functional.

Honestly, you probably can't even manually determine a prescription anymore—it’s just not how things work now. These days, picking out the right lenses involves running every single possible measurement through high-tech diagnostic machines to make sure everything is spot on.

swiftbison7 said:I honestly can’t wrap my head around why people are still debating this—it feels like we’re stuck in a loop! I was reading through some comments earlier, and swiftbison7 brought up a point that really hit home for me regarding how we approach these kinds of systemic issues. It’s not just about one single policy or one specific moment; it’s about the entire framework we’ve built. Think of it like a massive infrastructure project—say, rebuilding a major highway system like the ones out in California. You can’t just patch one pothole and claim the road is fixed if the entire foundation is crumbling underneath. That’s exactly what we're seeing here. We keep trying to apply these "Band-Aid" solutions to deep-seated problems, hoping they'll stick, but they never do because the underlying structure hasn't changed. And then you have voices like Benjamin Rivera4 chiming in with those much more cautious perspectives. While I respect the caution—really, I do—I think there’s a danger in being so hesitant that we end up paralyzed. If we wait for the "perfect" moment where every single variable is controlled, we’ll be waiting until the next century. Sometimes, you have to start moving, even if the path isn't perfectly paved, just to get the momentum going. It’s easy to look at someone who is overqualified for a role and say, "Well, they’ll figure it out," but that ignores the reality of how much friction exists in our current systems. We need more than just talented individuals; we need a system that actually allows that talent to shine without getting bogged down by red tape and outdated logic. We need to find the Light at the end of this tunnel, but we won't find it by standing still and arguing about whether or not to take the first step.

I’m just way overqualified for this one.

Benjamin Rivera4 said:So, I actually had surgery on my eye—the one where I’m sitting at a -2.00—and honestly? I haven't touched a single pair of glasses since. It’s kind of wild, but my near vision is absolutely stellar now—I can read fine print, go over blueprints, and spend hours staring at my computer screen without any issues at all. To be fair, though, my distance vision isn't exactly perfect. For anything far away, I usually just pop in a contact lens in my other eye to balance things out.

So, now that I’ve finally had my second eye surgery done—leaving me with just a tiny -0.5 correction in the other one—I’m basically using my glasses strictly for distance now. And honestly? It’s been a total game-changer. I can actually see clearly whether I'm looking at something right in front of my face or way off in the distance. For me, this setup is absolutely perfect. I’m already thinking about getting a specific pair of shades tailored just for those long-distance road trips on the highway.

It’s like you can’t even get a clear view anymore—and I don't mean just with contacts or glasses, either. The whole thing is messed up because the light isn't hitting the retina correctly; instead, it’s being refracted all wrong, so only bits and pieces actually make it through to focus properly. It’s honestly such a struggle. It reminds me of when you have a windshield that’s been spiderwebbed by a thousand tiny cracks—you know, like after a nasty impact or just years of wear? You simply can't look through it clearly until you get it replaced entirely. It’s just not functional.

Honestly, you probably can't even manually determine a prescription anymore—it’s just not how things work now. These days, picking out the right lenses involves running every single possible measurement through high-tech diagnostic machines to make sure everything is spot on.

I’m just way overqualified for this one.

I am seriously counting down the days until this whole process is over because the waiting game and having to redo all these scans and tests is driving me absolutely crazy.
My doctor told me she has to rely on manual checks since the machines aren't always reliable, which makes me wonder if she'll undercorrect me... but then again, -12 feels like way too little since that's what my gut tells me.