@TGW asked in another topic for my experiences with cataract surgery. Rather than clutter the topic, I’ve created a new topic. Clearly this isn’t hearing related, so at least I’ve given people the ability to ignore the thread
Toni, the process went very well for me. I’m a bit of an odd duck … I spent a LOT of the time before the procedure watching cataract surgeries on YouTube (you’d be amazed what you can find…), so I knew exactly what I was getting in to.
The good part: There was pretty much NO discomfort in either of my surgeries. The very slightest sting might occur when drops are first put in to your eye for initial anesthetic … not unlike having your eyes dilated (which is exactly what they are going to do next).
I can tell you without a doubt that unless you already know what implant you want to go with (like for budgetary reasons you might choose whatever insurance will cover), choosing from among all the different options will be the hardest, most stressful part (I should qualify, most stressful if you don’t stress out about the procedure).
What kind of lens to get depends on so many things, I can’t generalize at all. Your surgeon will help you determine your options. The basic choices are, monofocal (only one insurance might cover), Extended Depth of Focus, and Multifocal. Each of those also can be ordered in toric form to correct astigmatism, but your surgeon may also be able to address some astigmatism without a toric lens. I have (had?) astigmatism in both eyes, but only one IOL is toric.
My initial plan was EDOF lenses, undercorrecting one eye by .5 diopter (to increase my ability read without reading glasses), correcting the other eye to “plano” (optimal). But I have high myopia, so I knew going in that the correction may end up different … and it did. I ended up with both eyes undercorrected. I can read great, but distance is about 20/50. My surgeon was not happy with this, and is paying to have PRK done to fix one of the eyes (I’ll then have good vision at all distances). In fact I go to see that surgeon Wednesday.
The procedure is quick. You spend most of the time beforehand while they prepare your eye (dilating, and if a toric lens is used, marking the correct axis). Then you go in to the surgical suite and lie on your back. The procedure is done through a microscope, and you’ll basically be staring at a bright light the whole time. 10-20 minutes later, you’re done. You’ll have a clear cover over your eye for the rest of that day, and you’re going to use it while asleep for a week.
I had zero discomfort, itch, whatever, post surgery. Oh, you’ll be putting drops in your eyes for weeks post-surgery (4 weeks, if I remember correctly).
I could go in to detail about the whole procedure based on what I’ve watched, but there will be people here that really don’t want to accidentally see any of that…