Cataracts & Toric IOL for Astigmatism

[CurlyButterfly]

I am scheduled for cataract surgery in a few weeks. It appears I cannot have anything but the Toric Astigmatism IOL if I want clear vision. My vision is a -4.25 in one eye and a 5.00 in the other and they are setting me up for a - 2.5 so I can keep my close vision. Will I have any variance to my vision at all or will I only see at about 14-16"? Will I be able to see any closer CLEARLY than 14", or any further than that too? At the present time I do a lot of detail sewing, artwork, jewelry, computer work. This concerns me greatly. I do not want to wear glasses to thread a needle, paint the details on a painting, or do jewelry work (that type of tiny stuff). I was told that if I got a multifocal IOL that there would be a yellow tine, decreased contrast and possible halos. I threw that idea out right away but I am still having doubts about the decision to keep the close vision (as I've always been). Any advice would be immensely appreciated. I also wondered if my 'blurry' distance vision will be worse than my blurry is now (without glasses) and the blurry will be the same amount  whether it's 15 feet or 100 feet. Lastly, if I did opt to get the IOL set for distance, just how close up could I see without glasses. Thank you!

[Nancy_in_GA]

Erin, you may be sorry you asked about glasses. Ha!   Just got new ones this morning.  I finally understand what the"swimming" effect is, and why some folks hate progressive lens glasses.  It's my fault for asking the Dr if he would consider bumping up the add power. I don't know if *all* the problems are due to that, but I sure won't take a chance again.  I only gained about a half inch in near vision anyway.
      
Let us know when your surgery is finally scheduled.  I'm anxious to hear how it goes.  

BTW, the assistant at my surgeon's office guesstimated that about 1 in 50 people at their facility who get monofocal IOLs opt for near vision.  

[CurlyButterfly]

That is interesting what you said about your eyes working separately & together. That vision from about 9-17" is also encouraging. I don't think I have any more doubts about keeping my close vision. I called them last Thursday to tell them I had decided to do one eye but they've not called me back yet. I'm thinking they will today (hopefully). Back on the 'doubts', I think I doubted I could be happy with NOT seeing close up. That is what seemed bad to me! It's funny how people are different and I'm glad that you wrote me on this medhelp site. It has helped me a lot. :-)

When will you get your new glasses? I just noticed today that you said you waited 2 months in between first and second eye?

[Nancy_in_GA]

That sounds like a good plan to me--- to do one eye and see how it turns out. The only reason I would not do that is if there was any doubt in my mind that I wanted the near vision option.  You won't experience the difficulties, with one eye done and one not, in the interim period, like those that go for distance vision do.  I waited 2 months between with just minor inconvenience.  Your surgeon sounds much more reasonable to work with than mine.  She's probably right, sometimes too much information just causes more worry.
  
There has been some adaptation with my close vision without glasses. Both eyes working together seem to do better than each one separately.  For example using both eyes with no glasses, tiny print looks clear for the full range of  9-17 inches. But if I close either eye that doesn't work.   I guess that's a mini version of what they call monovision.  
  
As to your previous question:  No toric lenses, just plain monofocals, for me.  I read some people experience haloes around bright lights at night with toric lenses, and was not willing to gamble on that.  Night driving problems were what started all this in the first place.  Keep us posted.

[CurlyButterfly]

I just got back from my appointment. My Dr. seems to think that because I am analyzing it so much that perhaps I should wait because she thinks if my sight was so bad that "I'd take anything to see better" that I wouldn't be so concerned/worried about getting an exact measure. She also explained to me why there is no 'exact science' to it -- it is because of our own individual eye and where they put the lens in the eye. That is why sometimes it corrects closer or farther.

BUT....she did say that she would be willing to  target the worst eye with a -3 (even though she originally wanted to do a -2.5)if I wanted to wait to do the 2nd eye,  and then I could probably see just fine with the -3 and  my good -4 eye for now (until it gets worse). I really still see well out of my 'good' eye. SO, it's kind of up to me to either wait on both until I'm REALLY bad or I can have just one done. She said if I didn't like the first eye at -3, I could still later do the 2nd at a -2.5 and do ok. Since I have had all the testing I almost hate to NOT do the one eye.

Since both of your 'fixed' eyes are a little bit different, do you see ok with them together (without specs) since one sees closer than the other or are you always just using one eye when trying to see close things?

[CurlyButterfly]

It's nice to know that even an eye Dr values their close vision!

I hope your new glasses work for you. I guess they'd redo them if you couldn't see well. Most places will work with you on that (normally). Do you know today I tried on my husbands cheap-o readers OVER my regular bifocal glasses and I was amazed that the add on of +2 would make things so much closer and clearer, so I'm guessing this is something for us to do to see closer and better.

I'll write you later and let you know what happens.

Did you tell me that you had an astigmatism Toric lens or not?

[Nancy_in_GA]

I don't think he knows for sure what will happen, something about it might mean I'd have to hold reading material out farther away.  He is nearsighted worse than me, and would go with the near vision monofocal lenses if he had to do it today.  
  
Good luck with your questions for your surgeon. Let me know what he says.