General questions re. cataracts

@johnhans -- thank you for your reply. No the problem is difficulty administering drops/my eyes compl;ete intolerance of any foreign matter, especially eye drops.

I am sure that someone has designed an eye cup type of device that the drops bottle fits into, that you position over your eye socket and then with your eye open, administer the drops. Look online or call the pharma companies or the Association for the Blind. Also, possibly a homecare nurse could make a low cost daily visit to admin the drops. An advocate group, churches, meals on wherls etc. could possibly be trained to help. A local Nursing school could possibly send a student. The answers are out there, you need an advocate. You are courageous, patient, and amazingly resilient. I deeply admire your adaptibility and endurance. Best wishes!!

I had dropless cataract surgery in 2017 on my left eye. In January 2019 I had cataract surgery on my right eye with drops being administered for a month afterwards. I too, am terrible at putting drops in my eyes. Between my spouse, friends, ,and myself when there was no one else around - I managed to get them in quite well. My right eye cosmetically looked, and physically felt much better after surgery than my left eye did with the dropless method. Despite the inconvenience of putting in numerous drops, for me, if I had to do surgery over again I would opt for putting in drops after cataract surgery as my eye as a whole felt much better. Others may well have experienced no problems with dropless method, but hands-down putting in drops afterwards was better way for me.

@catlady9 Never heard of laser to remove cataracts I had mine both eyes done in 2009 but you still need to put drops in before and after especially Good luck if you are choosing this way

I agree 100%. The drops matter a lot. Taking large doses of fish oil really helps also. I loved my cataract surgery results!. The accuracy and increased depth and brightness of color was amazing. Sunsets were awesome. And I could once again see the stars in the night sky. Obtain high quality and very dark sunglasses in advance, you will need them. The brightness is shocking. Computerized laser is the best. Find and choose a highly qualified surgeon. It matters.

@treyaj thank you for replying. There are still few surgeons who perform this surgery. Three times a day for a month and possibly more than that is something I or my eyes can handle (do have other health conditions). My opthalmologists have always had try several times
just to administer the dilating drops for my yearly exams -- its not really feasible for me to do so or to have someone come to my
home seven days a week. Thank you for offering these suggestions -- I do appreciate it.

I'm so very sorry that happened to you that is why I'm sooooo frightened of having this done

Welcome to Mayo Connect. I took a quick look, and the person you are responding to made this post over 5 years ago, and may not be currently active here.
When you said "...that is why I'm sooooo frightened of having this done" were you referring to cataract surgery in general, or that particular implant?

Cataract surgery is generally very safe and effective with success rates between 96% with multi-focal lenses like the Restor, and 99% for standard lenses. Compared to the alternative, which is eventual blindness, this seems very safe to me.

Many of those who do have post-surgery issues can have them corrected with a very simple in-office procedure. My husband had a 5 minute laser procedure a few months after cataract surgery on one eye to clear up a little blurriness. The other went perfectly.

Also, keep in mind that the poster had their cataract surgery over 15 years ago - VERY early days for the multi-focal lenses. There are many more choices now, and surgeons can match lens choice to the patient's eye and preference.

Maybe you can do what I plan to do when I see the surgeon in May - discuss my options, including specific implants, then go home and research complication rates. (I already did this with my surgeon.)
Sue

@ewatson201
I had cataract surgery this past July and October. It was spaced because of my travel plans. I have been with this opthamologist for many years. He has been keeping check on my cataract progression due to the medications that I am taking. I also have been treated for retinal vein occlusion that is now stable, but has damages the optical nerve in my left my eye. He said that he did not recommend any special lenses for me, and i trusted his judgement in my particular case. I am pleased with the procedure, his follow-up care, and the results. I do continue to wear corrective lenses.
I agree with Sue's plan to discuss with surgeon ahead of time. One thing that my opthamologist shared with me is that some doctors will refer patients to a surgeon who only sees the patient on the day of the cataract procedure. I know several friends who have done this and that is what would frighten me. I hope that will have a opthamologist who is going to discuss your procedure with you and provide the options that are going to nbe the best fit for you.