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I was interested in Curt's thread on the surgery he had. I still have 2 5" scars from mine done many years ago, so it was of interest to me. I got my obligatory cataract surgery last month. There are some considerations for this that you should know before you decide. I'm not recommending the lenses. I'm only saying that I'm happy with them so far. Like Curt, the advances in the medical field have really accelerated in the past few years.
I had LAL Surgery for cataracts. After doing some cost benefit views, I did one eye with the LAL (light adjustable lens, a Boston product (many of us have bought contact lens solution, the contacts themselves, etc).
First the set up.
I have astigmatism at about a 2.5. Not horrible, but absolutely a PITA. I always have to have lenses on when I shoot. I'm always seeing double (even when not drinking), etc. I am also right-handed/ left- eye dominate.
I chose an IOL for my right eye (close vision), and LAL for my left distance.
The main benefit of the LAL is that it can deliver more finely tuned vision results compared to non-adjustable intraocular lenses (IOLs).
The issue with LAL is that they're not covered by Medicare or most insurances. My IOL wasn't covered either because of the astigmatism. Medicare only covers standard lenses that take out the cataract. The IOL was about $2K, the LAL was about $5K total. So preop, op, and post op adjustments.
I went to my doc yesterday for an "adjustment." I thought I was doing okay, but I didn't know the limitations of the LAL lens, so I let her talk to me about it. The machine picked up a .75 astigmatism, which isn't that big of a deal. I was dilated and looked into a machine, followed the green light, saw some red lights, and I was done. I feel really good about the adjustment, and we'll see how I am next week. One thing with the lens. You must wear the glasses they give you any time you're awake and not in the shower. If you're outside during any daylight at all, wear the sunglasses. These are provided. They cover all UV spectrums, with extra coverage on the light spectrum that that affects the lens. The typical UVA/UVB glasses are not sufficient for the lens.
So for those with astigmatism, or near blind as we got older, this is something to think about. I was fascinated with the results.
I will not shoot until I am finished with the adjustments (up to three times) and the lens is locked in. There are too many changes in air pressure, and I'm not interested in reducing the effectiveness.
Everything here except for the differences in the lenses are my opinion only. The guy that put the lens in, is on the state board for cataract surgery and general surgery. So there's that.
