Posts
133
Joined
11/20/2014
Location
Hillsboro, MO
US
Hello. Because I have developed cataracts, I will need lens replacement in both eyes.
My concern is whether I should get the single focus lens for distance or the multi focal lens.
My Doctor knows his stuff, but knows nothing about riding at all. I want to be able to see a rock,
rut, or tree root in time to react.
He thinks the multi focal lens will work, but I want to be sure once these lens are in they are in for the
rest of my life. Anyone here have any experience with this? Or advice?
Thank you.
My concern is whether I should get the single focus lens for distance or the multi focal lens.
My Doctor knows his stuff, but knows nothing about riding at all. I want to be able to see a rock,
rut, or tree root in time to react.
He thinks the multi focal lens will work, but I want to be sure once these lens are in they are in for the
rest of my life. Anyone here have any experience with this? Or advice?
Thank you.
The Shop
My biggest gripe (and it is a big one) is that the multifocal lens causes terrible halos around lights at night, a blurry mess around the edges of the bright colors on the computer screen and television. REALLY irritating. I would not go with these if I had the chance to do it all over again. I was warned of some of this effect by the doc but he said it usually goes away after six months to a year. Nope. It has not. If you don't drive at night much or get on the computer often, then the multifocals might work out fine. And for some people the halo effect apparently does go away. I would recommend the monovision lenses for riding and use reading glasses close up instead of one eye for reading and one eye for distance. Anyway, good luck on your decision.
Super sharp younger guy trained in most advanced tech and methods. I'm a retired engineer and did a bunch of research to go with wife's experience. I went in with printed list of question for every scenario I could imagine LOL. My goal was to get back as close as possible to full vision I had after LASIK. Dr. answered every question and was honest about pros and cons of each type of lens, etc. After research I thought I wanted multi-focal (Toric) lens because it was recommended for people who had LASIK and Astigmatism remaining like me. He talked me out of the multi focal into standard lens because of negative side effects like the night time halos and said he could correct astigmatism with a couple little incisions called IRL.(google it for more info). You'll need readers for computer either way...
Important part here... normally all the incisions are done manually to open slits for removing old lens, performing IRLs and more. Outcomes can be hit or miss depending on Dr. skills. My Dr. offered Laser surgery for this (called Femtosecond laser) and also computerized eyeball mapping to make sure they get the lens placed exactly right for your particular eyeball shape and what they call the "capsule" where they set the new lens. Basically a little crater they set it in. They take a bunch of measurements before you ever agree to the surgery and using the mapping SW (called ORA) they can choose exactly the right power of lens based on matching your eye map to the earlier measurements. This is all done after the old lens is removed during surgery. Sounds complicated, but really isn't if you research it. Whole thing takes less than 2 hours.
Results? I chose to have only my worst eye done 1st, and opted for the ORA mapping and laser with a standard Fixed for DISTANCE IOL matched for my specific eye requirements. 6 Hours after surgery my vision was super clear and I had 20/15 vision! I was cleared for normal activity after 1 month, but it can take up to 3 months for full healing in some cases. As far as cost of Laser + ORA vs. manual method it was ~$1,000 more. BUT- using the standard IOL vs. Toric saved me $1000.00 so it was a wash :^) Also, I have really shitty Anthem insurance through Obamacare that paid for almost nothing according to their literature w/ no co-pays, no co-insurance, no pharmacy, etc. until I hit deductible. Reality was they still gave "member discounts" on everything for like 20% off.
As luck would have it, my Right eye suddenly got worse by 3rd month after the Left eye surgery and I was REALLY happy with the Left eye so scheduled Right eye surgery too. Went through the whole process with measurements and discussions of mono focal vs multi focal and Laser, ORA etc. Chose Fixed for DISTANCE IOL + Laser + ORA again to match Left eye. Also Anthem told Dr office I was almost to deductible and out of pocket for the year so 2nd eye was almost free. The Right eye surgery experience was a little different than the Left. Something to do with debris from stubborn natural lens being removed. My 6 hours after appointment had me at 20/60 in that eye but was told it would improve over time. By 6 weeks I was fully healed and vision actually did improve to 20/20. There's still a slight lingering after effect but is barely noticeable and does not affect my overall new vision at. all. And yeah, Insurance paid 100% after I hit deductible. Total cost was about $8300.00 for both eyes but 100% is deductible on taxes by itemizing medical expenses.
I haven't raced or rode much since the surgeries (August and November) except for buzzing around my home practice track, fire roads and some mountain biking but Dr said I was good to go for anything I did before surgery and I believe it. He said riding/racing or MTB should not have any effect at all.
Moral of the story: research it a bunch so you understand and confident about the procedure, find a good Dr you trust and follow their after care instructions to the letter. Use ALL the eyedrops as recommended and don't cut any corners on their instructions and follow ups and you should be fine. Good Luck!
sorry for the long read...
I opted for fixed focal "distance" vision and it's great to be able to wear regular goggles without dealing with glasses. I use multifocal readers for close work or computer time.
Before surgery I couldn't golf without someone along to help track the golf ball. It's magic surgery, you will be amazed at how much your vision had deteriorated with time.
My Dr called that Mono VISION when they set 1 eye for distance and 1 for up close? They said Mono FOCAL just meant fixed for a single focus (far or close) instead of multi-focal that covers more range near>>far? You're right mono vision is lame. I tried the mono vision contacts and no depth perception, headaches, etc.
"distance vision" lens.
I remembered another little nugget Dr told me that wasn't in my novel length post lol: when he kept referring to "distance" and up close focal points, I finally asked him what that would mean in measured numbers. He said Distance = beyond 20' & Close = within arm's reach (~3'). So your reading glasses already covers the up close vision and the new IOL picks up at ~ 20' leaving a small area of 3-20' that's not really improved unless you get prescription glasses.
Best of Luck to you
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