Don't normally post personal stuff here but this is kind of a big deal for me.

Had a cataract removed from my right eye in December, they replace your clouded over natural lens with an artificial one. You can choose the correction - near, middle, distance - and I chose distance which is basically everything about 24" out and further. The brightness and visual acuity difference was literally night and day.

I'm left eye dominant and shoot left handed/left eyed so the right eye operation didn't change my shooting situation much. However, the left eye had a beginning cataract; not as bad as the right eye but still made vision slightly cloudy and diffused. Well, the right eye had such a good outcome and the left eye was able to qualify for insurance coverage so I went ahead and had the left one done yesterday.

Holy cow! This is great! With just the naked eye I can see handgun sights as well as I did 20 or more years ago. I really like peep sights on rifles and have eight so equipped and now the front sights are as sharp and well defined as they can be. Even the front sight on an 18 1/2" barreled 10/22 is clear and sharp. Don't need glasses to have red dot sights in focus, either. Still have some corneal swelling today so everything isn't 100% yet, but that just means things will only get better in the next few days.

Plus, since the lenses are artificial (thanks, Bausch and Lomb), this vision won't decline with age. Even if in later years I do get a secondary condition whose name I forget now, a short blast with a laser will set it good as new again.

Only downside is now I have to refocus the ocular lenses on all my scopes, but that's definitely a happy task.

Got a whole new outlook on the world...

Outstanding! Congratulations and get to those ocular lenses. And then to the Ranger. When it warms up a bit.

Congrats on the successful surgery. I can't see open sights anymore myself as they just kinda melt together in a blob.

I concur. I was wearing trifocals. The no-lines didn't work for archery shooting as I needed to look through the upper left corner of the lens. They don't compensate out there. The cataract surgery totally changed things.

I just had mine done in the last 3 weeks Dominant eye set at infinity. Left eye intermediate so I can see the computer screen. Takes a while for the brain to get used to it.

Glad it worked well for you, Jim. Didn't work for me. I can't see the iron sights on my handguns or rifles and the 'scope crosshairs are blurred and distorted. Hope the results of your second operation are as successful as the first.

L.W.

Glad it worked so well!
Had mine done last year about this time.
Wish I could have had it done 40 years ago.
Yep, I had to adjust every scope and change the script I use for precision pistol.

A couple months ago when I saw an eye doctor, he told me what you described, Jim, that after cataract surgery (a ways into my future), I'll be able to see better than I can recall ever seeing before.

Glad you got it done. Had a neighbor that got it done a few years ago, and he was pretty excited too, I recall.

Excellent!

Jim, I'm right behind you. Had my left eye done two years ago and am scheduled for my right (dominant) eye Monday. Until now, the Doc said it was too soon to do the right one, especially since it was still almost 20/20.

I have a bit of astigmatism in both eyes and need readers so I've been wearing glasses for a few years now. I opted to just get distance implants and keep on wearing glasses since I'm used to them now. A month from now they'll test me for a new prescripto and everything will be clear again. Yay!

Did you get the new 3-in-1 drops you only have to do once a day or the old three separate ones you do every few hours? The new stuff is $82.50 but worth it to eliminate the constant drops hassle, IMO.

that's great.

Good for you, Jim!! That sounds like something that I might consider. My vision is definitely declining. Loss of acuity and astigmatism.

I was working on an eye doctor's house a couple of years ago and he was telling me about this surgery. Tells me it's the bulk of his business. He didn't talk price or recovery, so I'm curious if anyone can share any info on those 2 aspects?

Been there and had the experience and you are fully justified in being elated. Congrats. It will be hard to believe for quite a while.

They gave me one bottle of drops, seems like I used them for 2 wks each eye.

My only problem with the whole process was the difference between the fixed right eye and the unfixed left for the 3 wks between surgeries. I was very myopic before the implants. The difference in perceived image size was considerable. Depth perception was in the dumper those 3 wks.

As far as fees go it has been too long ago for mine to be realistic for you. As to the experience, I could not believe the improvement in my sight as I got into the car to go home. And after that it was very little time until it was "over". Do it if you can.

What cinched my resolve to do it was driving across the Mackinac bridge at night in a storm. Never gonna let my vision scare me that bad again, if I can help it.

I got the three separate bottles, take two of them 4 times per day and the other one three times daily. That tapers off over the next 28 days.

They give me a chart which I taped to the fridge. Take a drop of each at breakfast, lunch and dinner and a couple before bed and fill in a little circles on the chart. That fits my OCD personality well.

When I had mine done 12-15 years ago, they told me I might have to come back in a year or so and get lazer zapped, and I did.

Dead? cells build up on something in there and need a hole punched through with the laser. Just click, click,click for each eye and done.

No problems since.

I had mine done a month apart and being a prescription glasses wearer that was fun! I had the choice of covering one eye, or removing one lens during that period. I too went for distance lenses (had the choice, close or far, or one of each), so for anything inside arms length wear readers.

If I can find the damned things. . I've a half dozen pairs (drugstore cheapies) scattered around, as does my wife, and they still can't be readily found! Found some that loop around the back of the neck, and seperate at the bridge, held together there when needed by magnets.

I gotta get me some of those!

I don't remember drops, but maybe....

Still have some uncorectable astigmatism in the left eye, and precursers of Macrodegeneration in both, but not bad yet. For yhat I take daily doses of fish oil and Macrohealth pills (by mail order, docs recommendation over Arends 2, available everywhere)

Nice. I have a high school friend that says the same thing. She has worn glasses her whole life until the surgery, and she is ecstatic. I'm so happy for her. Kinda jealous, but very happy!

I guess it varies with the doctor and locale or probably what insurance will pay. The first one was right about $5000 all told, that covers the pre-op evaluation, surgery and a post-op visit which I had this morning. The surgery doctor works with my normal optometrist, I'll be seeing him in a week and again in a month, and he charges separately but from what I can see that's just two normal office visits. My insurance from work covers 80% pre-deductible on all of it so it was right at $1000 out of pocket for the first one. They show you up front what the cost is and the second one was only $4000 for whatever reason, perhaps they didn't need to repeat some things, and since I've met my deductible for the plan year the out of pocket was $500 this time.

Well worth it from where I sit now.

Recovery is no big deal. For the next two weeks I'm not supposed to lift anything over 20 pounds and avoid "dirty" work where debris or dust could get in my eye. Otherwise you just go about your daily life starting the very next day.


"Tells me it's the bulk of his business." Speaking of, it's definitely assembly line surgery. Not to complain, the staff at the surgery center was great - competent, professional and still caring and personable, but they must do 10-20 of these in a morning since the actual procedure only takes about 10 minutes. They put you in a room and place five or six drops of stuff in your eye and let those sit for 20 minutes, then stick an IV catheter in your arm and take you to the actual OR. Your head is immobilized and the eye area painted with iodine, then they put numbing drops in the eye. Just before everything begins an anesthetist squirts some fentanyl and something else in your arm and it's happy time for a while.

I didn't remember the first one but was quite conscious of this one. You don't feel a thing, you just see shadows, but I remember them saying it's all done and having me sit up, getting into a wheelchair to go to post-op and talking to the nurse while I waited for my ride home. Getting up and walking feels like you've had about 2-3 stiff drinks on an empty stomach so I was quite jovial with everyone walking out. You go home, take a nap, stay indoors for the day, go to bed and then wake up with everything bright and clear. Pretty neat.

I am glad you guys had great outcomes.

Momma is 63, and has had cataracts growing across her right eye for about three years, and just starting on her left. She got both lenses replaced in Dec. She is quite happy with the results.

Since she had a total hip replacement done in October, she had met maximum out of pocket ($1900) on our insurance for 2020. So in our case, her eyes were at no cost to us.

I think the insurance was billed about $7K but much of that was dismissed due to Blue Cross price contract agreements.

We were told that any corrective lenses were a high cost option, not covered by insurance. She got straight vision replacement lenses.

Fortunately, Momma's vision is 20-20 beyond three feet. She uses 2.00 readers from Walgreens for playing on her phone or reading her romance novels.

Happy for you

Good choice! Glad to hear of your success.

Jim, that is interesting.

My wife had her surgeries done at Pacific Vision in Boise.

She was fully conscious for the procedure both times. She walked right out of the procedure room unassisted and on out to the car.

Glad all worked out for you.
Old Cuss

Thank you for the info. I appreciate it.

I live near the bridge and croas it fairly often and have no interest in crossing it during a nighttime storm with blurry vision

Thank you for the info, Jim. I may look into it further to see how much our insurance will cover. The avoiding dust stipulation would be a problem for me, though. Seems like every jobsite I visit is dusty and full of airborne crud like sawdust and insulation particles.

i wore glasses most of my life extremely near sighted, 20/800, that kept me out of vietnam.
in 95 i was hospitalized with an acute case of diabetes, which brought on the cateracts.
i could not see the overhead signs on the freeway.
insurance covered the whole thing, recovery was mild with the drops.
the day of the first operation i was scared cacaless, and actually bent one of the rails on the gurney i was so up tight.
they later said tranquilzing me was like taking a horse down.
few minutes after i commented is that the way the world actually looks?
i remember going up in a blizzard looking for elk, and i could actually see the veins underneith leaves on the trees.
only downside was working under by truck, i had always had glasses so dirt didn't bother me.
i had to learn to wear e ye protection.

I had my left / dominate eye done last June 6th and the right done three weeks later and like you Jim I'm very pleased with the outcome.

I guess some docs don't bother with IV sedation during cataract surgery but mine won't do the procedure any other way and I'm glad.

Both eyes and a new pair of clear glasses bottom line came to right at 10K but between Medicare and my BCBS 'F' supplement I didn't have to pay a dime......I did have to pony up $350.00 for another new pair of polarized sun glasses.

It's such a pleasure to read some good news for a change. Very cool, Jim! Congratulations.

Congratulations....
You just lost an excuse

Enjoy seeing the blades of grass again!

I had mine done about 5 years ago. (6 mos apart) I had my eyes checked 6 mos ago and nothing has changed. No need for new glasses. I do all of my computer work

without glasses. Shoot peep sights, open sights, hand guns etc as well as ever.

Like you I was very nearsighted, -7/-8 corrections, so I was very used to pulling things right up to my face to see clearly. After the IOL replacements it took some getting used to the exact opposite.

I found some clear safety glasses with near correction in the top and very bottom with nothing in the middle. Very nice for overhead or under a vehicle work.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IC7BH8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My surgeries don't cost a cent. I have both Medicare and Tricare for Life from the military. If all that failed, I have the VA. I order glasses from Zenni.com and even with every bell and whistle they are less than $100.

I was petrified the first time, too. I was less scared flying combat missions than having a knife stuck in my eye. Turns out it was a nothing burger, and I'm as calm as a clam this time. (Cataract surgery is the most common procedure done in the US.)

Wooohoooo!!!!!!!

One word of warning, Dont look in the mirror.........

I paid some extra for toric lens to correct astigmatism and for the femtosecond laser cataract surgery (no knife).

I think all together about 8K.

Both my eyecare doc and the surgeon recommended the lazer due to the shape of my cornea. I guess I had a higher chance of complications with the blade method. The surgeon told me the laser allows much more precision in placing the new lens as well. I thought it was worth the extra bucks then and still do today.

20/15 distance vision after being nearly blind without thick glasses is a wonderful thing. I used to keep spare glasses in every vehicle just in case.

Jim in Idaho: That is wonderful and amazing news.
Todays health care technology is simply mind boggling to me - the things they can do.
Again good for you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I had a cataract fixed a few years ago then about a year later,my retina detached in that same eye and I was two hours from anything in the hills..Time I got the trailer hooked up and home carefully,it was to late to fix it...So they put an eye buckle in that eye and I could atleast see in it instead of just orange..Now the buckle is coming out and bleeding...Fun Fun but I still can see unlike when it detached!

Jim, I had both mine done last year. The cataracts in both my eyes had gotten so bad, I was going to cut myself off from driving.

Reading this on my laptop now in regular print.

The only problem I've had at all is with rubbing my eyes because of allergies.

Doc Eyeball can probably give you some more info.