Thanks Tx Buc, that was extremely helpful.

Ok since the door has been opened, i will give some input about what some have said and my experience with doing cataract surgery for the last 22 years. There are still docs out there that do an injection of anesthetic behind the eye, it is rather old school and does have a few extra complications that can come of it, and it requires a patch and vision will be gone or really really bad for most of the day. While there are some good surgeons that still use this method, it is a very old school approach and there are less complicated ways to numb the eye. This injection is made very easy on the patient as they are put put momentarily with a fentanyl derivative to get you really high so you don’t feel the shot. With this injection, the surgical experience is very easy from an eye standpoint, no pain, no vision, just pretty much wale up and good to go. It does nothing for the rest of the body tho, so if you are prone to restless leg or jitters, it doesn’t help with that. The good news is the surgery is usually over pretty quick and the high can help with the beginning of the surgery from an anxiety standpoint.

The way i do surgery is with a nurse anesthetist who gives a big sister to valium thru an IV and we numb the eye woth drops prior to doing anything. The IV medicine makes some people so relaxed they fall asleep, some dont, and occasionally we do surgery with no IV medicine. In all regards, partients are very comfortable, they largely will see a kaleidoscope of pretty colors and they dont see anything going on from a surgery standpoint. Most that are awake will talk to me and many ask when we are going to start, and have no idea i am almost done with the surgery. It is quick, about 6-7 minutes usually, and it amazes me how many patients go into it very nervous and scared and get done and dont even realize i did the surgery.

Probably the best part about the IV medicine is it makes people forget and many will tell me the next day they dont even remember me being in the OR and or having the surgery done. Most patients come in the nect day and say the surgery was a piece of cake and are ready to get the other eye done asap.

Very few complain of any real pain the day of surgery. Most feel a little scratchy for part of the day but it goes away within a few hours and they wake up feeling normal the next day. Vision wise, most patients are very functional the day of surgery and the next day most are back to legal driving vision, which continues to clear up as the healing process continues over the next day or two. I do not have any real restrictions other than no swimming for a week after each eye, but exercise and activity/work is able to be resumed by the next day.

Lenses are individual, so i wont go into those much on here. Lots of variables go into that. But i will say i am hesitant to use the most expensive lenses (multifocal) on serious hunters due to the possible decrease in vision in low light situations like dawn and dusk when hunting is prime. These lenses do not ever transmit 100% of light to distance vision , so compared to a single vision lens, there will be some decrease in ability to see at lower light levels. Also, shooting a red dot can be difficult with these multifocal lenses as they will give rings around point sources of light . I have had one hunter not happy with their choice with a multifocal lenses, but have had some not so serious hunters be ok with the choice since it gets rid of the need for readers for near vision most of the time. That is a discussion I have with each patient after examining their eyes. I do not defer that discussion to some surgical “counselor” who gets a kick back from each upgraded lens they sell. Lots of sugeons utilize the practice of “surgical counselors” so if you hit one of those practices, be ready for the high pressure sales tactics similar to selling extended warranties for cars.

Happy to answer any specific questions or general questions, but dont want to hijack the thread. If it is something specific to you, feel free to PM. If it is a specific question about cataraxt surgery in general or a general question, feel free to post it up so others can see.

The current standard of care is to do the eyes separate times, i typically do them a week apart. Some medical malpractice companies say a minimum of a week between eyes is what they will cover. The time frame is being pushed by some doctors and a rare person will do them less than a week apart, but those are places best not to go to since they are just churning volume of surgery and they don’t care so much about patient outcomes.

Bottom line with any medical thing, make sure you are not being bullied into something you do not want. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and dont fall for sales tactics.

There is never any “need” to do an upgraded lens, there is only a want.

This has been the most informative thread ( For Me ) since I have been reading on this site. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE AMOUNT OF great information that everyone has shared. I have come out of this thread with much more knowledge and comfort of this operation. My mind is a LOT more at ease and now I'm kind of looking forward to it, knowing all of this. I sure hope other guys that are needing this operation feel the same way.

Thanks Everyone............. God Bless America

I am not sure what happened with my cataract surgery but I had to have YAG laser done 6 weeks after my 2nd eye was done because I couldn’t hardly see. I could see way better before I had cataract surgery than I can now. If I could go back I would not do it again or at least not use the same Dr.

My wife found out yesterday she needs the cataract surgery.

Needs is a strong word. I rarely ever say a patient "needs" cataract surgery.

It is something that can help people see better, and sometimes is the only option to seeing better, but there are people who do not want to go thru surgery and put it off. It is rarely ever a medical necessity.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about her surgery or surgeon.

Sometimes this is a necessary step to getting you your best vision. Sometimes it isn't.
However, this is an case of giving an example for others to hear about who have no idea of the true facts of your situation and leads people to be scared of the process.

The good news is, a Yag laser is super simple. Honestly it is nothing to worry about. And as long as the cataract surgery was not complicated, a yag laser "should" get you seeing better.