Disappointing results from cataract surgery

It has been nearly two months since cataract surgery. The surgeon
declared the surgery "perfect" at the end of the surgery. I had gone
into the surgery in good health and with modest myopia. The surgery
was on the left eye and the intent was distance correction. The
experience afterward was not the experience so frequently heard. There
were no complications and while there was a very tiny swelling of the
corneal surface detected two weeks after surgery, that too has
vanished. There persists, and this is true since about the third or
fourth day after surgery, a blurriness at all distances; and with
distance, as for example the crosswalk signs (cross/don't cross) on the
street, two images for distant objects.
I wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences.

You see double images? Did you mention these symptoms to the surgeon after
the last refraction test? I had double images for about two weeks after
surgery, attributed to a "crease" or bend of the IOL, but symptoms
diminished slowly thereafter. What kind of surgery did you have? By that I
mean, was it "stitch-less" or did you have stiches? George

rmazza wrote:

> It has been nearly two months since cataract surgery. The surgeon
> declared the surgery "perfect" at the end of the surgery. I had gone
> into the surgery in good health and with modest myopia. The surgery
> was on the left eye and the intent was distance correction. The
> experience afterward was not the experience so frequently heard. There
> were no complications and while there was a very tiny swelling of the
> corneal surface detected two weeks after surgery, that too has
> vanished. There persists, and this is true since about the third or
> fourth day after surgery, a blurriness at all distances; and with
> distance, as for example the crosswalk signs (cross/don't cross) on the
> street, two images for distant objects.
> I wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences.

Stitch-less. And yes it has been mentioned to the Surgeon only two
days ago. There a scanning test on Tuesday to come. I've come across
others for whom a good resolution took months and sometimes some
intervention.

George wrote:
> You see double images? Did you mention these symptoms to the surgeon after
> the last refraction test? I had double images for about two weeks after
> surgery, attributed to a "crease" or bend of the IOL, but symptoms
> diminished slowly thereafter. What kind of surgery did you have? By that I
> mean, was it "stitch-less" or did you have stiches? George
>
> rmazza wrote:
>
> > It has been nearly two months since cataract surgery. The surgeon
> > declared the surgery "perfect" at the end of the surgery. I had gone
> > into the surgery in good health and with modest myopia. The surgery
> > was on the left eye and the intent was distance correction. The
> > experience afterward was not the experience so frequently heard. There
> > were no complications and while there was a very tiny swelling of the
> > corneal surface detected two weeks after surgery, that too has
> > vanished. There persists, and this is true since about the third or
> > fourth day after surgery, a blurriness at all distances; and with
> > distance, as for example the crosswalk signs (cross/don't cross) on the
> > street, two images for distant objects.
> > I wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences.

rmazza wrote:
> It has been nearly two months since cataract surgery. The surgeon
> declared the surgery "perfect" at the end of the surgery. I had gone
> into the surgery in good health and with modest myopia. The surgery
> was on the left eye and the intent was distance correction. The
> experience afterward was not the experience so frequently heard. There
> were no complications and while there was a very tiny swelling of the
> corneal surface detected two weeks after surgery, that too has
> vanished. There persists, and this is true since about the third or
> fourth day after surgery, a blurriness at all distances; and with
> distance, as for example the crosswalk signs (cross/don't cross) on the
> street, two images for distant objects.
> I wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences.
>

You need to have a careful refraction so that any refractive error can
be cleared up with glasses, etc. What kind of IOL did you get (brand
name, etc)?

w.stacy, o.d.

That's, hopefully, much better than the un-careful refraction exam <grin>.

William Stacy wrote:

> You need to have a careful refraction so that any refractive error can
> be cleared up with glasses, etc. What kind of IOL did you get (brand
> name, etc)?
>
> w.stacy, o.d.

Right. I don't know how to put it delicately. Refraction is as much an
art as it is a science. Some people have "the touch" to do it right and
some don't. It's kind of mysterious, almost like voodoo. Anyway, my
point was more or less: if at first you don't succeed...

w.stacy, o.d.


George wrote:
> That's, hopefully, much better than the un-careful refraction exam <grin>.
>
> William Stacy wrote:
>
>
>>You need to have a careful refraction so that any refractive error can
>>be cleared up with glasses, etc. What kind of IOL did you get (brand
>>name, etc)?
>>
>>w.stacy, o.d.
>
>

This is true. I did have an astigmatism before the surgery. I have
just had a prescription for that eye and the results are no different.
Anon E. Muss wrote:
> On 23 Sep 2006 05:51:40 -0700, "rmazza" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >It has been nearly two months since cataract surgery. The surgeon
> >declared the surgery "perfect" at the end of the surgery.
>
> A surgically perfect surgery is different than ending up being "plano
> DS" in the distance.
>
> A lot of (anatomically) "perfect retinal detachment surgeries" end up
> with 20/400 vision.
>
> >I had gone into the surgery in good health and with modest myopia.
> >The surgery was on the left eye and the intent was distance
> >correction. The experience afterward was not the experience so
> >frequently heard. There were no complications and while there was a
> >very tiny swelling of the corneal surface detected two weeks after
> >surgery, that too has vanished. There persists, and this is true
> >since about the third or fourth day after surgery, a blurriness at all
> >distances; and with distance, as for example the crosswalk signs
> >(cross/don't cross) on the street
>
> "Blurriness" is very subjective. What is your uncorrected and best
> corrected visual acuity and/or contast sensitivity?
>
> >two images for distant objects.
>
> Is this with the with the best possible distance refraction/glasses in
> front of your eyes or uncorrected? This could be something as simple
> as uncorrected astigmatism that you perhaps had before (and now after)
> surgery.

Do you mean that there might have been a poor lense selection by the
surgeon; that there is no, shall we say, mathematical determination of
the specific lense to be implanted and this can result in probems?
William Stacy wrote:
> Right. I don't know how to put it delicately. Refraction is as much an
> art as it is a science. Some people have "the touch" to do it right and
> some don't. It's kind of mysterious, almost like voodoo. Anyway, my
> point was more or less: if at first you don't succeed...
>
> w.stacy, o.d.
>
>
> George wrote:
> > That's, hopefully, much better than the un-careful refraction exam <grin>.
> >
> > William Stacy wrote:
> >
> >
> >>You need to have a careful refraction so that any refractive error can
> >>be cleared up with glasses, etc. What kind of IOL did you get (brand
> >>name, etc)?
> >>
> >>w.stacy, o.d.
> >
> >

There is a, to use your phrase, a mathematical determination of the correct IOL
power based on the results of your eye measurement test taken prior to surgery.
The eye measurement is usually via a ultra sonic or laser system that then puts
the resulting data into a mathematical model to find the right IOL. But it is not
perfect and there is always a fudge factor involved that the cataract surgeon may
use depending on their prior experience. They can also goof, under the pressure of
trying to get too many patients through, that they may also get it wrong. You may
want to discuss this possibility with your surgeon, but he/she may get a bit testy
as they may see a law suit on the horizon and they don't want to incriminate
themselves.

George

rmazza wrote:

> Do you mean that there might have been a poor lense selection by the
> surgeon; that there is no, shall we say, mathematical determination of
> the specific lense to be implanted and this can result in probems?

how was your vision in the left eye before your surgery? is it better
now?

sometimes patients, and doctors, believe that poor vision in an eye is
caused by cataracts just because they see that a cataract is present.
however, after the surgery, it becomes apparent that the poor vision
was due at least in part to something else. perhaps you had an
expectation of "perfect" vision after the surgery which is really an
unreasonable expectation.

your complaint sounds to me like you still have some uncorrected
astigmatism. if you had astigmatism prior to surgery you more than
likely still have it since it is not easily remedied by intraocular
lens implantation.

you mention that you just got a prescription for your operated eye and
the blurriness is still there. who did the refraction for your new
prescription? the surgeon? as was mentioned by Dr. Stacy, it takes
much practice to become a good refractionist. oftentimes surgeons are
not the best refractionists. regardless of who did the refraction for
your new prescription I would recommend having a second refraction and
telling the doctor exactly what your complaint is. he/she can see how
much residual refractive error remains after surgery and also tell you
if your new prescription glasses are correct or not. and as mentioned
earlier, there may be other issues that aside from refractive error,
and aside from your cataract, that causes blurry vision.

===================

rmazza wrote:
> It has been nearly two months since cataract surgery. The surgeon
> declared the surgery "perfect" at the end of the surgery. I had gone
> into the surgery in good health and with modest myopia. The surgery
> was on the left eye and the intent was distance correction. The
> experience afterward was not the experience so frequently heard. There
> were no complications and while there was a very tiny swelling of the
> corneal surface detected two weeks after surgery, that too has
> vanished. There persists, and this is true since about the third or
> fourth day after surgery, a blurriness at all distances; and with
> distance, as for example the crosswalk signs (cross/don't cross) on the
> street, two images for distant objects.
> I wondered if anyone else had had similar experiences.