Cataract Surgery and Choice of Focal Distance

I'll have a surgery in my only good eye in a month. Before going over the
details w/ my doc, I just want to know if my thinking makes sense.

1. I want the monofocal distance to be around 8-9 inches because that has
been my comfortable reading distance (I need to read manuscripts whose print
is usually small, so I read without my glasses). The near vision is the most
important for me.
2. Then, I can have a pair of glasses to give me a good focus at 16 inches
for my computer work.
3. Finally, I can have a stronger pair of glasses (maybe bifocal) to give me
a good far vision for driving, etc.

Does it make sense, or does anyone have a better idea?

 

You might also consider that your needs may conceivably change, and
such an arrangement may prove to be inconvenient in the future. Also,
you might need to consider just how much anisometropia you will wind up
with and how that might affect your binocularity with eyeglasses.

DrG

 

Anisometropia? Is it fatal?

Well, the OP could also wind up with some astigmatism.

Dumb luck or surgeon skill could get her to where I am:
~ 1.0 Diopter nearsighted in each eye, including quite minor astigmatism.
Bad luck could get you more astigmatism as well as anisometropia.

I am not an eyecare professional, but I can tell you this: It is very
nice to be able to see most things without eyeglasses, and to be able
to use Walgreens readers for close-up. (Still need glasses for night
driving, though.)

Over a diopter of astigmatism in one eye was mostly resolved -- the
other eye had very little to start with. I was not told in advance if
the astigmatism could be corrected, only that it would be less.
Otherwise I was told practically nothing, and given no opportunity
to make any choice about working distance. The surgeon has
a very good reputation in my locale, but not for communication.
If I had been given an opportunity to choose, I would have chosen
reading distance. I think that would have been the wrong choice.
As it is, I can see my computer screen and everything on my desk
with cheap reading glasses (happen to be Zenni's, but Walgreens+1.25
are almost as good). I can see everything else in the room quite clearly
by looking over the glasses, which are small, and slide down the nose.
For really close work, like watch repair, I have got a lit magnifier on
a stand attached to the desk.

 

Have you ever considered therapy, Dick?

DrG

 

I agree with that idea. JJ is probably reading at 8 or 9 inches out of
necessity due to the cataract. Once that's gone, he/she should be able
to relax out to the more normal 16-18 inches and be comfy.

w.stacy, o.d.

 

Maybe I should start with a portable medical dictionary. Then if some professional
person threatens me with anisometropia, I could avoid having a panic attack.

 

you found sci.med.vision, so you must know how to google, but if not,
click on http://www.google.com and carefully enter in the search box the
following:

definition anisometropia

and see what happens

w.stacy, o.d.

 

Anybody looking for answers in a sci.med.vision news group ought to
expect to encounter some medical and visual science jargon. If I
encounter an unfamiliar term, I would prefer to look it up rather than
embarrass myself. The term anisometropia has been used here countless
times.

DrG

DrG

 

Thank both of you for good suggestions. I had always read at 8-9 inches even
before cataract severaly interfered with my vision. Maybe I loved clear and
detailed close-up vision that my myopia gave me Provided that my vision
is clearly focused at 16 inches after the surgery, will reading glasses give
me clear and focused close-up vision? I'm certainly intrigued by your
suggestions because dealing with "small reading glasses" should be much
easier than dealing with "glasses for intermediate vision".

 

You're right. But it still applies to all of you binocular/biocular
people out there.

 

She's right, Leuko.

So much for anisometropia and binocularity.

You folks get so wrapped up in your fancy nomenclature
that you lose track and come unstrung.

 

Dicky, didn't your mother teach you how to behave? Here you are, a
senior citizen, acting like a two year-old. You and Otis, birds of a
feather.

DrG

 

Well it's not common, but if you're happy with it, you can certainly
request it. The surgeon might balk at inducing so much myopia on purpose.

Yes. you would need about a +1.50 lens to get you to 8 inches if you
end up being about a -2.00 myope, which is what I'd recommend. You would
need approximately a -2.00 for distance vision.

Alternatively you might want to consider:

1. Go for best distance vision and either wear a trifocal or a
progressive for the 16" and 8" distances. In this scenario the distance
Rx would be near zero and probably optional, so instead you could just
get a pair of +2.00 for 16" and +4.00 for 8 inches, or you could make
them bifocals with the upper for 16" and the lower for 8".

But since you only have one good eye, you probably should wear glasses
all the time (with Trivex lenses) for protection, esp. when driving or
doing anything where you might receive an impact.

w.stacy, o.d.

 

Realize your asking for -4 to -5 diopters of myopia. This is how bad my
eyes are naturally and im not happy with this much myopia. Yes I can
read easily at 8 inches but things get blurry in a hurry past a foot. I
cant even read the computer monitor without a thin pair of minus
glasses and this is no fun! I need glasses for everything except eating
and reading up close.

As others have suggested, you are much, much better off asking to be -2
to -2.5 instead. This will let you see the computer monitor without
correction AND let you read everything except tiny/fine print. You will
be much, much less dependant on any kind of glasses at -2.5 than -5.
Not only that, your distance vision wont be so poor. -5 is very poor
distance vision(worse than 20/400), you will feel handicapped or
functionally blind without distance glasses but at -2.5 youll still be
quite functional(better than 20/200). If I could chose how myopic I
wanted to be, I would NOT want to be more than -2.5 myself.