Cataract surgery decisions

[Mozart]

Contacts provide better vision correction than glasses. They do not distort peripheral vision and eliminate the eye straining for the distance between the eye and the lens.

More importantly, for people with extreme myopia (defined as a glasses prescription of -8 or higher) or at risk for extreme myopia, contacts can slow or prevent vision decline. My vision was saved by being in contacts for the last 34 years rather than glasses. At the time I got contacts (age 12 back when most doctors did not prescribe them for kids under 16 or so), my prescription was changing by a diopter or more every 3-4 months. Contacts drastically slowed that change. I have the same hereditary retinal disease that has caused my mother to become legally blind. When when she was my current age, her worst eye was -18.5 in contacts. My worst eye is currently -9.5. Research was emerging back at the time I got contacts that suggested that contacts could slow or stop drastic changes. It worked for me.

I will NEVER criticize or question why people have contacts instead of glasses. And when people smugly say to me that they don't mind wearing glasses or they aren't vain or whatever BS they have, I will always tell them why I have contacts and that they SAVED MY VISION.

I didn't know that. I don't have any eye diseases but my left is -13 and my right is -9.75 and I have never worn contacts. I will have to try them!

 

[Spun Silver]

I'd just like to mention I got along for 50 years with eyes that were different. Right eye for reading, left for everything else. Never had any problems or headaches from my eyes. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

What happened after the 50 years? 50 is in my rear view mirror!

 

[Spun Silver]

Contacts provide better vision correction than glasses. They do not distort peripheral vision and eliminate the eye straining for the distance between the eye and the lens.

More importantly, for people with extreme myopia (defined as a glasses prescription of -8 or higher) or at risk for extreme myopia, contacts can slow or prevent vision decline.

I can't believe I've been myopic my whole life and never heard this. I do wear contacts sometimes, and they do give me better distance vision, but I have severe dry eye syndrome, which makes them uncomfortable for long periods. And it's been a long time since I could read with them in unless I also wore readers, which is irritating (two layers of correction, ugh). In fact, I really can't remember the last time I had truly satisfactory vision correction. We've moved a lot in the past ten years so as age has really started to affect my eyes, I've seen multiple optometrists and opthalmologists... none of whom have been able to find me a really good solution to my combo of nearsightedness in both eyes and astigmatism in one. I'm just thankful that I don't have any serious eye disease.

Still, I definitely need to check out the benefits of contacts. It's amazing that they prevented your vision from declining like your mother's. That's fantastic!

 

[Japanfan]

@Spun Silver: sorry, I just reread your post and saw that you said glasses were not an option.

Contacts provide better vision correction than glasses. They do not distort peripheral vision and eliminate the eye straining for the distance between the eye and the lens.

I will NEVER criticize or question why people have contacts instead of glasses. And when people smugly say to me that they don't mind wearing glasses or they aren't vain or whatever BS they have, I will always tell them why I have contacts and that they SAVED MY VISION.

Who peed in your cornflakes?

I did not criticize or question why people have contacts. I asked Spun Silver 'what about eyeglasses?', not knowing (in that moment) if contacts were an option for her. Also, because I know quite a few (older) people who have glasses on hand just for reading menus and the like.

If contacts saved your vision, that's wonderful.

And who are you to tell me whether I do or do not mind wearing glasses? Who are you to say that it is BS? The fact that I don't mind, myself, does not mean that someone else should choose glasses when contacts are an option.

I wore contacts for quite a few years in my 20s, actually. I don't really recall it, but am sans glasses in so many pictures for a number of years that it is obvious. I think that I just wearied of them at some point, because they bothered my eyes. I remember wearing contacts for my wedding, and finding them uncomfortable.

And it has nothing to do with vanity. I only held the view that that glasses made me less attractive than I would otherwise be for a short time.

I actually do remember two men I dated in my youth commenting on my wearing glasses in a negative way. It just me, probably because I am so used to wearing glasses. It just has never bothered me.

If my eyes have strained due to the distance between my eyes and my lenses, I've really never noticed.

Also, my distance glasses - which I wear driving/outside/in public - are small, light and frameless. I love them!

My eyes have actually gotten stronger with age (which I've heard is not uncommon). I am cross-eyed in one eye and always saw double in that eye without glasses. Now, much less so.

If I was younger and surgery was an option, I'd probably take it. It's a cultural thing. But at this point in my life it doesn't matter.

Also, people today do consider glasses to be a fashion accessory. I've seen Megan Duhamel wearing glasses (too big and heavy for my taste) quite a few times - though maybe she also wears contacts. But, she appears to not mind being seen wearing glasses on TV.

 

[Aceon6]

This is just my experience, but the hating glasses thing really hit in elementary/middle school. Kids who wear glasses were “different”, and invited the attention of bullies. God forbid you had the double header of glasses and braces! It doesn’t help that most kids glasses sold between 1950 and the late 90s were downright unattractive. By high school, all the rich kids I knew got contacts, so it became a social class issue.

My glasses wearing great nephew hasn’t experienced as much anti glasses sentiment. There are many frame options for kids and the opticians seem to care how they look. It helps that quite a few prominent people wear them unapologetically.

 

[puglover]

Off topic for sure - but - it amazes me how many skaters really squint and strain to look at the marks. They can probably hardly wait to put their glasses back on.

 

[snoopy]

I think the distance from where the skaters sit to the scores requires better than 20/20 vision to see clearly. Iow it’s pretty far.

Good luck with your decision and result spun silver.

 

[Lizziebeth]

This is just my experience, but the hating glasses thing really hit in elementary/middle school. Kids who wear glasses were “different”, and invited the attention of bullies. God forbid you had the double header of glasses and braces! It doesn’t help that most kids glasses sold between 1950 and the late 90s were downright unattractive. By high school, all the rich kids I knew got contacts, so it became a social class issue.

My glasses wearing great nephew hasn’t experienced as much anti glasses sentiment. There are many frame options for kids and the opticians seem to care how they look. It helps that quite a few prominent people wear them unapologetically.

You are so right about the fugly glasses for kids back in the day! I was a little nearsighted and would never wear mine, except at school if I was stuck in the back of the room. My mama wanted me to get contact lenses when they first came on the scene - I would never have asked for them. I wore them for years until allergies and being stuck in smoky rooms at work made me stop. I agree with PDilemma that those old contacts probably kept my vision from getting more nearsighted. It was getting worse each year and that kinda stopped.

 

[KatieC]

What happened after the 50 years? 50 is in my rear view mirror!

Well, about two years ago the left eye started to give up the distance sight. Now I can read with both eyes (no glasses), but need glasses to see clearly anything beyond two feet. So driving and computers need the glasses, gardening, laundry, stuff around the house don't.
I am going to ask the doctor next week if laser surgery or anything else will stop or delay the march of time.

 

[puglover]

I had cataract surgery about 20 years ago. I take a steroid medication for my lungs that somehow encourages cataract growth. The surgery was a miracle for me and I do remember my mother having her eyes done where they sandbagged her head and she had to lie without moving and she was so horribly nauseated so I was so glad my surgery was so easy. Not sure if others have experienced this but since the surgery I do not like the headlights of approaching cars at night. They look like long steams of bright to me. I rarely drive at night now and never on unfamiliar routes.

 

[Japanfan]

You are so right about the fugly glasses for kids back in the day!

I had a pair of blue 'cat's eye' glasses, with frames that curved a bit upwards/outwards.

I have a picture of myself wearing them when I was 10 or 11, along with a bright pink dress in one of those horrible polyester 70s fabrics.

 

[Peaches LaTour]

What happened after the 50 years? 50 is in my rear view mirror!

My rear view mirror, too.

 

[Spun Silver]

I had a pair of blue 'cat's eye' glasses, with frames that curved a bit upwards/outwards.

I have a picture of myself wearing them when I was 10 or 11, along with a bright pink dress in one of those horrible polyester 70s fabric.

I had those exact same glasses! What were the designers thinking??