Got my first appointment at Moorfields next Wednesday. I feel tense and apprehensive about it.
Is this for cataracts? Moorfields are the best!
Yes it is.
I’m anxious about having mine done but looking forward to not bumping into things on my left hand side and getting some light into my eyes! It’s like having a fog round my head.
Weirdly, I hadn't really noticed how bad my right eye was getting (because my left eye had obviously been compensating for it) until they did the pre-op checks and said "look at the picture of the house" and I said "what house?". Then switched to my left eye, and went "Ohhh, that house" as there was a little picture of a house inside the machine clear as day.
Got my first appointment at Moorfields next Wednesday. I feel tense and apprehensive about it.
I had both eyes done in 2024. Hugely life enhancing.
They use anaesthetic eye drops, and I didn’t feel a thing during the first op, and just a bit of scratching with the second op. The first op was about eight minutes, the second a little longer.
Ask if they can do one eye for long vision (driving etc) and the other for reading. Apparently you can sometimes get that done on the NHS. I had to go private with the second eye. It was worth it.
I can now get by without glasses at all, although both long and short vision is made even better with glasses.
So from the Covered End I can now read all the billboards and players’ names on the big screen without glasses. But I struggled a bit with the names of all the Charlton fans who had died in 2024. With my glasses I could read them easily.
Weirdly, I hadn't really noticed how bad my right eye was getting (because my left eye had obviously been compensating for it) until they did the pre-op checks and said "look at the picture of the house" and I said "what house?". Then switched to my left eye, and went "Ohhh, that house" as there was a little picture of a house inside the machine clear as day.
I can relate to this. They did the ‘what letters can you see’ with my bad eye - with glasses on - and I could see the first two lines! It reminded me of a two Ronnies sketch…
I’ve nearly lost the sight in my right eye. I’ve got neo vascular glaucoma apparently. I’m having frequent visits to the hospital eye clinic and I’ve had injections in the eye and put in 4 lots of drops twice a day but they say the eye will not recover which makes the treatments a bit unnecessary I’d have thought.
I don't think they will operate on a first appointment, will they? Don't they explain stuff and measure up and suchlike?
No, they'll do a bunch of different scans, check your eye pressure IIRC, and use the slit lamp to look inside your eye. If you've got some sunglasses, take them with you, as the drops to dilate your pupils will mean you're sensitive to glare on the way home, and the low winter sun can be bad enough normally.
Got my first appointment at Moorfields next Wednesday. I feel tense and apprehensive about it.
Nothing to worry about Seth, I had my left eye done last april & was shitting it, after they numbed it with eye drops the only thing I felt was the surgeons hand on my nose, seriously you will wonder what you were worrying about & when you take the dressing off the next day it's like a whole new world opening up. I never realised how bad mine was now I can't wait to get my right eye done.
I don't think they will operate on a first appointment, will they? Don't they explain stuff and measure up and suchlike?
No, they'll do a bunch of different scans, check your eye pressure IIRC, and use the slit lamp to look inside your eye. If you've got some sunglasses, take them with you, as the drops to dilate your pupils will mean you're sensitive to glare on the way home, and the low winter sun can be bad enough normally.
Good advice re sunglasses. I had those drops back in October and when I came out thought I was ok but it was fairly excruciating when I got into daylight! Wished I’d had my prescription sunglasses with me.
Roughly what ages are folks having their cataracts operated on please? I was diagnosed with what I was told was early onset cataracts about 8 years ago, I am now aged well over 62. Since then and under instruction I have been using what i think used to be called reactolite glasses, now called transition glasses. I'm told to wear them all the year round, even during the winter months, they are a godsend tbh, esp. as I'm a biker, the low sun is a big problem over the winter.
I'm long sighted in one eye, short sighted in the other, my prescription changes roughly every two years, sometimes less, for the last 12 years. I have distance transition glasses, reading glasses and intermediate glasses. It's all a bit messy but I really don't think varifocals are for me, with regard to my cataracts and an operation when I ask I'm told 'not yet', I suppose that is a good thing.
I’ve nearly lost the sight in my right eye. I’ve got neo vascular glaucoma apparently. I’m having frequent visits to the hospital eye clinic and I’ve had injections in the eye and put in 4 lots of drops twice a day but they say the eye will not recover which makes the treatments a bit unnecessary I’d have thought.
Im sure you’ll be fine Seth. Best wishes.
I have a different glaucoma and my understanding is that the raised pressure can cause damage to the optic nerve which is permanent. So the drops are to hopefully prevent further damage to either eye. I guess even a little sight is better than none.
Glaucoma is hereditary so children should be informed and can get free NHS eye checks from 40. They should inform their optician in any case so that optic nerve 'health' can be monitored.
I have one long sighted eye, one short sighted eye, and an astigmatism. I get it that they cut a hole in your eye and suck out the cataracts, but I don't get it when it comes to improved eyesight. Do they have to do laser surgery as well?
Roughly what ages are folks having their cataracts operated on please? I was diagnosed with what I was told was early onset cataracts about 8 years ago, I am now aged well over 62. Since then and under instruction I have been using what i think used to be called reactolite glasses, now called transition glasses. I'm told to wear them all the year round, even during the winter months, they are a godsend tbh, esp. as I'm a biker, the low sun is a big problem over the winter.
I'm long sighted in one eye, short sighted in the other, my prescription changes roughly every two years, sometimes less, for the last 12 years. I have distance transition glasses, reading glasses and intermediate glasses. It's all a bit messy but I really don't think varifocals are for me, with regard to my cataracts and an operation when I ask I'm told 'not yet', I suppose that is a good thing.
Mine were done at 69. They had developed quickly over the previous year. I had worn varifocals since the mid 80s.
One important thing about transitional lenses is that they react more slowly in hot weather.
I have one long sighted eye, one short sighted eye, and an astigmatism. I get it that they cut a hole in your eye and suck out the cataracts, but I don't get it when it comes to improved eyesight. Do they have to do laser surgery as well?
I had both cataracts removed free on the NHS at SpaMedica in Bromley.
After drops to freeze the eye a machine inserts a pellet in the eye. Ultrasound then blasts the cataract and the machine irrigates the eye and sucks out the debris. A lens (folded like an umbrella) is inserted in the eye and positioned by the surgeon.
A protective cover over the eye only needs to be worn overnight (although drops are needed before sleep). Next morning perfect vision. Lots of drops are needed for a few weeks I do need reading glasses for small print but I'm driving without glasses for the first time since the mid 80s.
If they put in a plastic lens doesn’t your body reject it?
No, it’s fine. My Mum had one of the first ones in the early 80s (?) and had a week in the eye hosp as it was so new. They’ve come on less and bounds since then and it’s a 20 min surgery and out same day.
My brother has a stent and has to take anti rejection medicine.
So is your question then ‘do you need anti rejection medicine’?
I would take comfort from the many posts on here advocating this surgery and that you are going to Moorfields as the recognised specialists in this field. I hope you will be fine and better post the surgery.
I’ve nearly lost the sight in my right eye. I’ve got neo vascular glaucoma apparently. I’m having frequent visits to the hospital eye clinic and I’ve had injections in the eye and put in 4 lots of drops twice a day but they say the eye will not recover which makes the treatments a bit unnecessary I’d have thought.
Im sure you’ll be fine Seth. Best wishes.
I have a different glaucoma and my understanding is that the raised pressure can cause damage to the optic nerve which is permanent. So the drops are to hopefully prevent further damage to either eye. I guess even a little sight is better than none.
Glaucoma is hereditary so children should be informed and can get free NHS eye checks from 40. They should inform their optician in any case so that optic nerve 'health' can be monitored.
That’s interesting Hex and I’ve heard the theory that the good eye compensates for the other. Not in my case though. The little sight I have in my right eye seems to result in me always spilling milk when putting it into a cup, putting toothpaste on the brush etc. We’re soon to get rid of the car as I’m a self-confessed risk on the road.
Whatever your eye problems I’ve learnt something else recently concerning eye drops that may be of interest. I found out at a recent visit to my opticians that I have ‘dry eyes’. I knew that but was not aware of how severe and chronic it was. It was so bad it was impossible to get my prescription confirmed. The solution was to use eye drops for dry eyes to counter the problem. But not those you buy from the supermarket for a couple of quid. This will sound stupid but these cheap eye drops contain a preservative and it actually causes dry eye ! You can get preservative-free eye drops but they cost £10-12. Also, one of my glaucoma eye drops wasn’t PF and it took some detective work to get a PF alternative.
I have one long sighted eye, one short sighted eye, and an astigmatism. I get it that they cut a hole in your eye and suck out the cataracts, but I don't get it when it comes to improved eyesight. Do they have to do laser surgery as well?
No, they have different types of lenses depending on the prescription that you need, so the lens inside your eye does the correction, rather than a lens in front of your eye. To correct an astigmatism they have special toric lenses, but I think it might depend on how severe your astigmatism is whether they can resolve it completely, as mine hasn't been.
@andipandi I'm something of an outlier here as I'm only in my early 50s, but the cataract in my bad eye was very exacerbated by having to use vast amounts of steroid drops to deal with the repeated bouts of uveitis I've had since having covid. The one in my other eye is quite mild, and probably wouldn't have been spotted if I'd not been having to have regular follow-ups with the eye clinic.
How do they know what kind of lens to stick in your eye, or are they all 20/20 vision ones somehow? What about your glasses? Do people simply chuck them as they’re not needed any more? Actually I hope not, as I have such an ugly face glasses act as a distraction from my visage.
How do they know what kind of lens to stick in your eye, or are they all 20/20 vision ones somehow? What about your glasses? Do people simply chuck them as they’re not needed any more? Actually I hope not, as I have such an ugly face glasses act as a distraction from my visage.
Don't chuck them, donate them to someone like Lions club who will send them to countries less fortunate.
How do they know what kind of lens to stick in your eye, or are they all 20/20 vision ones somehow? What about your glasses? Do people simply chuck them as they’re not needed any more? Actually I hope not, as I have such an ugly face glasses act as a distraction from my visage.
I have a 10-70mm lens in both eyes. This gives me good enough vision for all but reading small type.
I am looking at getting varifocals with zero magnification on the top and reading quality on the bottom.
You can get frames with zero magnification lenses.
Comments
Moorfields are the best!
Don't they explain stuff and measure up and suchlike?
Im sure you’ll be fine Seth. Best wishes.
I'm long sighted in one eye, short sighted in the other, my prescription changes roughly every two years, sometimes less, for the last 12 years. I have distance transition glasses, reading glasses and intermediate glasses. It's all a bit messy but I really don't think varifocals are for me, with regard to my cataracts and an operation when I ask I'm told 'not yet', I suppose that is a good thing.
Glaucoma is hereditary so children should be informed and can get free NHS eye checks from 40. They should inform their optician in any case so that optic nerve 'health' can be monitored.
My left eye has a cataract but nothing serious. Things are much brighter and whiter after surgery.
Opticians are very good at keeping tracks on eye health.
I get it that they cut a hole in your eye and suck out the cataracts, but I don't get it when it comes to improved eyesight.
Do they have to do laser surgery as well?
One important thing about transitional lenses is that they react more slowly in hot weather.
After drops to freeze the eye a machine inserts a pellet in the eye. Ultrasound then blasts the cataract and the machine irrigates the eye and sucks out the debris. A lens (folded like an umbrella) is inserted in the eye and positioned by the surgeon.
A protective cover over the eye only needs to be worn overnight (although drops are needed before sleep). Next morning perfect vision. Lots of drops are needed for a few weeks I do need reading glasses for small print but I'm driving without glasses for the first time since the mid 80s.
I would take comfort from the many posts on here advocating this surgery and that you are going to Moorfields as the recognised specialists in this field. I hope you will be fine and better post the surgery.
The solution was to use eye drops for dry eyes to counter the problem. But not those you buy from the supermarket for a couple of quid. This will sound stupid but these cheap eye drops contain a preservative and it actually causes dry eye ! You can get preservative-free eye drops but they cost £10-12. Also, one of my glaucoma eye drops wasn’t PF and it took some detective work to get a PF alternative.
What about your glasses?
Do people simply chuck them as they’re not needed any more?
Actually I hope not, as I have such an ugly face glasses act as a distraction from my visage.
I am looking at getting varifocals with zero magnification on the top and reading quality on the bottom.
You can get frames with zero magnification lenses.