Toric Lens Implant Blurry Vision

Question: I had toric lens implants in my left eye 6 weeks ago and my vision in that eye is blurry. My focus comes in clear but doesn't last long. I had toric lens implant in my right eye 4 weeks ago (nearsighted) and it is fine. I can read fine. How long is normal recovery time for my left eye (farsighted)? 

Answer: It is not apparent whether you had monovision lens implants or one eye was nearsighted and one eye farsighted prior to your cataract surgery. In any case, after 4-6 weeks your vision should be stable and one must look for other reasons for the transient blurry vision. You need to return to your cataract surgeon for a careful examination to see if the lens implant power itself is accurate or whether it is rotated or even if there is a dry eye problem impacting the one eye to a greater extent. These should all be observations easily made by your cataract surgeon.

Important Note: The information presented on the About Cataract Surgery Blog or provided in response to a request for information in the Ask Cataract Surgeons section on aboutcataractsurgery.com is not intended to diagnose or treat eye problems, eye conditions or eye diseases including appropriateness of treatment, risks, complications or side effects as related to Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants. In particular a response to an inquiry made on the Ask Cataract Surgeons section of aboutcataractsurgery.com is not meant to take the place of the professional medical care provided by your eye doctor, ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon. Contacting us via e-mail or any other means is not a substitute for medical care.

Progressive Eyeglasses after Cataract Surgery

Question: If I have cataract surgery and put in monofocal lenses for far distance, can I wear progressive lens eyeglasses to get 20/20 vision? Should I expect halos?

Answer: Progressive spectacle lenses after cataract surgery to correct near vision focusing problems-called presbyopia-are a reasonable choice with monofocal lens implants as they will allow correction of any residual refractive error as well. You will be dependent on these glasses for all close vision tasks. Whether you correct to 20/20 really depends on the overall health of your eyes and the results of your cataract surgery. In addition whether you experience haloes depends on your cataract surgery as well including the position of the lens implants and their centration during surgery as well as the monofocal lens edge design as these could all be factors.

Important Note: The information presented on the About Cataract Surgery Blog or provided in response to a request for information in the Ask Cataract Surgeons section on aboutcataractsurgery.com is not intended to diagnose or treat eye problems, eye conditions or eye diseases including appropriateness of treatment, risks, complications or side effects as related to Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants. In particular a response to an inquiry made on the Ask Cataract Surgeons section of aboutcataractsurgery.com is not meant to take the place of the professional medical care provided by your eye doctor, ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon. Contacting us via e-mail or any other means is not a substitute for medical care.

Bubble Feeling after Cataract Surgery

Question: Ten months after cataract surgery, I still have a bubble like feeling from the left top center to the left bottom center of the eye perhaps just under the eyelid itself. Also, I experience a huge starburst while looking at lights at night and a constant cloudiness which diminishes the sharpness and clarity vs. the opposite eye. I have noted all of this to my new eye doctors since the surgery to no avail. I finally had LASIK surgery with no improvement in the puffiness/cloudiness. What could be the problem and what should I do about it?

Answer: Are you certain that the “bubble’ is simply a feeling and not actually in your vision? A bubble in your vision is a problem that needs attention as it could indicate a problem with the retina or vitreous being loose or even detached. More likely is that you are possibly experiencing an optical phenomenon due to the presence of the lens implant edge or its slight decentration or perhaps some retina swelling. While you state that you had LASIK surgery, we question whether you had LASIK or a YAG Laser Capsulotomy to create a clear optical opening in the posterior lens capsule that s was left in place to support the lens implant. This is much more likely and creates some optical problems as well. Your best next step is to ask your cataract surgeon to refer you to a retinal specialist for a second opinion in order to rule out any retina or vitreous related issues that might be contributing to the visual disturbance.

Important Note: The information presented on the About Cataract Surgery Blog or provided in response to a request for information in the Ask Cataract Surgeons section on aboutcataractsurgery.com is not intended to diagnose or treat eye problems, eye conditions or eye diseases including appropriateness of treatment, risks, complications or side effects as related to Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants. In particular a response to an inquiry made on the Ask Cataract Surgeons section of aboutcataractsurgery.com is not meant to take the place of the professional medical care provided by your eye doctor, ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon. Contacting us via e-mail or any other means is not a substitute for medical care.

Cloudy IOL Problem

Question: What complications can arise from procedure that removes "cloudy" condition from an existing intraocular lens?  Can existing "cloudy" IOL be replaced with new IOL?

Answer: When you are describing a cloudy IOL, we are uncertain whether you actually mean the IOL itself has become cloudy-indicating that there was perhaps some inflammation or other complication during the cataract surgery-or if you are referring to the presence of “posterior capsular opacification” in which the lens capsule of the crystalline lens which had the cloudy cataract material was removed. If it is the former there is no telling what the complications might be as this is a much more complex situation to understand without a clinical exam. If you are describing posterior capsular opacification then it is possible that a YAG Laser Capsulotomy will be performed in order to create a small optically clear opening in the cloudy lens capsule. This is needed in some 30% of patients that have had routine cataract surgery and is relatively uneventful. A YAG Laser procedure is performed using simply eye drops for anesthesia and takes only a few minutes in the office. There really is no recovery tie and the restoration of clear vision is usually immediate. If in fact you need to have a coated or clouded IOL actually exchanged for a new one this does require intraocular surgery and thus the complications are the same as any other primary cataract surgery including infection, inflammation, swelling of the delicate internal ocular tissue and even retinal detachment which is very unusual.

Important Note: The information presented on the About Cataract Surgery Blog or provided in response to a request for information in the Ask Cataract Surgeons section on aboutcataractsurgery.com is not intended to diagnose or treat eye problems, eye conditions or eye diseases including appropriateness of treatment, risks, complications or side effects as related to Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants. In particular a response to an inquiry made on the Ask Cataract Surgeons section of aboutcataractsurgery.com is not meant to take the place of the professional medical care provided by your eye doctor, ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon. Contacting us via e-mail or any other means is not a substitute for medical care.