Motoring Discussion > eye surgery Miscellaneous
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New Tue 14 Jan 25 17:49 
 eye surgery - Zero
So I have had two cataracts done in the past month, and corrective lenses inserted. I now have utterly extraordinary vision, night driving is a revelation, so now glasses free for the first time since I was a testosterone overdosed spotty youth.

I have on my driving license the "01" code, for glasses. Now if that stays on, and I get pulled, the old bill is going to give me the number plate reading test (I can easily pass that test by a huge margin) I can get it removed by contacting the DVLA (not an offence to leave it on) just pondering if its worth the hassle.
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New Tue 14 Jan 25 17:56 
 eye surgery - zippy
>> just pondering if its worth the hassle.

Yes. Just in case you get pulled by someone who doesn't know you're able to do the number plate reading test.
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New Tue 14 Jan 25 18:44 
 eye surgery - smokie
I know quite a few who have had similar experiences (and one where it went horribly wrong) and in a funny kind of way I'm quite keen that my early signs of cataracts develop fairly quickly. Though I can't imagine not wearing specs any more, and I think I'd look (even more) odd without them.

I did discuss with the optician at the start of my recent eye test. When we got to the bit where you read letters off the card on the wall, and I could read the smallest fairly easily, he said well you've just blown any chance of a cataract op!!

Guess I'll wait then...
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New Tue 14 Jan 25 23:02 
 eye surgery - Bobby
Chances of being pulled?
Chances of asking to see your actual license?
Chances of noticing the marker and knowing what it means?
Chances of them not being understanding when you explain why?
Chances of them asking you to do an eyesight test as a result?

Na not worth the hassle.
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New Wed 15 Jan 25 10:16 
 eye surgery - Kevin
>..I now have utterly extraordinary vision,..

Bus drivers will be overjoyed.
Last edited by: Kevin on Wed 15 Jan 25 at 10:17
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New Wed 15 Jan 25 13:48 
 eye surgery - martin aston
I had my cataracts done over the summer by the NHS. Eyesight is great, no need now for glasses. The one issue has been increased eye pressure which has now been controlled by drops. No symptoms I am aware of but they want to eliminate glaucoma.

Hopefully it turns out that I simply ( and temporarily) reacted to the routine steroid drops following surgery. It’s a known risk. Unfortunately they won’t just let me stop the current drops and retest me. Instead they want to check me again in six months. I suspect this timescale is not clinically necessary but that it’s a matter of waiting lists.

Last edited by: martin aston on Wed 15 Jan 25 at 13:48
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New Wed 15 Jan 25 16:37 
 eye surgery - Zero
Not had any issues, finished drops on eye 1 around xmas, will finish drops on eye 2 in about a week. I went for uber sharp distance vision (to eliminate glare and halos at bight) sharp intermediate, knowing I would need reading glasses if I went extreme. It needs a lazer tweak as the reading distance is a little too far away. (30" rather than 14 inches)
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New Fri 17 Jan 25 21:13 
 eye surgery - Bill Payer
>> Not had any issues, finished drops on eye 1 around xmas, will finish drops on
>> eye 2 in about a week. I went for uber sharp distance vision (to eliminate
>> glare and halos at bight) sharp intermediate, knowing I would need reading glasses if I
>> went extreme. It needs a lazer tweak as the reading distance is a little too
>> far away. (30" rather than 14 inches)
>>

Did you need glasses for distance before?

My wife had a detached retina and the gas used after the repair causes a cateract so she had a lens fitted. She was -5 in both eyes and wears varifocals.

She really wanted to go to 0 so woudn't need glasses for walking around etc, but was advised it would be impossile to do things like reading her phone screen without wearing reading glasses. Is your experience different to that?
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New Fri 17 Jan 25 22:08 
 eye surgery - Kevin
Mrs K had both eyes done (privately) with multifocal lenses by a company called ReSTOR. She doesn't need specs for either reading or distance vision. The lenses look like a spider's web in her eyes if you catch them in certain light conditions.
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 08:14 
 eye surgery - martin aston
BP this was also what I was advised by the NHS. As you are probably aware they don’t offer multi-focal lenses for cataract so you have three choices: distance, near or one of each. They say the brain adapts to the one of each approach but as a contact lens wearer I had experience of sometimes going “one-eyed” and didn’t like it, I wouldn’t drive in that state.
Prior to the op I was -12 and -6 and my optician had advised me that while he could continue to provide contact lenses with that discrepancy it was too wide for specs to be comfortable. So I went for the distance option and can now read the whole chart without specs.
As for reading, prior to the op I used readers for comfort but could read very close up if I found myself without them. Now I cannot read books without readers even holding books very close. Luckily the car dashboard is just in my new range so driving is fine.
Other than going for going for multi-focal implants privately this is the best option for me.

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New Sat 18 Jan 25 09:34 
 eye surgery - Zero
>> Mrs K had both eyes done (privately) with multifocal lenses by a company called ReSTOR.
>> She doesn't need specs for either reading or distance vision. The lenses look like a
>> spider's web in her eyes if you catch them in certain light conditions.

I had this discussion (had mine done privately) and there are compromises* with the various types of multifocal lenses even if you have different for each eye, the main one possibly rainbows round bright light sources, some residual glare, flaring or starring round same at night. Due to the prevalence now of bright oncoming LED car headlights I wanted the best possible outcome for that. My night vision is now astonishing in the face of such lights. At night I can see the road clearly in my headlight beam, the oncoming lights are not blinding or compromising my vision, and I can even see the stars in the sky at the same time in my wider vision. It is truly astonishing.

So thats worked out. I have one far lens and one multifocal lens and just need a lazer tweak to adjust the reading distance boundary.

*at the end of the day no matter the technology, they cannot provide superb vision and clarity from 3 inches to infinity, no lens can.
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 09:48 
 eye surgery - Bobby
I wear glasses and if driving at night, I wear a yellow clip on lense which dramatically reduces the glare from oncoming headlights.
My optician is adamant that car LED lights and the effect on eyesight are going to be a major health issue in years to come. Says the lights are just simply too bright for the human eyes to be dealing with constantly.
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 09:57 
 eye surgery - Zero
>> I wear glasses and if driving at night, I wear a yellow clip on lense
>> which dramatically reduces the glare from oncoming headlights.

Any layer of glass is going to scatter light, you have the windscreen doing it, and adding more makes it worse. You now have three layers doing it.,


>> My optician is adamant that car LED lights and the effect on eyesight are going
>> to be a major health issue in years to come. Says the lights are just
>> simply too bright for the human eyes to be dealing with constantly.

I think its a major road safety issue now. Shouldn't be, the advent of leds and computer design of the beam should make your light source much more precise and control cut off and scatter. somehow it hasn't happened.
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 09:42 
 eye surgery - Zero

>> Did you need glasses for distance before?

yes I needed varifocals

>> She really wanted to go to 0 so woudn't need glasses for walking around etc,
>> but was advised it would be impossile to do things like reading her phone screen
>> without wearing reading glasses. Is your experience different to that?

Currently, I now need 1.5d for distances 0 to 18 inches, 18inches+ suddenly becomes very sharp all the way to infinity, ideally the aim is to bring that cutoff 6 inches closer.
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 15:03 
 eye surgery - Bill Payer
>> Currently, I now need 1.5d for distances 0 to 18 inches, 18inches+ suddenly becomes very
>> sharp all the way to infinity, ideally the aim is to bring that cutoff 6
>> inches closer.
>>

That's with your multi-focal lens?

Wife's were done under NHS but we did have a chat with a consultant privately and it was him that said she wouldn't be able to do close stuff at without readers. She was told she couldn't have (or would be too iffy?) to have multi-focals due to astigmatism. Private guy also told us the NHS consultant we were under was a good guy, and said to stick with him!

In the event wife has had a few problems with one eye - related to the original detached retina problem = so I dread to think how that would have worked out if she'd gone private.
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 15:26 
 eye surgery - Zero
>> That's with your multi-focal lens?
>>

Yes, was never intended for reading, (to prevent the halos/glare thing, and I too have astigmatism) but for intermediate/near intermediate. The near intermediate isnt quite near enough, but I always had the option in my care plan of a lasik tweak after 6 months settling in.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 18 Jan 25 at 15:27
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New Sat 18 Jan 25 15:33 
 eye surgery - Zero
edit

And interestingly I also have an active vestigial third eyelid called the plica semilunaris, that has become active about 4 times in my life so far.

very reptilian eh? Thought about having my tongue split to complete the effect.
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New Sun 19 Jan 25 19:37 
 eye surgery - Bill Payer
Does it become active when the moon is in a certain phase? :)
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