Eye Eye Guys and Gals

[Willie]

All the best John, hope everything goes well. I'm waiting to get mine done, they reckon it will be over a year before I get seen to. I received a letter the other day from our NHS asking if I still wanted the surgery carried out, what a stupid question!

 

[T1 Terry]

All the best John, hope everything goes well. I'm waiting to get mine done, they reckon it will be over a year before I get seen to. I received a letter the other day from our NHS asking if I still wanted the surgery carried out, what a stupid question!

Another Aussie filtering system adopted overseas After 2 yrs, if you really couldn't afford to get it done privately, then you went on the list, filters out all those just wanting to do it on the cheap, I paid for the first one, the second one wasn't as critical, so I waited them out AU$1500 better in my pocket than some specialists .

T1 Terry

 

[Rolfe]

They explained to me that they did go down the bilateral route for a year or two it shortened the patient overall healing time from 12 weeks to 4 weeks, used up slightly less of their time and they avoided infection by different batch numbers of consumables for each eye treating them as separate operations. They have however U Turned on this now and specifically dont recommend it purely because patients were spreading infections between eyes by poor after care themselves.

100%, absolutely amazing.

I get the feeling I will be OK with this too although I was advised not to drive for a couple of days.

That doesn't seem to have been the experience around here, I wonder why the difference?

The notes I was given did suggest waiting a day or two but my sight was so perfect the morning after the surgery I went for a short joyride. I gather there's often a bit of cloudiness for a few days due to cells in the aqueous humour but I didn't get that.

Another Aussie filtering system adopted overseas After 2 yrs, if you really couldn't afford to get it done privately, then you went on the list, filters out all those just wanting to do it on the cheap, I paid for the first one, the second one wasn't as critical, so I waited them out $1500 better in my pocket than some specialists .

T1 Terry

My eyes were deteriorating so fast and the waiting time was so long due to the covid backlog that I didn't even go on the NHS list, I just paid for it. I'd already got to the point where arguably I shouldn't have been driving at night. It did allow me to get my astigmatism fixed at the same time which I don't think the NHS would have done.

 

[T1 Terry]

My eyes were deteriorating so fast and the waiting time was so long due to the covid backlog that I didn't even go on the NHS list, I just paid for it. I'd already got to the point where arguably I shouldn't have been driving at night. It did allow me to get my astigmatism fixed at the same time which I don't think the NHS would have done.

When I had the right eye repaired, the astigmatism was still there, when they did the left eye on medicare, all fixed ....

T1 Terry

 

[Rolfe]

All good.

I could have had trifocal lenses, which sounded great, but I can't read a music stand properly wearing varifocals and have to switch to reading glasses. I don't think you can take out trifocal lenses when you want to!

 

[Black estate]

When I had the right eye repaired, the astigmatism was still there, when they did the left eye on medicare, all fixed ....

T1 Terry

Another wonky right eye like me

 

[T1 Terry]

Another wonky right eye like me

Welding and head injuries caused my eye problems, but the miracles of modern technology, the replacement lenses enable me to see better than when I was 40, I can now look at something like a blackboard, then down at my notes, and actually see what I've written ......

T1 Terry

 

[Rolfe]

I started becoming a bit short-sighted when I was in my late teens, at first only if I was tired. It was mild enough that I didn't start wearing glasses to correct it until I was forty. (I did wear sunglasses a lot - I'm told a lot of blue-eyed people are like that.) I think I gradually got used to the distance being a bit of a blur as I progressed to varifocals, because I could always read without glasses.

Total change after the surgery. I really really wanted my distance vision back and was perfectly happy to wear reading glasses, or varifocals to avoid having to keep taking them off and on. The day after the surgery I was going round saying, see that tree (half a mile away)? Do you want me to count the leaves?

I usually wear varifocals, but have to remember to take them off in the cinema or theatre so I get the distance vision over my whole visual field - and don't have to worry about fingermarks. And outside as well, except then I want to read a map or look at my watch, and maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all. Also, I've got used to having glasses on and feel they protect my eyes when I'm cycling, and of course they're photochromic which is also really good outside. (Great that I can take them off if it rains and still see though.)

A neighbour's husband said that after he had cataract surgery colours changed and he could see a bit into the ultraviolet. I thought he was imagining things, and said so. But then I looked it up, and it's true. The human retina can detect a bit into the UV range, but the natural lens filters out these wavelengths. Some implant lenses are made of a material that lets some UV through. I didn't experience the effect, but I've spoken to several people who describe it. They all like it.

 

[T1 Terry]

I started becoming a bit short-sighted when I was in my late teens, at first only if I was tired. It was mild enough that I didn't start wearing glasses to correct it until I was forty. (I did wear sunglasses a lot - I'm told a lot of blue-eyed people are like that.) I think I gradually got used to the distance being a bit of a blur as I progressed to varifocals, because I could always read without glasses.

Total change after the surgery. I really really wanted my distance vision back and was perfectly happy to wear reading glasses, or varifocals to avoid having to keep taking them off and on. The day after the surgery I was going round saying, see that tree (half a mile away)? Do you want me to count the leaves?

I usually wear varifocals, but have to remember to take them off in the cinema or theatre so I get the distance vision over my whole visual field - and don't have to worry about fingermarks. And outside as well, except then I want to read a map or look at my watch, and maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all. Also, I've got used to having glasses on and feel they protect my eyes when I'm cycling, and of course they're photochromic which is also really good outside. (Great that I can take them off if it rains and still see though.)

A neighbour's husband said that after he had cataract surgery colours changed and he could see a bit into the ultraviolet. I thought he was imagining things, and said so. But then I looked it up, and it's true. The human retina can detect a bit into the UV range, but the natural lens filters out these wavelengths. Some implant lenses are made of a material that lets some UV through. I didn't experience the effect, but I've spoken to several people who describe it. They all like it.

It is really freaky the first time you weld with them. The magic auto shade helmets don't filter all the UV range because the human eye normally does that anyway, as you have said, but seeing light heading off in different directions from the actual welding arc had me thinking I was tripping or something
When I asked the professor who is my eye specialist about it, he laughed and explained that the special lenses that I need for my eyes, lets more UV through than most and that was what I was seeing .... it's almost like a miniature plasma ball right at the arc and weld pool, it's the splatter balls being thrown out of the weld pool

T1 Terry

 

[johnb80]

That doesn't seem to have been the experience around here, I wonder why the difference?

So many things are different up Norf! It seemed logical what they said and I'm happy to go along with it. I have my post op check on the 28th April and my left eye being sorted on 1st May.

The notes I was given did suggest waiting a day or two but my sight was so perfect the morning after the surgery I went for a short joyride.

Tut tut , still a rebellious teenager at heart eh?

I gather there's often a bit of cloudiness for a few days due to cells in the aqueous humour but I didn't get that.

The only symptom I have at the moment is very slight out of focus distance vision. If I look at a numberplate at 40 metres the edges of the letters are slightly sharper in my left eye, still readable with right but not as pin sharp. The y told me this morning this is normal as my eye settles and it should be fine after a couple of days.

All the best John, hope everything goes well. I'm waiting to get mine done, they reckon it will be over a year before I get seen to. I received a letter the other day from our NHS asking if I still wanted the surgery carried out, what a stupid question!

Crikey,
I had a referral letter from my optician (Vision Express), handed that to my GP. They referred me into the system, I had my appointment with Newmedica to be assessed on behalf of NHS, 2 days later I had the surgery. Just 2 weeks from eyetest to surgery.
I dont know what the setup is in Scotland, here you can talk to the referral service and negotiate where to go. When my mum needed a hip replacement it was 18 months wait for Lincoln county Hospital but could be done the very next week at Louth which was the option we took.
Maybe check within your health service?

My eyes were deteriorating so fast and the waiting time was so long due to the covid backlog that I didn't even go on the NHS list, I just paid for it. I'd already got to the point where arguably I shouldn't have been driving at night. It did allow me to get my astigmatism fixed at the same time which I don't think the NHS would have done.

Cost here would be £5500 per eye where I having mine done, they do correct astigmatism at the same time (it's only another cut in the eye surface I believe.)

All good.

I could have had trifocal lenses, which sounded great, but I can't read a music stand properly wearing varifocals and have to switch to reading glasses. I don't think you can take out trifocal lenses when you want to!

What instrument do you play? I play keyboards and organ, I use a 20" touch screen to display music and I can read it all fine with either part of my varifocals (I still play the wrong notes but thats another issue )

A neighbour's husband said that after he had cataract surgery colours changed and he could see a bit into the ultraviolet. I thought he was imagining things, and said so. But then I looked it up, and it's true. The human retina can detect a bit into the UV range, but the natural lens filters out these wavelengths. Some implant lenses are made of a material that lets some UV through. I didn't experience the effect, but I've spoken to several people who describe it. They all like it.

Ive never heard of that but I'll keep a lookout for it. My laser cutter cuts with UV laser, I'll check next week when I'm using it to see if I see anything. It's interesting fi a fly or a wasp gets inside the enclosure whilst it's in operation. The light travels from tube along X and Y axis before pointing down to the workpiece via the final focus lens. Said fly / wasp instantly vaporise even though they gone into the none focused beam (its about 2.5mm dia at that point down to 0.02mm of the final focus)

 

[Rolfe]

My optician was surprised I was having both done at once. I said, it was your mate Jonathan who suggested it, take it up with him. At the time the NHS wasn't doing that, then Fife started, and then a lot of them realised how much it streamlined the system and they had this huge backlog...

The same surgeon did my flute teacher (I play the flute, you may gather, also recorders sometimes) and he had his eyes done one at a time. I think he'd been listening to me gushing about the instant effect, because when he had a bit of cloudiness he phoned up the surgeon and said what's wrong. The surgeon said, it's only been 24 hours, have patience. And remarked that not everyone had the instant result I had.

My sight had been getting progressively worse from the autumn of 2020 and despite several changes of glasses it was getting to be a real problem by early 2022. My knees were practically touching the TV. At the time the waiting list was 2-3 years! Not going to happen. A leaflet from an outfit called Vision Scotland appeared through my letterbox and I thought, this is relevant to my interests. I showed it to my optician and she said, he's the best cararact surgeon in Scotland! I said, you better refer me then. I was done six weeks later. It cost me a hair over £8,000 for both eyes and the astigmatism correction was built into the lenses. I was given cards detailing the optical properties of the lenses, though I don't know what I'm supposed to do with these!

I think at the time the backlog was horrendous due to covid. They've been sending people to the Golden Jubilee though, which is an elective-only hospital near Glasgow, and it's more under control. I talked my mother into going private some time in the 1990s, when things were similar but due to the closure of the ophthalmology ward at Stonehouse hospital. So I thought I might as well just do the same.

My friend's husband said the flames of their wood-burning stove look different, and several people have said the sky looks a more vibrant shade of blue. I think it depends on the material of the lenses. I haven't noticed a thing.

My mother used to blame her bifocals for wrong notes on the piano and I thought it was an excuse, but now I believe her. I find that when I try to move just my eyes, not my head, to read the music, it's out of focus with varifocals. You don't want to be moving your head around like that when you're playing the flute.

Funny story. I was at a music summer school and singing. I wear my varifocals for singing. The singing teacher said I was moving my head all the time and it was really distracting, was a wearing varifocals? I said yes, and she said could I still read the music if I took them off. (This was before the cataract surgery.) I said yes, but you lot (the teacher and the other students sitting behind her) will be all blurry. The accompanist piped up and said, don't worry about them, they're drunk.

 

[siteguru]

Funny story. I was at a music summer school and singing. I wear my varifocals for singing. The singing teacher said I was moving my head all the time and it was really distracting, was a wearing varifocals? I said yes, and she said could I still read the music if I took them off. (This was before the cataract surgery.) I said yes, but you lot (the teacher and the other students sitting behind her) will be all blurry. The accompanist piped up and said, don't worry about them, they're drunk.

 

[T1 Terry]

Well, I thought to sky being different was just how much vision I'd lost and not realised .... that could be a good explanation for it, anything in direct sunlight certainly looks different to in the shade .....

T1 Terry