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Cataract Surgery

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deanbrt

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deanbrt Experienced

deanbrt

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I am now scheduled to have cataract surgery at my VAMC in May. To my surprise they are going to do one eye only since "the other does not currently meet the criteria". My other eye has a very significant prescription and this will leave me with close to 20/20 in the repaired eye and 20/300+ in the other. the glasses will be for one eye only with two separate reading prescriptions. And I wear contacts some so I will end up with a contact in one eye only and a reading issue.

I am pretty unhappy about how this will play out in my day to day life. Has anyone else had this experience?

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Teac Mentor

Teac

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I let the va do cataract surgery 3 years ago.. I am almost blind in my eye now. I had all the complications, and ended up with pigmentary glaucoma. I learned since then that the doctor was in training... so I have vowed never ever to let another VA doctor cut on me ... and if I ever need surgery again I will make damn sure the doctor is not in training and has years experience.. Not what you wanted to hear.. but don't believe it if they tell you its the safest surgery in the world.. that's what they told me, and while they recognized it as a disability I was already rated 30, which is the highest rating I can get since my right eye was not screwed up.. ...

I had an exam today, bad eye optical nerve is getting worse , good eye is also having problems so got new prescription.. but didn't get a copy of the prescription so I don't know how bad it was....

Anyway best of luck hope things get better.

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JON Community Regular

JON

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This is my story. Last fall had VA exam by student? optometrist. Oh yeah he tells me I have had cataracs for years. I couldn't hardly see out of the left eye, yet he tries to correct for it by prescribing some glasses change. I even went to a private optometrist for an exam and she said the catarac needed to be removed. VA tells me it didn't meet VA guidelines to be removed. I asked if I had to be blind first-no reply. Then after weeks of trying to get glasses to work, the VA tells me I need to go to a contact lens. They tell me where to go in downtown Spokane. I questioned that if they couldn't fit me with proper glasses lenses, what good were contacts? Any way we went south for the winter and I went to a private opthamalogist who removed the catarac. He said it was time and didn't understand why VA didn't do it. I ended up paying for it myself. Left eye now 20/20.

I sent an email to VA eye clinic in Spokane and they set a date for May for a followup exam. As soon as my right eye needs it, I won't be having the VA do it that's for sure.

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carlie Grand Master

carlie

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I am now scheduled to have cataract surgery at my VAMC in May. To my surprise they are going to do one eye only since "the other does not currently meet the criteria". My other eye has a very significant prescription and this will leave me with close to 20/20 in the repaired eye and 20/300+ in the other. the glasses will be for one eye only with two separate reading prescriptions. And I wear contacts some so I will end up with a contact in one eye only and a reading issue.

I am pretty unhappy about how this will play out in my day to day life. Has anyone else had this experience?

I am now scheduled to have cataract surgery at my VAMC in May. To my surprise they are going to do one eye only since "the other does not currently meet the criteria". My other eye has a very significant prescription and this will leave me with close to 20/20 in the repaired eye and 20/300+ in the other. the glasses will be for one eye only with two separate reading prescriptions. And I wear contacts some so I will end up with a contact in one eye only and a reading issue.

I am pretty unhappy about how this will play out in my day to day life. Has anyone else had this experience?

deanbrt,

The above is pretty common and standard.

Even though you will only wear a contact lens in one eye the brain will take

care of that to compensate.

Carlie passed away in November 2015 she is missed.

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john999 Grand Master

john999

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Most private doctors do both eyes. I had severe cataract in one eye. My medicare doctor did the bad eye first and other eye second. The VA was not even going to do one eye. I was 20/800 in my bad eye. If you have other insurance I would use it.

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deanbrt Experienced

deanbrt

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Yes, that is my feeling, John. You do not have to look hard to find medical journals that recommend that. The following is just one of several I sent to my PCP at the clinic to forward to the VAMC. I have Medicare so

http://www.premiersurgeon.com/index.php/multifocal-iol-in-only-one-eye-requires-careful-thought/

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