Florida Shooters Network

I had my done more than 10 years ago. They were caused by Flonaise I used for allergies for decades.

My one piece of advice is to not cheap out on the lenses if you have no complications. Meaning, do not go with the cheap mono lenses they offer as the no cost option. Pay the $2500 or whatever they want for the newest ones. After mine, Afterwards I did not need any glasses. With the mono cheapie lenses you might. All depends on your eyes so ask your doc.

Afterwards, the only effects I had were:

• I need a LOT of light to see. Plan on getting those headband lights for working on little parts, and good trouble lights to work on cars.
• When reading or looking at a computer screen, you have to be the perfect distance from the screen for it to focus.
• When driving at night, you will notice lights look like stars. Took a few months and I don't notice that anymore.
• A few years after you get them you may notice them cloud up. They laser the stuff that grows on the back of the lenses. No big deal.

I very much enjoy not having any PITA glasses anymore. Worth any price!

When they did mine, they did it by hand with a scalpel. Now they have the higher cost option to have a computer do it via laser. It dissolves your lens and sucks it out with just a small hole it lasers. Beat having an incision. Also they do not have to knock you out, and you might not awake to see the surgeon holding a scalpel to your eyeball! Pay the extra $ for that if they offer it to you.

Yeah I'm thinking I need a touch up in my right eye maybe. My left eye is perfect still and vision very clear. I do need reading glasses now though. But hey I'm getting old I'll be 60 this year.

I'm usually pretty reluctant to offer advice on physicians and things medical but I will make an exception here. I had eye surgery done for cataracts a little over a year ago. Went with the new triple focal length panoptix brand lens. It focuses at 16", 24" and infinity. That's reading, computer and general living including driving WITHOUT GLASSES!! (It not only deals with the cataract, it deals with aging induced loss of visual acuity and can also deal with astigmatism problems.) I can actually see pistol sights again. This type of lens is the more expensive option but since this is a once and done option, go for the best available. I could not see the point of having surgery and still needing glasses. Surgery by Dr. Bellotte in Boca Raton who does offer the laser option. My general thoughts after a year......

1 I will never see like a 20 year old again but this is close.
2 Any lens, any glass, eats up light. We all learned this from checking rifle scopes. This lens passes about 88-90 percent of the available light. Reading
a menu in dim light is a problem, use the cell phone light. I can read the newspaper easily. In fact I can read very tiny print on packaging.
3 Some headlights and tail lights have multiple halos at night. This isn't much of a problem on the interstate but on two lane roads you really need to
concentrate on the right white line. I have pretty much learned to deal with it.
4 Good quality polarized sunglasses are a great accessory.
5 I haven't noticed any problems with changing focal distances and losing focus. If I look up quickly from a book or the paper everything is still in
focus.
6 There is no more nonsense with getting rain on glasses or adjusting glasses to see through a scope.

Like I said, just my two cents.
Take care, Richard

I'm usually pretty reluctant to offer advice on physicians and things medical but I will make an exception here. I had eye surgery done for cataracts a little over a year ago. Went with the new triple focal length panoptix brand lens. It focuses at 16", 24" and infinity. That's reading, computer and general living including driving WITHOUT GLASSES!! (It not only deals with the cataract, it deals with aging induced loss of visual acuity and can also deal with astigmatism problems.) I can actually see pistol sights again. This type of lens is the more expensive option but since this is a once and done option, go for the best available. I could not see the point of having surgery and still needing glasses. Surgery by Dr. Bellotte in Boca Raton who does offer the laser option. My general thoughts after a year......

1 I will never see like a 20 year old again but this is close.
2 Any lens, any glass, eats up light. We all learned this from checking rifle scopes. This lens passes about 88-90 percent of the available light. Reading
a menu in dim light is a problem, use the cell phone light. I can read the newspaper easily. In fact I can read very tiny print on packaging.
3 Some headlights and tail lights have multiple halos at night. This isn't much of a problem on the interstate but on two lane roads you really need to
concentrate on the right white line. I have pretty much learned to deal with it.
4 Good quality polarized sunglasses are a great accessory.
5 I haven't noticed any problems with changing focal distances and losing focus. If I look up quickly from a book or the paper everything is still in
focus.
6 There is no more nonsense with getting rain on glasses or adjusting glasses to see through a scope.

Like I said, just my two cents.
Take care, Richard

Cataract surgery does not give you cataracts you already had them.
As we age many cataracts become cloudy and what they do is cut your eye, pull out the old cataract and install a replacement.
You are actually slightly awake to comply with directions from the surgeon but the anesthesia causes you to forget what happened

As mentioned there is a clear mono budget model which is covered by medicare. You may need glasses even for distant
Then there is a much better mono lens (J&J) that gives great distant and decent medium to close but requires glasses for small stuff
The triple lens offers near medium and distant by using a prism lens and works great but can have annoying side affects
All of them are a big improvement but the 2 extra pay are way better than the free ones (Medicare)

I went with the mono J&J which with medicare and all extra BS was under $4K out of pocket for both

Funny thing is the second surgery (One at a time) I was awake and remember everything.
Saw him knife my eye ball, pull out the old lens and install the new one. It was awesome

My mono lenses are fine. I do not use glasses for computer stuff only for reading small print

If you start losing your focus it will not get better by itself and cataract surgery is a Godsend IMO

My left eye is great. I'm concerned after having right eye done will my eyes work together or against each other.

Oh yeah when I had lasik done years ago. I was awake when the cut the eye folded the flap over and lasered the eye. The left eye after 30 days needed a touch up because I had real bad astigmatism and it was out of focus/not clear.

That was a trip it felt real funny having that flap pulled and folded over again. But I had 20/13 vision afterwards. But that was in 2003. A med I took warned it could cause Cataracts. Stopped taking it. But the last 2 years right eye starting doing funky things. I'll find out

I need glasses to read now 2.25 to 2.50 power lens, not strong. I have no problem wearing reading glasses.