First let me thank all the folks who have posted before me with their cataract surgery questions -- really helpful in navigating this process! I am 31 years old and will be having cataract surgery on my right eye only in a few weeks. I also have a cataract in my left eye but it is much less advanced and thankfully does not require surgery yet. The other complicating factor is that I am extremely myopic in both eyes (-7.75 glasses in RE and -8.50 in LE) and have astigmatism in both eyes. I've decided on a monofocal lens set for distance but my dilemma is deciding whether I want to correct the myopia completely in my RE or not during cataract surgery. If I do this will eliminate my ability to wear glasses to correct for distance since there will be too much of a difference between my two eyes. I will then have to wear a contact lens in my left eye all of the time. I currently wear glasses about 80% of the time and only wear soft contacts occasionally since my eyes are so dry. On the other hand if I correct my RE to only within -2 diopters of my LE it seems a shame since I likely will need surgery at some point for the cataract in my LE (it's just not clear when I will need it -- could be years). I do not mind having to wear glasses after surgery but am tempted by the idea of becoming much less nearsighted. I have gotten opinions from six different ophthamologists who fall into two different "camps" -- (1) conservative approach (i.e. maintain my ability to wear glasses by correcting my RE to within -2 of my LE) and (2) aggressive approach (correct RE completely and just rely on contact lens for LE afterwards). I've also gotten recommendations to try a phakic lens ICL in my LE but I'm leery about the risks of that surgery since it's not medically necessary.
2014-12-23 11:32:20
That's a tough one. I advocate cataract surgery in both eyes (understanding that the only indication in the left eye is the difference between the eyes caused by the first surgery). In the hands of a good surgeon your risk to the left eye is minimal. Of course this would mean needing reading glasses at a very young age (unless you chose monovision or mini-monovision). Phakic lenses are terrible and much higher risk for complications than regular cataract surgery. Contact lenses themselves are not without risk. I would go for distance correction or slight nearsightedness in the right eye and try the contact lens solution in the left eye. If you have issues with that you can always opt for cataract surgery (clear lens exchange) in the left eye. This is just my opinion though so think through it for yourself. HV
2014-12-23 11:39:09
