Post-cataract vision worse in 90-yo mom. Doesn't seem to be macular degeneration symptoms. Anyone else have this problem?
My 90-yr old mom had great vision but was told she had cataracts so she had the procedure in both eyes (within the last 2 years). She was supposed to have a special procedure in one of her eyes (to fix astigmatism) but she coughed during the procedure and then they couldn't finish it. After the surgeries she started having seemingly unrelated problems: one chelazion after another; blocked tear ducts/water pooling in eyes; and peripheral vision distortion (she sees multiple images out the sides of her eyes). She was worried that maybe one of the many post-surgery drops produced a reaction. Going back to her original cataract doc he gave her no answers and she felt he was either hiding that he screwed up or that she is being blown off due to her age. My mom is very active but the degraded vision is depressing her. We're going for a second opinion in August to a reputable cataract surgeon and will hopefully get some answers. Anyone else have this problem after surgery?
I would talk to a specialist about how to help her maintain her vision and possibly get her a little relief from those awful effects.
I get sick when I hear that another senior has been used as a guinea pig.
Best of luck.
How long ago were these procedures done, how far apart, and what follow-up care was provided?
Are both eyes so badly affected, or only one?
I think we might be getting the separate issues of correcting astigmatism and removing a cataract a bit tangled up. The first would be done by laser treatment on the very surface of the eye, the cornea, which in astigmatism is malformed. The second involves removing the eye's lens, and replacing it with an artificial one. They're not at all the same type of procedure, and although I don't know I would be very surprised if an ophthalmic surgeon would be happy to do both at the same time. Why in any case would your mother opt for astigmatism correction if she was perfectly happy with her vision before?
I must admit that even though my vision is shocking and I am helpless without my glasses, I have been very much put off the whole idea of laser correction by my sister's misfortune - long story short, corneal transplants and a HEAP of grief. The statistics will tell you that this minor surgery is very successful and highly rated by patients, but if you're one of the unfortunate tiny percentage you're going to be a sorry bunny. I just can't think it's worth it.
But cataract surgery is a different kettle of fish. As the lens becomes opaque, the person becomes functionally blind; so removing and replacing it is a little miracle. I gather from my optician and my mother's ophthalmic surgeon that it is important, though, to hold off surgery until the cataract is "ripe" because this makes removal easier and more satisfactory. Is it possible that your mother was hurried along, rather, by a commercial clinic? And then sold an awful lot of aftercare products, which have just aggravated one condition after another?
And I thought treating astigmatism had to do with the type of lens implanted? (it sounds a lot like needing special contact lenses)
"Dysphotopsia
This causes you to see visual effects, and there are two types:
Negative, which gives you a curved shadow at the edge of your vision
Positive, which you see as halos, starbursts, flashes, or streaks of light
Doctors don't know why it happens, and it often goes away on its own. It's more likely to last when it's the negative kind. Typically, you wait and see if it gets better. You might try eye drops or even glasses with thick rims so you don't notice the shadow as much.
If it goes on for months, your doctor may suggest surgery. You might get a new lens or try a second lens on top of the first."
My dad had to have emergency surgery after one cataract was removed. He was very hesitate to have the second one done but did and all went well. It was very frightening.
I hope your mom has great success with this new doctor. Let us know how it turns out.
https://www.doctoroz.com/article/hard-look-lasik-surgery
Although the surgery was successful, it was determined that at some point previously she had had a minor stroke in the are of the brain that perceives visual images, so her vision didn’t improve.
This explanation was consistent with her previous history.
To be honest, if she was seeing OK why did the bother doing the surgery? I think going for a second opinion is good.
He suggested we go to a contact lens specialist, put in a contact that corrects the R eye (with the worse vision) to bring it "closer" to the vision in her L to see if getting Lasik correction in that eye would help her (she would still need readers). So that is the next step. Feeling relieved that everything else looked fantastic, he also said that since my mom had paid for the "special" extra correction in the L eye that the R eye Lasik correction (if she does it) should be covered under that package. We would never have known this!
It was challenging to keep my 90-yo mom on track in discussing with today's doc as it was complicated to follow and I still don't really understand what caused the big difference, so just confirmation that we need to help our aging LOs get in to docs sooner rather than later for best info and outcomes. Feeling hopeful! Thanks for your info and support! Will follow-up on the Lasik path in near future. Blessings!
I hope others who have had issues with post-cataract vision problems will read this and be encouraged to pursue answers.