Coping with temporary sight imbalance after cataract surgery

Good, new, reading glasses!
Although good news glasses would be terrific. Rose tinted probably!

Seriously really cheap temporary reading glasses are available. I got 3 pairs for £7 from Amazon. I've given them all away now to friends in a similar situation. After my final check up I got good news reading glasses.

Had mine done this time last year - two weeks between eyes. I just took one lens out of my varifocals once the first eye had been done, and it was fine. It was worse once both eyes were done, as I couldn't read anything until I'd had my eye test and new glasses... However, as my distance sight was excellent (I was passed fit to drive three days after the second op) I just bought a nice big magnifying glass to use when reading letters, menus etc and did my Sherlock Holmes impression...😄

I had this problem and wore an eye patch over yhe operated lens in my glasses, so I was using the same prescription with the unoperated eye. Worked a treat.

Mine were both done on the same day. No problem.

They just re-scrubbed up between eyes - job done!

My husband had his done a year or two ago. He’d been very short sighted since he was a child. He had thinned lenses in his glasses and they still looked like milk bottle bottoms.
We went to our regular optician the first morning after the first op and had one lens removed. It didn’t cost us anything. We could have had plain glass put in but the optician said it probably wasn’t worth it- DH would definitely agree.
Within days he could see with the “new” eye without glasses. Three days the second op he understood why I keep losing my specs - he was able to get around easily without them, just needed a low prescription lens for reading.
You do need to wear sunglasses for a while after the operation, the new lenses do make the daylight seem exceedingly bright until things heal and adjust.
He says he wishes he’d done it sooner. It was so easy and painless. Healing is very quick. Surprisingly so.

Lots of people talk about the increased 'blueness'. I was surprised to experience it but I liked it!

Sorry wrong conversation

When I'm at work with people we get on great and I'm a bit of a joker but when anyone suggests a night out together I can't go cus I'm nervous and shy. I don't get it

None of my clothes looked different colours EEjit well nothing had a colour change at all
Never heard of that happening

I got three pairs of temporary glasses with the recommended prescription from Amazon. £7 and arrived the next day. Brilliant. They did me until my other eye was fine. DH removed a lens from my old glasses but it didn't really work.
Yes re seeing blue. It was really striking.

You are worrying unnecessarily. I had macular hole surgery in one eye restricting my vision. Then a cataract removed in other. Like another world afterwards. You'll be fine.

Go to Specsavers well before your surgery date and get fitted for temporary glasses - explain why and they know what to do. If you take your spare pair in it costs about £50 and takes 2-3 weeks to get them altered. Then take them with you to the hospital so as to have them straight away

My Beloved had cataract surgery a few years ag and was fine.

One thing I will advise is do not decide to rearrange your wardrobe. Beloved made that mistake and threw out a load of clothes, hers an mine, because the colours were all wrong, eg, black trousers looked blue. The surgeonhad forgotten to warn her about it.

Yes, there is a very big difference between my eyes, both of which are short sighted. I had my first cataract op on the worst eye ( in terms of sight) and had no trouble at all , though I didn't drive for a while. Of course I eventually got new spectacles.

I recently had my 2nd cataract op on the other eye, and laser surgery on the one that had the first op!> It's amazing what I can see. I've worn glasses all the time for the last 70 years, but now I can see really well without them, though I would never risk driving without them. But it's so odd to get up in the morning and wander to the window to look out at the day without any specs on.

You could remove the lens from your treated eye.No need to have plain glass put into it.If you are struggling with reading buy some over the counter reading glasses. I’m a former ophthalmic nurse and this was the advice given to patients

I had lens replacement surgery 8 years ago (same operation but I did it so I didn’t need to wear glasses at all), if you wear glasses already do what I did until the second eye gets done, I just took out the one lens out of my spectacles on the operated side so that the other eye maintained using the prescription lens

I had the same problem, not a problem at all. Your brain will compensate. Hope this helps🤓

I was incredibly shortsighted -12 in both eyes
I had no problem at all seeing in the month + inbetween time, good eye does the work, the brain sorts it all out and It’s perfect.u ok
Cattery I also had a bad time with one anesthetic but won’t go into any details
I still went ahead and had the second one done which was a breeze after the first one
Just need reading glasses now

My right eye had a very dense cataract. Was fast tracked to a private London hospital. Three consultants were reluctant to operate making me shake all over with nerves. Not very helpful for the surgeon. Their boss insisted they remove my cataract and after waiting five hours it went ahead. A 15 minute procedure took over an hour. The local anaesthetic wore off and I had an injection in the centre of the eye releasing jelly from the back of the eye. I am not telling you this to put you off. The after care was excellent. It took about 9 months for me to recover but I’m so grateful. Right eye meant no reading glasses forever and cataract will never return. Left eye was almost as bad and I was offered urgent treatment. I really thought about the risk of going blind and decided to take the risk on my 73rd birthday, the date I was given. I was passed between several consultants as nobody wanted the responsibility. I told the anaesthetist that my birthday present would be great eyesight into my old age. No pressure then he told the surgeon as she walked in. She gave me the most painful eye massage but reassured me that would be the worst thing over. 15 minutes later she had removed the cataract and sent me home. At the checkup I can now drive. My distance eyesight was always good and I will never require glasses for anything. If anyone is wobbling, my advice would be deep breaths and go ahead.

My DH had this problem . He had one eye done ( not for the usual reasons ) as an emergency and just could not cope afterwayds. He had been very short sighted not one eye was fine while the other still poor. He tried an eye patch on his bad eye and all kind of things but could not comfortably read , watch TV etc.. He went back to his consultant and was told that he had been expecting him to return unhappy. He sheduled him to have the other eye done and he was afterwards a very happy bunny with sight so good he no longer needed glasses .

I have had both eyes done with no issues but recently I met an 88 year old in A&E with severe bruising on her face. She was waiting for the other eye to be fixed when she experienced severe imbalance and fell over. So just a little warning.

I too had severe short sight and have had cataract operations. . I simply got my optician to take the lens of my treated eye out of my specs and replace it with plain glass. End of problem.

Just a suggestion, keep a light on in the night or the as eyes play an important part in our balance. This was advised by my dh consultant years ago. He was right. Try standing on one keg with eyes. closed…..it’s hard.
Good luck with the op.

I wear lenses and have one lens for reading and one for distance. My brain adjusts perfectly.