Treatment Options for 53 Year Old With Cataracts
July 8, 2011
I am 53 years old. Within 2 months I’m scheduled for cataract removal on both eyes. With my situation as described below, do you think the risks associated with removing my cataracts are significant or above-normal? Am I being overly concerned?
12 years ago – diagnosed with hyperthyroidism; 4 years ago received radiation treatment – now have hypothyroidism. Left eye – 8 years ago – vitreous detachment; there were no retinal detachment issues. At present I have double and blurred vision; difficulty with glare; increased nearsightedness; no longer need reading glasses. My prescription is currently -5.50. Right eye – 11 months ago – retinal detachment; successful reattachment; vitrectomy and scleral buckle, but have lost some peripheral vision and central vision acuity. There was optic nerve damage during surgery; swinging-light-test indicates a RAPD. I have moderate low vision at about 20/70. Both eyes – experiencing up and down IOP – Right eye is presently 28; now taking Xalatan drops in right eye only. I still wear contacts lenses because my vision just seems to be better than with my eyeglasses; I use lens drops to help from feeling that my eyes are dry all the time. All of this makes me quite nervous about the cataract surgery, but I do need to see better! My work involves using the computer all day. I also need to decide between monofocal or multifocal IOLs and don’t know where to start. Any comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much.
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One Response to “Treatment Options for 53 Year Old With Cataracts”
you are not a candidate for multifocal due to your retinal history, and i would be concerned about a surgeon who recommends it to you.
if you have visually significant cataract, and if you want to see better, the benefit of surgery still outweighs the risk of repeat retinal detachment, which is still pretty low. at your age, the question is when, not if, you will need cataract surgery, so probably better to do it now, rather than wait when the cataract is larger and denser–higher risk. nothing else you mention has any effect on the surgery. of course, the visual potential of the eye with the rapd is limited- your surgeon can make an educated guess as to how much vision you can reasonably expect.
i advise a retinal consult to make sure your retina is ok prior to surgery- no small tears or holes.
