Should a Patient With Fuch’s Dystrophy Lose Near Vision After Cataract Surgery?
May 12, 2010
I am 65 years old, I have Fuch’s Dystrophy, and I have had 2 surgeries for cataracts (on each eye). I am also very nearsighted, with astigmatism. Until the surgeries I was never bothered by Presbyopia (I could see all near things quite well, especially when I removed my glasses). Before my surgery, I was told I could only receive the implant that corrects my nearsightedness, but I would be able to see far, or I could choose the option where they corrected my vision in 1 eye (but that 1 sounded very strange to me) so I opted for the cataract surgeries that would correct my nearsightedness. What I didn’t know (until after the surgeries) was how bad my near vision would be affected. Now I cannot see or read anything that has any kind of small print on it (I can’t even see my cell phone displays). I feel like my vision completely turned around and now I can see fairly well far away (about 20/30 or 20/40), but I cannot see a thing close up.
I feel like I sacrificed my near vision to be able to see far away better. I know that my Fuch’s Dystrophy gets in the way, too, and that’s probably why I’m not seeing 20/20. I also know that I couldn’t get the other implant option (because of my Fuch’s), which was a dual implant that corrected both near and far vision.
What I would like to know is it common for people w/Fuch’s Dystrophy who get cataract surgery to lose near vision? If anyone else has had an experience like mine, please comment, too.
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6 Responses to “Should a Patient With Fuch’s Dystrophy Lose Near Vision After Cataract Surgery?”
if you have fuchs, the vision can suffer. thats unavoidable. either forget having surgery and live with blurred vision from cataract, or, try the surgery, and if cornea gets worse, get a dsaek transplant for the cornea, which is very effective.
Cataract surgery definitely made my vision worse in every way with my right eye, so I did not have it done to my left eye. I have Fuchs dystrophy and I was 76 when I had the cataract surgery. Four years has passed and the right eye has gradually improved but is still unstable and is only about as clear as it was, part of the time. The protective jell was used and the operation seemed to be done OK, yet my vision in it was horrible for most of the first month but has improved some over time even in the last part of this year (2013)
if the surgery was uncomplicated, then the astigmatism did not come back. sometimes, it can take weeks to months for the vision to clear- fluid can build up in the back of the eye after surgery that needs to clear. perhaps the prescription of your eye is off- not uncommon in cataract surgery after laser. the laser can make the calculations for the implant go haywire. anyway, give it another 2 weeks, and if the vision still poor and the surgeon cannot give you good reason, then get second opinion.
I had cataract surgery two weeks ago in one eye that is a lazy eye. I now have trouble seeing anything at a distance. It is blurry and I see halos over printing. I used to have an astigmatism but it was eliminated when I had laser surgery in 1999. Now after the cataract surgery the astigmatism seems to have come back. Did cataract surgery affect my cornea as well? The dr said since it is a lazy eye it takes longer to heal. What did he do to my eye?I If I had known this would happen I never would have consented to having this surgery. Any advice?
I suffer from presbyopia and I use varionet glasses (http://www.varionetglasses.com/). I’ve tried a lot of different brands of glasses and these are by far my favorite.
your complaint has nothing to do with fuch’s. you simply were not aware, or not made aware, of how much you would miss being near-sighted and being able to see up close without glasses. everybody who undergoes cataract surgery is helpless when trying to see anything at near, just like you, unless they wear reading glasses.
you nailed it- you sacrificed near for distance. you cant have both with a regular implant (your surgeon was right not to offer you a premium lens for both near and far due to your fuchs)
in my practice, i am very careful to explain to near-sighted people to be very very careful about wanting implants so they can see far, and that they may be unhappy being so dependent on reading glasses. i tell them that if i were having surgery, i would prefer to stay nearsighted like i am now. still, most prefer to see distance, like you, but a good number stay nearsighted.
