My eye pressure was normal, even low normal, but developed glaucoma anyway. Eye pressure doesn't tell it all. I have an optometrist looking after it and she has prescribed drugs for it (to lower pressure even more). Yes, she bills my insurance company for an eye exam once a year and vision test (eyeglass prescription and cataracts once a year.
AFAIK ophthalmologists are surgeons. Optometrists can do everything less.
On your head? I've been known to lose glasses. I've been known to walk out of the house without them. I can see distance OK (not well) and sometimes don't notice it until I have to see something close.
A couple of weeks ago I was picking up my wife and noticed that I wasn't wearing my glasses? Huh? I couldn't have been going all day without them. I went to the gym, where I change glass (wear an old pair at the gym). I couldn't figure out what happened to them. I found them. Under my butt. Fortunately, the optometrists tech could fix them.
Yes, I agree. They all keep records. Especially the optometrist I mentioned. His testing was on the order of $350 per visit. He seemed to enjoy that he had a patient that made his work slightly more interesting for him. We would compare pictures of my retina, etc.
Please accept my best wishes with your surgery! Each of my parents had it and they both had outstanding results--and that was several decades ago. They just had to wear some particularly protective sunglasses for a few days following the procedure.
LMFTFY: procedure*s*
Each eye will be done 3 weeks apart. They do one eye (the non-dominant eye), then I go back the next day for a follow-up, then another follow-up a week later, then the other eye 2 weeks after that., then the 2 follow-ups. About a month later, I go back to my optometrist for a final exam and prescription for glasses if needed. Hopefully not.
With Covid testing 3 days before each surgery session, I'm looking at 9 appointments over about 8 weeks.
The interesting part will be the 3 weeks between surgeries. One new lens, one old one. I've been told that they can give me a contact for the "bad" eye or a clear lens for my current glasses. Since I wear bi-focals, I don't think a contact will work.
I have a friend who just went through this with the same surgeon and he went with the clear lens. He said he had a bit of double vision for the first week but then his brain adjusted and he was fine. After the second eye was done, he doesn't need glasses for anything, not even reading or threading a needle.
One of the "tricks" they use to get focus at both close and infinity is to use a different lens in each eye and let the brain figure it out. I'm not so sure about that, though. It doesn't always work.
They have newer technology: Multifocal lenses. They use concentric circles for the various distances and let the brain figure it out from there.
Nothing is perfect, there are pros & cons, YMMV, yada-yada-yada.
It seems like the macula would only focus at infinity and anything closer would be lower resolution. It would seem weird (not that different lenses aren't).
They're not cheap, either. Unless I missed something, these are also needed to correct astigmatism.
I guess I have a couple of years to worry about it.
No, they are not cheap. Over $3.2K per eye after insurance covers the basic surgery. And I do have astigmatism.
I don't have the option of waiting - unless I want to continue with poor vision and hazardous nighttime driving. Early sunsets are upon us and most of my driving will be in the dark until spring and I just don't want the stress anymore. Could I go with the basic surgery and then continue to deal with glasses? Sure. Do I have the cash available for the surgery. Sure. My only decision left is this: Accept their free financing and invest the cash during this down market or just pay for it and be done? The former probably makes more financial sense.
I trust what they say about the brain adjusting to the concentric lenses and I trust what my friend - who was in the same situation as me - tells me: It's well worth the money.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.