I had an appointment with my eye doctor yesterday who I hadn’t seen in about a year. I was scheduled for last September but postponed because of a resurgence of covid which has subsided for now. He checks eye pressure, especially my left to see if my drops are doing their job for glaucoma. I also got a field of view test. In the process of all this it was found that my right eye has changed and not for the better. I could not read the chart with that one eye like at the last visit. He inspected the eye close up and mentioned cataract, but whatever is going on, my vision is still pretty good. I have another visit in 4 months. I have been visiting him for over 12 years so he has 12 years of data to refer to, to pick up trends. He has a good chair-side manner and we B.S. about other things like trout fishing. He also had an eye issue with a lesion in the back of one eye which he had lased for repair and showed me the image on the computer.
I had never wore glasses until 2015. The glasses helped with my eyesight, but after a couple of years, my cataracts go worse. At first, I thought I was getting the wrong prescription for glasses, so I had a re-check done of my eyes. My doctor sent me to a Specialist/Eye Surgeon for a check. Found that the cataracts had definitely got worse. Suggestion of laser cataract surgery should be done on both, so I wouldn't completely lose my vision. In 2018, had that done, with cataracts removed and new lenses put in. Each new lens cost us $1,800, plus the co-pay for eye drops. Done the three eye drops thing, taking a shower wearing swim goggles, and for a week, wearing a plastic protection cover over each eye during sleeping. IOW, two surgeries, two weeks apart. Today..........perfect 20/20 vision! But, still have to wear Reading Glasses for reading fine print. Wife and I are so, so glad I got the laser surgeries and she was with me, in the Waiting Room, for each surgery.
So what happens when you have cataracts with glaucoma, Ed? It the treatment path different? I'm sorry to hear it's taking this direction. I get an annual eye exam, and pay out of pocket for that pressure test. I, too, have over 10 years of data on record with this doctor. I guess it's always something...
Glaucoma is the left eye only and eye drop keeps it under control. I'm not sure about possible cataract in the right eye. He doesn't seem overly concerned at this point.
Understood. My eye doctor told me that everyone gets cataracts in their lives (I have detectable beginnings of them), and for most of us it's a race to see if they develop to any degree before we hit our expiry date.