I am about to have surgery for cataracts in both eyes. I am in my late sixties and have been extremely near-sighted all my life. I've worn glasses and/or gas perm contacts since fifth grade. For the last fifteen years, I've worn reading glasses over my contacts.
I've read a lot about the pros and cons of both types of lenses (multifocal & monofocal) and still can't decide. I don't mind wearing reading glasses for reading a book; reading is very important to me. I would like to be free of glasses/contacts for distance and intermediate. However, If I get monofocals, I don't know if losing the near vision will bother me. The doctor says either would be fine.
I would love to hear of others' experiences and opinions.
People who have multifocal - Are you bothered by poorer distance vision? How bad is the glare/halo situation? How bad is the low lighting situation? Do you feel you have to "adjust" your eyes to varying distances?
People who have monofocals- Do you need glasses for intermediate tasks? For example, can you cook (when you know the recipe) without glasses? Can you work on the computer without glasses. Does losing your near vision (without glasses) bother you?
For everyone- Are you happy with the decision you made, or would you change it if you could? Thanks so much for any help you can give me!
I am in a very similar situation (51yrs old, very nearsighted, glasses since age 2 1/2, contacts since age 16, reading glasses since age 38). I, too, am trying to determine how much clarity of distance and mid vision I would have to give up for the near vision provided by the multifocal and would love to hear responses to the questions you posted.
Hi guys. I work with a cataract specialist and i've seen all kinds of results with both types of lenses and the bottom line is how important is it to you to not have to wear glasses? No matter what implant you go with there will be some situations that you will still need glasses to see fine details. Do you guys have astigmatism at all? That also has to be considered before going with either implant. Both implants are good dont get me wrong. The basic mono is great for distance and intermediate(arms length) but you will definetly have to wear reading glasses for everything you want to read. The multi is good for distance and near some people have problems with intermediate but overall very happy with outcome. Now with the premium lenses(multi, restore, technis) there is increased glare and these lenses typically need laser tx soon after cat sx. But both lenses are very good. Bottom line---how much do you want to decrease your dependablity on glasses, not to eliminate glasses?
The Following User Says Thank You to dhurlbert3 For This Useful Post: eyemar (10-31-2012)
The people who tend to be happiest with ReStor (a multifocal lens) have the following characteristics: healthy eyes (no dry eyes, no retina problems), no astigmatism, small pupils, a surgeon who is experienced with multifocals. There are many online posts from very unhappy multifocal patients.
The Crystalens provides good distance and intermediate vision to many people, but you'll probably still need glasses for prolonged reading and seeing small print. It helps to have a surgeon who is very experienced with the Crystalens.
Mini-monovision with monofocal lenses is a great option without an out-of-pocket fee. It can give you good distance/intermediate vision or good intermediate/near vision, depending on how the lenses are set. But you'll still need glasses for some tasks. Mini-monovision works well with toric lenses, which correct astigmatism.
I've made my decision after much reading and talking with a friend (an optometrist who has been referring patients for cataract surgery and following up with them after for +25yrs). I've settled on a toric lens for the astigmatism and the plain lens for the other eye. The multifocal just made me too nervous, and the thought of additional glare wasn't something I was willing to put up with. I hate needing reading glasses to check my cell phone, see the remote or cut my meat on my plate, but I guess not enough to take more risks with my vision than I need to. Call me a wimp.
My pre-op is tomorrow, first eye gets done 9/16. Biggest concerns now are how to get my daughter to/from school (15miles away) while I can't drive and Dad is out of the country on business.
