Cataracts and other visual concerns!

[ultrarunner]

Thousands of New York driver's licenses suspended over lack of vision tests: How to check your status

Kentucky is trying to put in place testing for senior citizens when they renew their driver license. But as of now you could live to be 120 and get yourself into the courthouse and renew your license without an eye exam or you could do it by mail.

Im moving to Kentucky if the time comes.

 

[MTGreen]

I had a torn and detached retina. Happened as I was teaching. Like a curtain going down in my right eye. Drove to a DR nearby, against the schools advise, about 15 minutes using one eye. He said, get to the hospital ASAP. I did. They tried freezing as a patch, something else as a patch. Came back the next day for final surgery to fix. Stuck a needle in my eye to inject gas to put pressure on repair. At one point a popsicle stick was jammed between my eye ball and the side to move out of the way. 2 years later developed a cataract. Had that done. Wife calls that eye the billion dollar eye... all that was NOT FUN!!!
2 years later, went to surgeon who did first eye. He said don't wait so long... repaired in his office. Just waiting on that to develop a cataract...
On a side note, floaties make me laugh at myself as I swap at them like fruit flies.

Ask your eye doc about compounded low dose atropine drops for the floaters

 

[ultrarunner]

For many procedures we had offed a flat fee but ran into conflict with the new laws like the Stark anti kick back law.

Transparency is the new byword with everything broken out as to who gets paid what along with itemization..

Staff and patients generally liked one fee but insurance companies and Medicare not so much.

 

[deserteagle71]

Thousands of New York driver's licenses suspended over lack of vision tests: How to check your status

Kentucky is trying to put in place testing for senior citizens when they renew their driver license. But as of now you could live to be 120 and get yourself into the courthouse and renew your license without an eye exam or you could do it by mail.

Been a thing here in Nevada for some time now. Up to age 70 you could renew your driver's license on line, good for 8 years. After age 70 you have to go in person and get vision tested at a DMV site before you can renew...and you have to do it every 4 years!

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Ask your eye doc about compounded low dose atropine drops for the floaters

Can you give some details on this? Pros/cons

 

[MTGreen]

Can you give some details on this? Pros/cons

Standard commercially available atropine for eye dilation prior to procedures is a 1% solution. Atropine is an anti-cholinergic (anti-rest-and-digest) which acts on nerve receptors naturally existing in your eye. "Low dose" or more appropriately low strength atropine is "compounded" by a pharmacy as 0.01%, 0.025%, and 0.05% solution. By far the most common use for it is to slow the progression of (not reverse) myopia in children and adolescents either alone or in conjunction with "OrthoK" type hard lenses worn at night that act as braces to remodel the shape of the eyeball. Studies have shown benefit for at least 2 and possibly 3 years for the low dose atropine during childhood/adolescence.
Side effects with this indication(use) are not common and are typically limited to temporary (1-5min) burning sensation, bad taste in mouth, and temporary light sensitivity (used at night before bed).

A newer use for low dose atropine that does not yet have the same level of robust double blinded placebo controlled studies is for "floaters" in adults. Again, there is not nearly as much data as for myopia in children, but preliminary efficacy has been excellent and side effects are uncommon and similar to those listed above.

The strength is between 1/20th to 1/100th of the commercially available formulation. "Compounded" means that it is either sterilely diluted down from the commercial formulation or made directly from the raw chemical ingredients and sterilized in a strictly controlled (and heavily regulated) cleanroom.

Your ophthalmologist would be able to give you more information and write a script if you'd like to try it

[And before anyone asks or assumes this info didn't come from "ask Google", nor do I have anything whatsoever to gain from anyone having their doc write a script for it]

 

[newbury]

It was suggested to start a visual related thread. I have my left eye cataract surgery finished and currently scheduling for the right eye.

Long time coming for this thread and I hope it can stay non-political.

Cataract surgery used to be chancy. Twenty years ago I heard many stories about problems and complications. Flaps coming undone were the worst. My MIL (RIP) put off surgery for many years, much to her dismay. When she finally got the surgery (on both eyes) she was aggravated with herself for not having gotten it sooner.
When my "time" came my right eye started clouding first, it progressed gradually for a couple of Covid years then over the course of a few months clouded over such that I could barely see to drive slowly with my right eye, left eye was fine. "Luckily" I was able to get the cataract lens replaced almost immediately.
My vision in that eye after surgery came back better than before the cataract.
Recovery after operation was quick and easy.

Now how about wet AMD in this thread?

 

[riptides]

....

Now how about wet AMD in this thread?

I had a bad diagnosis on that one. I ended up going elsewhere for a second opinion which they said it was just a capillary had busted. Saved me injections and what not. Ended up staying with that second opinion doctor and organization.

I get monitored every six months. Just because.

 

[jaxs]

Long time coming for this thread and I hope it can stay non-political.

Now how about wet AMD in this thread?

Into my 5th year with injections in right eye and monitoring left. Thanks to a doctor that takes his job serious I've preserved my vision.

 

[Oaktree]

I had cataract removal and distance lenses implanted last fall. Astigmatism corrected. Great improvement but readers required. Readers everywhere is a PIA. Some glare in certain lighting but generally a big improvement. And I finally get to wear cheap sunglasses lol.
My advice is let them do both eyes at once. One and done was offered but I chickened out. Wish I had done them both at once.

Don't you have to wear an eye patch for a couple days after surgery? ISTR that being the case when my wife had hers done a couple years ago. Not sure I'd want to be blindfolded for a couple days.
How bad was your astigmatism? I have it pretty bad in one eye (to the point of just barely being correctable with glasses), and I was told that cataract surgery would require a special procedure that was not typically covered by insurance. Fortunately, I have minimal cataracts so not really an issue right now.