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Pete Z

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1 hour ago, Pete Z said:

 

Thanks for the replies.  My wife would like to get lasik but is hesitant because she thinks that it wouldn't benefit her due to the strength of her prescription. Part of the reason I am thinking about doing it is to put her mind at ease about the procedure and your wive's experiences validate the results she could expect. Thanks again to both of you. 

I can understand your wife’s fears.  I shudder at the thought of someone around my eyes.

Procedures now are much more common and I would think advanced then when my wife had her eyes done.  Get a few opinions from clinics and find the doctor your wife is comfortable with.

My father also had his eyes done due to cataracts but now is with no issues.

 

About 2 years ago my wife had a retina detach.  That was scary business.  

 

 

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12 hours ago, Sksman said:

I can understand your wife’s fears.  I shudder at the thought of someone around my eyes.

Procedures now are much more common and I would think advanced then when my wife had her eyes done.  Get a few opinions from clinics and find the doctor your wife is comfortable with.

My father also had his eyes done due to cataracts but now is with no issues.

 

About 2 years ago my wife had a retina detach.  That was scary business.  

 

 

Apparently cataract surgery has become very routine and essentially "perfected" My mother had both eyes done. When she did she came home and went on a cleaning spree since she could now see things that she had missed in the past. Other than the eye patch for a while she said it wasn't a big deal. I drove her to the hospital, waited while it was done then drove her home.

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On 2018-02-02 at 7:20 PM, Pete Z said:

 

Thanks for the replies.  My wife would like to get lasik but is hesitant because she thinks that it wouldn't benefit her due to the strength of her prescription. Part of the reason I am thinking about doing it is to put her mind at ease about the procedure and your wive's experiences validate the results she could expect. Thanks again to both of you. 

My girlfriend as mentioned earlier has a strong prescription too but at the consult said she was a good candidate for laser eye.  She has perfect vision.  No regrets and she would do it over in a heart beat.   I'll likely be on tap when I have spare cash :bc: 

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No problem Pete.  Happy to help a FSer out. 

On 2/2/2018 at 7:20 PM, Pete Z said:

 

Thanks for the replies.  My wife would like to get lasik but is hesitant because she thinks that it wouldn't benefit her due to the strength of her prescription. Part of the reason I am thinking about doing it is to put her mind at ease about the procedure and your wive's experiences validate the results she could expect. Thanks again to both of you. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good read on eye surgery.  Pretty common these days.  When we were in the hospital the doctor had 2 surgery days a week. Probably 10 patients per day.



New technique for cataracts

Surgery a real eye-opener

  • Toronto Sun
  • February 17, 2018
  • DR. GIFFORD JONES

artimg_0031_0000_0000_.jpgGETTY IMAGES  

As a surgeon, giving medical advice to a family member, particularly to your wife, is a difficult task.

Moreover, since she’s also my editor, Susan is well aware of my advice to readers.

Namely, that it’s prudent never to agree to surgery for a painful hip or any chronic condition until it affects your quality of life.

So, how did I react to her cataract surgery?

According to The National Eye Institute, by age 80 half of North Americans have a cataract, or have required the operation to replace a foggy lens. In Canada 250,000 such surgeries are performed each year and an estimated 1.5 million worldwide.

Many people are unaware they have cataracts in the early stages of growth. Since cataracts grow slowly some people can live for years without significant effect on vision.

But Susan’s vision was becoming blurred by more than dirty glasses. Driving at night also began to hurt her eyes. This is when her ophthalmologist and I agreed the moment for surgery had arrived.

For this column I had previously interviewed Dr. Raymond Stein, medical director of Bochner Eye Institute. He’s also associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto. After examination of Susan he agreed surgery was needed and would provide complete restoration of eyesight. Dr Stein suggested I watch her surgery.

During my years in surgery I had observed a few cataract operations. But it was not easy for an observer to see details, since the eye’s visual field is so small. But what a dramatic change at the Bochner Institute! This time I witnessed every detail of the double procedure on a large video screen.

This was my introduction to what’s called Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery. It’s considered to be the most significant advance in cataract surgery in 50 years. Formerly, a hand held instrument using ultrasound energy was used to break up the cataract, like a jack hammer breaking up cement. Now a computer controlled laser, guided by an imaging device superior to an MRI, is used to divide the cataract into tiny fragments. This causes less turbulence in the eye with improved comfort and speedier healing.

Then Dr. Stein’s surgery begins. A minute tube is inserted through a tiny 2.2 millimeter incision to suck out all of the now powdery cataract. The second stage of the operation is the insertion of the new lens into the eye through the same incision. The entire procedure requires 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness and size of the cataract. And if both eyes have cataracts, the usual procedure at the institute is to do one eye at a time, the second in a week’s time.

What impressed me? It became clear as I watched the step-by-step procedure that Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery has decreased the former risks of this operation.

But what I observed also reinforced two other vital points — the golden rules of surgery. It was immediately evident that Dr. Stein is a skilled technical surgeon. And it was also obvious that he had performed 50,000 cataract operations over the last 30 years. Practise does make perfect, when it is also accompanied by inborn skill.

Now that the surgery is over I’ve learned another important lesson. If I had seen this improved operation earlier I would have sent Susan to Dr. Stein sooner, rather than later. And I would be more willing to prescribe cataract surgery than previously.

Since the surgery Susan has been using glasses only for reading fine print. And even this may soon end. She has no need of glasses while driving.

There is no 100% way to prevent cataracts as aging is the main cause. Some studies show that high doses of vitamin C and E help to decrease development. It’s also advisable for all of us to wear dark glasses to protect against strong sunlight. For instance, living close to the equator increases cataract risk.

Lastly, I’m grateful to Dr. Stein and his dedicated staff for restoring Susan’s vision. It was an eye-opener for me to see first-hand the remarkable new advances in cataract surgery.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The column does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure disease. Please contact your doctor. The information provided is for informational purposes only and are the views solely of the author. See Docgiff.com. For comments; info@ docgiff.com

Edited by Sksman
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On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 10:26 AM, odot1 said:

My wife had hers done just over a year ago.  Without glasses or contacts she could barely see beyond 2-3ft.  She now has crisp clear distance vison  Close up (reading) did suffer somewhat.  For her, that minor trade off is/was worth it.  Lasik MD in Kingston.  Around the $4500 mark and zero regrets.

Was she disappointed to see what you actually look like afterwards...

 

(jk)

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