I just left the eye doctor after having a ‘Capsulotomy’. It’s a 30 second procedure to clear up some cloudiness from the Refractive Lens Exchange surgery I had done 3 years ago.
Related: The Eyes Have It
Given today’s visit, I thought it would be a good time to provide an update on lens exchange. In sort, it is an amazing (but expensive) procedure. For my wife and I (she also had lens exchange), it’s been a breakthrough. We can both see far away, mid-range, and close-up. No more contacts or glasses. Not even reading glasses!
Since having it done 3 years ago, I’ve felt that my sight has gone from being a liability to a true superpower. It was pricey – and wasn’t covered by insurance ($6K/eye) – but it’s an investment that I get a return on every second of the day.
The cloudiness that I had fixed today appears in some eyes after a couple years. I started noticing it about 3-4 months ago, playing pickle ball. A few zaps of the laser today and the cloudiness goes away … forever.
I often ask people, “what purchase have you made that’s been a real game changer in your life”? For me, it’s refractive lens exchange.
Image: Sparky’s Eyes; One dilated!
MrFireStation 
Hi Sparky!
long time no see 🙂
My wife & I enjoy your blog! Since we last talked in the MegaCorp cafeteria a few years ago, we both retired and we moved to AZ (Aug 2022)
We looked into this surgery about a year ago, but the office we talked with said multi-focal wasn’t available, that is, we’d have to have one eye for close-up and one eye for distant vision.
Given that one of my newer hobbies is flying airplanes (Got my full PPL in August of this year), I didn’t want to risk not passing the FAA Medical.
We would love to talk with you about your experience with this procedure. Would you have 20-30 minutes to talk via phone the next few weeks?
My phone number please feel free to call or text if we can schedule a time to chat. im guessing you’ll know my email
my wife’s name is Sumita. She also worked at MegaCorp and was directly reporting to Paul K when we all worked there.
thanks Sparky!
Scott
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Alcon PanOptix are the lenses that we got. Check with your clinic and maybe you’ll find one that offers the same ones. https://www.myalcon.com/cataracts/clareon-iols/panoptix/
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Very interesting. Did you use bifocals or progressive lens before the procedure?
My father in his 80s had lens exchange for cataracts and ended up not needed glasses ever. Me, his son in his late 50s was wearing progressives.
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I was near sighted. Needed glasses for distance, driving, movies. Also had readers all over the house for anything close up. Now … nothing.
I’ve been told that 90% of people need cataract surgery at some point in their lives. This pre-emots that, but is much more expensive.
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Thanks. Your situation sounded similar to where I am now. Presbyopia makes reading difficult, especially reading ingredient labels in stores. I couldn’t read engravings on wrench sockets, so use clearly marked organizers. I used to take pictures on labels on my cell phone and blew them up to read them. Currently using workstation readers with a magnified cheater zone in a progressive lens.
When I am driving the signs look fuzzy and the dashboard instruments are also fuzzy, so another set of progressive lens with Nikon Transitions lenses. I use the instrument focal depth for shooting sports.
Sounds like you got a progressive lens installed? Did you test drive the prescription with contacts before the surgery? Are sunglasses required for UV protection for the replacement lens.
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Yes! – I was in the same situation. Couldn’t see far away without my contacts, couldn’t see close with them. I too was taking pictures of labels so I could ‘blow them up’ bigger.
Unfortunately, you can’t ’test drive’ these, because it’s surgery. Google “Alcon PanOptix Lens Exchange” and it will describe it better than I can. Far away, midrange, and close up are all in perfect, crisp & bright view for me now. No glasses, readers, or sunglasses (UV) required. It’s like being born with perfect vision.
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It isn’t really effective to to “test” multifocals. Too many variables. But it is mandatory to test monovision before proceeding if you are interested in that (one eye distance, one eye near: some people love it some hate it).
The vast majority of intraocular lenses have UV protection built in. The Alcon Panoptix specifically does. However, you still need UV protection. For the rest of your eyes. After all your conjunctiva/sclera is unprotected, and nobody gets sunscreen up to your eyelid margins! A very common skin cancer location is at the eyelid margin. So yes to the sunglasses still.
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Yes – I still wear sunglasses. Always have, always will.
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Thank you very much. Sounds like I could get my vision back to what I was born with.
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I had a torn retina repair at age 36 and a recurrence at 60. My father lost an eye at age 4 so I was always told to be careful with my eyes. I don’t mind glasses with progressive lenses. During the LASIK surgery popular period my ophthalmologist told me that with every year lens replacement surgery gets infinitely better and if you don’t mind glasses to put surgery off until cataracts appear. That advice was 25 years ago. It sounds like the future has arrived. I’m still not getting surgery
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I had a torn retina repair at age 36 and a recurrence at 60. My father lost an eye at age 4 so I was always told to be careful with my eyes. I don’t mind glasses with progressive lenses. During the LASIK surgery popular period my ophthalmologist told me that with every year lens replacement surgery gets infinitely better and if you don’t mind glasses to put surgery off until cataracts appear. That advice was 25 years ago. It sounds like the future has arrived. I’m still not getting surgery
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