Cataracts/ back on the bike

[disisme]

Hi , maybe kind of weird question to some but , I have cataract surgery coming up and was wondering from those that have gone through it how long you had to wait to get back in the saddle, I’m getting the lense in my right eye and I‘ve got a lazy eye in the left so nothing can be done with it. I have a larger heavy bike if that makes a difference, I’ve been grounded all year and put off work so want to make plans .
Any do’s and don’t’s I should be aware of ?
Thanks

 

[SMSW]

You should be able to ride a couple of days after surgery. My doc told me I could drive the next day (not the day of surgery because of the anesthetic, but I felt fine and drove about 4 or 5 hours later). I rode a few days later but did so with my visor down for protection. My surgeon rides a bicycle and said I could ride whenever I felt ok.

Best thing to do is ask your doc and follow his instructions. (Don't forget the eye drops.)

 

[Jethro]

I would have thought the strain of getting it off the side stand would be too much.Things change since l had mine done 10 years ago.Doctor knows best,

 

[SMSW]

I would have thought the strain of getting it off the side stand would be too much.Things change since l had mine done 10 years ago.Doctor knows best,

You are right, I'd forgotten that. Doc said lift no more than 40 lbs. Wise guy that I am, I said is 39 ok? Deadpanned, he said yes.

 

[Grand Rouge]

Side Stand....weight. Heavy lifting etc..... With bars turned all the way to the right, my ST 1300 becomes a feather weight from side stand angle to straight up. Applies to all motorcyles?

Disisme, couple of siblings have had successful cataract procedures...... piloting light aircraft and riding within days.

 

[Jethro]

Your eyes you take the chances.Heres to your speedy ,and safe riding..

 

[Art Franz]

I had a really bad experience with cataract surgery. Got both mine done at the same time. All the reports were that this was a simple, trouble free procedure. And I know a few people that have had it done and they are all super happy. Incl my dad and my sister. Not me. Thing is, my cataracts weren’t bad enough yet for my insurance to pay for it, but I couldn’t stand not being able to see well. And I didn’t want to wait till I was almost blind before they would pay. And I had the money, so I went for it, after all, the track records were all excellent.

First mistake was mine - I was the last job on a Fri afternoon. During my surgery the receptionist came in 3 times and told the doc his wife was waiting for him in the lobby. His bedside manner was terrible - he’s the kinda guy that double books himself and then runs flat out all day so he can up his pay check. (I don’t know that, it’s just what he seemed like.) Didn’t explain stuff, didn’t have time for me to ask questions, anything I tried to say to him and he would interrupt, he was awful. Super hyper, seemed like he was always on steroids.

Had excruciating pain when the freezing came out of my eyes, worse than a welders flash if you’ve ever experienced that. Lasted about 12 hrs before that subsided enuf to be able to see. Called their hot line and they said sometimes that happens. Found out later I could have asked for some drops that would temporarily numb the eye, just for temporary relief, but I had to know to ask for them, they don’t volunteer that kinda thing. (Thank the doc for that.) Had headaches almost every day for the first year, and they are a regular occurrence now, 3 yrs later. Had migraines 1-2 times a week, and I only ever had 3 migraines EVER prior to this. They slowly diminished to where I only get them about once a month now.

The worst of this is, my eyesight is worse now than it was prior to cataract surgery. And I wore corrective lenses for near-sightedness prior to the surgery. I’ve been in numerous times complaining, and they say that not all surgeries have the same outcome. That my age is against me. Even got a referral from my family doc, to a specialist, and he basically said the same thing.

So now I’m stuck with poor (in my opinion) vision. And headaches, and floaters almost constantly. And the pro’s all say I have 20-20, but it’s nowhere near the 20-20 I had prior to surgery with glasses.

Bottom line - Jethro above says it best - my eyes, I take my chances.

 

[Grabcon]

I had a great experience with both eyes. But my Doctor said no heavy lifting for a month. A gallon of milk was his measure. Lifting produces a lot of strain on the eyes.

 

[SMSW]

@Art Franz, I'm sorry that you had that outcome and ongoing pain. I do want to make one point that not everybody takes to heart. There are great Honda mechanics, good Honda mechanics, and lots of bad Honda mechanics. This goes for electricians, wall paper hangers, engineers, DOCTORS and even ditch diggers. It is our job as patients, to do our due diligence and check out the guy who is going to poke, prod, and cut us open. Yes, I know we don't have a great deal of control over the resident who we see in the hospital, but for something as important as surgery, do some googling. My friend, a pediatric anesthesiologist and genetics researcher once said that good surgeons tend to pick excellent people for their teams.

My eye doc, during my annual check up, told me when I was ready to have cataract surgery to just tell him, and he could do it. He was leaning on the door jamb of the examining room as he said this. I asked if he could give me a prescription for reading glasses until then, he told his nurse to do that, and vanished. (I guess my minute and 37 seconds per visit was up.) I started calling friends and got the same name several times - with everyone swearing he was great. I made an appointment, scheduled surgery and this doc was excellent. No problems. Since then, I've continued to ask around and found a couple of friends who would swear at their docs and most who swear by theirs. And yes, scheduling any appointment at 4.00PM on Friday is not good. I will say I was somewhat apprehensive about scheduling with this other doctor...he was in the same practice as my regular doc - who I no longer see. But, egos aside, they are MY EYES!

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Question for you people who have had cataract surgery.

I know someone who had lens replacement surgery. It was not because of cataracts, it was for vision correction to get rid of the need for wearing glasses. She had multi-focus lenses put in. Her vision is perfect at all distances from close-up to far distant without glasses, so it was a great success from that perspective. Her only complaint is that now she has what she describes as halos around light sources at night, which does cause a blurring effect sometimes. It was extremely irritating in the beginning. She still has them but I guess has become accustomed to them and it isn't as irritating as it was. She was told that this in not uncommon with multi-focus lenses because of the way that they are made to make them multi-focus . From what I know, this is the same procedure as cataract surgery. The only difference is that one is being done for medical reasons to treat cataracts and the other is being done for convenience to get rid of wearing glasses, but the procedure is the same from what I know in that the lens of the eye is replaced.

What I don't understand is that I have never heard anyone who has had this surgery for medical reasons to treat cataracts complain about this. Are the two procedures different, or is she being fed a line of bull?

 

[STFlips]

Andrew, I have had both lenses replaced due to cataracts and corrective ones installed. Halo effect is typical when you have cataracts, and I had it even after the new lenses (but a reduced halo). The surgeon explained that I had secondary cataracts and she improved it greatly by increasing the size of the inner opening of the sac that holds the lens allowing more light to enter the eye. I would think a multi focus lens would be more like a contact lens, they are positioned so that you see through the part needed to focus, kind of like a transitional bifocal. I'm not sure if this answers your query, just my 0.02, I'm no doctor.

Art, I had one painful experience and one good one, it seems for me it was the regime of eye drops pre surgery, my eye sure didn't like the first one, it wrinkled the cover of the eye, had intense pain and had to visit emerg for relief.

End result, the surgery helped greatly with my night vision and ability to distinguish shades of colour.

 

[ReSTored]

If you want a great reference for a medical specialist ask a nurse who she would send a family member to. In particular, if you're looking for a surgeon, ask an O.R. nurse. I spend 2 summers while in school working as a clerk at the main desk in the operating room of a 700 bed teaching hospital. 10 theaters working 7/24 for elective and emergency surgery with all specialties and about 50 surgeons.

Physicians are bright people, have to be to get into med school and graduate. But remember that in every class of 100 there are the top 5 and the bottom 5. Even if you excel academically does not necessarily mean that translates into good diagnostic or therapeutic skills, or surgical proficiency. In my admittedly limited experience I noted that some surgeons routinely took twice as long to do the same operation as their peers and had higher complication rates requiring follow-up emergency surgery later that day or the next day. Nurses talk amongst themselves and it was very clear who they respected and who they did not.

You can check your provincial or state physician registry for complaints and the net for patients feedback as well post op do's and don'ts.

 

[DeanR]

If you want a great reference for a medical specialist ask a nurse who she would send a family member to. In particular, if you're looking for a surgeon, ask an O.R. nurse.

Couldn't agree more.
I assisted in cataract surgery for a while. It has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years though.

 

[Gerhard]

Cherie just got out of the operating room, she was dreading the operation now she is hoping there is a cancellation so she can get the other eye done sooner. So far so good.

 

[SMSW]

Question for you people who have had cataract surgery.

This comes from my new opthalmologist and tenant who is an I doc resident. The lens of your eye sits in the sac you mentioned behind the pupil of your eye. If one lives long enough, every lens will darken to the point that everyone will need lens replacement. This is generally called cataract surgery. The lens also gets harder and more brittle with age. There are a number of different lenses that the doctors use in cataract surgery. The cheapest is a standard lens that does not correct for astigmatism, then comes one that does correct for astigmatism, and finally the multi-focal lens that is similar to progressive eye glasses (except it is inside your eye). The multi focal lenses are known to have side effects such as the halos you mentioned, somewhat less clear vision (compared to the other lenses), and I've read, flaring of bright lights. Michael (my doc) stressed several times that everyone is different and the so called 'common' indications of the need for cataract surgery are not universal. I had none of these, but I did have blurring of my vision in my right eye. There is no reason why someone cannot have an IOL (intraocular lens) implanted for reasons other than cataracts. People get butt lifts, tummy tucks and all sorts of operations for all kinds of reasons. I suspect your friend had to pay for the surgery, but maybe not. It depends on your health insurance.

My tenant said the sweet spot for surgeons is in their 50's. They have had roughly 20 years of experience and while their motor skills are deteriorating somewhat compared to a 30 year old, the experience makes up for that. Michael was in his mid 50's and said he expected to be practicing for about 10 more years. He also told me (bragging?) that he had had only one complication in 17,000 operations and that the national average for cataract surgery is around 3%. I met a guy at a show whose left eye did not look good. His wife told me that he had gone to the VA for cataract surgery, the young woman doc ruptured the lens sac and the lens dropped onto the retina. I mentioned earlier that the lens gets brittle w/ age. When the doc goes in with the vibrating needle, he breaks up the lens and suctions the pieces out through the hollow needle. If he ruptures the sac and the lens or pieces drop down (patient is on his back) another surgery will be required to remove the debris. More floaters are a byproduct of cataract surgery. Michael told me that a famous personal injury lawyer (he has billboards up all over town) had gone to a famous eye clinic in Cleveland for cataract surgery. He had not checked up on his doc, but assumed they were all excellent. (I'll supply a name here - my guess is this was the Cleveland Clinic's eye center). Anyway the young doc ruptured the sac, the lens dropped, and the lawyer came to Michael for follow up corrective surgery. He said it took three surgeries but they got the lawyer's vision back to 20/20. My tenant said were he the attending physician he would never let an inexperienced doc operate on a lawyer.

You can go to youtube and watch videos of cataract surgery.

 

[Gerhard]

You are right, I'd forgotten that. Doc said lift no more than 40 lbs. Wise guy that I am, I said is 39 ok? Deadpanned, he said yes.

I asked the surgeon about lifting during the afternoon follow up visit, he said who told you that? Don’t listen to random people.

Cherie is pleased with the results, she can read the scrolling messages on the bottom of the TV screen and like Bruce said she has better appreciation of colour and saturation. She is really enthused with the results.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Interesting responses, thank you. I'll pass the information on to her.

I am of the age that I need glasses for reading, and increasingly very recently I use them more often for driving. I hate glasses, they are such a pain. I know someone who had complications that lead to worse vision, so for now that fear overpowers the desire to be free of glasses.

 

[SMSW]

I asked the surgeon about lifting during the afternoon follow up visit, he said who told you that? Don’t listen to random people.

Cherie is pleased with the results, she can read the scrolling messages on the bottom of the TV screen and like Bruce said she has better appreciation of colour and saturation. She is really enthused with the results.

IIRC, the 40 # limitation was on the printed after surgery instructions my doc's office gave me.

 

[SMSW]

I am of the age that I need glasses for reading, and increasingly very recently I use them more often for driving. I hate glasses, they are such a pain. I know someone who had complications that lead to worse vision, so for now that fear overpowers the desire to be free of glasses.

The more procedures I have, the more firmly iI believe that the OEM hardware is better than what docs have. I'll add that a good gp that I had in my 50's once told me that two people can go through the same medical procedure by the same surgical team and have vastly different outcomes. It's generally best to stay away from docs.

 

[diferg]

I had a really bad experience with cataract surgery. Got both mine done at the same time. All the reports were that this was a simple, trouble free procedure. And I know a few people that have had it done and they are all super happy. Incl my dad and my sister. Not me. Thing is, my cataracts weren’t bad enough yet for my insurance to pay for it, but I couldn’t stand not being able to see well. And I didn’t want to wait till I was almost blind before they would pay. And I had the money, so I went for it, after all, the track records were all excellent.

First mistake was mine - I was the last job on a Fri afternoon. During my surgery the receptionist came in 3 times and told the doc his wife was waiting for him in the lobby. His bedside manner was terrible - he’s the kinda guy that double books himself and then runs flat out all day so he can up his pay check. (I don’t know that, it’s just what he seemed like.) Didn’t explain stuff, didn’t have time for me to ask questions, anything I tried to say to him and he would interrupt, he was awful. Super hyper, seemed like he was always on steroids.

Had excruciating pain when the freezing came out of my eyes, worse than a welders flash if you’ve ever experienced that. Lasted about 12 hrs before that subsided enuf to be able to see. Called their hot line and they said sometimes that happens. Found out later I could have asked for some drops that would temporarily numb the eye, just for temporary relief, but I had to know to ask for them, they don’t volunteer that kinda thing. (Thank the doc for that.) Had headaches almost every day for the first year, and they are a regular occurrence now, 3 yrs later. Had migraines 1-2 times a week, and I only ever had 3 migraines EVER prior to this. They slowly diminished to where I only get them about once a month now.

The worst of this is, my eyesight is worse now than it was prior to cataract surgery. And I wore corrective lenses for near-sightedness prior to the surgery. I’ve been in numerous times complaining, and they say that not all surgeries have the same outcome. That my age is against me. Even got a referral from my family doc, to a specialist, and he basically said the same thing.

So now I’m stuck with poor (in my opinion) vision. And headaches, and floaters almost constantly. And the pro’s all say I have 20-20, but it’s nowhere near the 20-20 I had prior to surgery with glasses.

Bottom line - Jethro above says it best - my eyes, I take my chances.

Go see another Optometrist and at least get a second opinion. RUN AWAY from your first doctor!