DC lighting

[Nigel Goodwin]

I'm not that old yet.

I had my done fairly young, due to damage from massively high blood pressure. It also put me at the maximum possible risk of detached retinas, while I was waiting to have my second eye done (which was a long time after the first, because the woman I had to go and see was off long term sick) the woman when she came back filled an assessment form, she ticked every single box on the form in the maximum risk columns

For examples:

Cataracts done young - tick.
VERY short sighted - tick.

And I did actually end up with a detached retina on my second eye, and by the time it was done I'd totally lost vision in it, and they repaired 13 retinal tears. The surgeon said it was the best outcome he'd seen, as once the centre detaches it's usual to never regain central vision. Not that it's perfect, but it's pretty damn good - in fact examining retinal photographs at the opticians you can't see any damage at all.

Probably the best way to describe it is to get a sheet of newspaper, screw it up in a tight ball, and then try and smooth it back out with your hands

As for the age thing, it was quite embarrassing - you're all sat round in a room, and they keep coming round putting dilating eye drops in - and as they do you've got to give your name, your date of birth, say which eye you're having done, and point at it (they also draw a big arrow on your forehead with a felt tip pen). I was by FAR the youngest there, most were old enough to be my parents or even grand parents.

 

[dr pepper]

Your old peepers are important, mine are just ageing.
I have however spent too much time lying on my back in cold substations and the like, as well as lifting stuff on the heavy side.
I try to avoid that now.

 

[audioguru]

Compact fluorescent light bulbs at 2500k (warm white) are pink-yellow like incandescent or a bunch of old candles. 5000k (daylight) are blue. 3000k and 3500k are white. I do not know the color number of those very bright blue car high intensity headlights.
My government gave me a bunch of 3000k LED bulbs that look a little yellow.
The LED light (no color number) in my computer room has 72 LEDs and it looks like sunlight.

 

[gophert]

Compact fluorescent light bulbs at 2500k (warm white) are pink-yellow like incandescent or a bunch of old candles. 5000k (daylight) are blue. 3000k and 3500k are white. I do not know the color number of those very bright blue car high intensity headlights.
My government gave me a bunch of 3000k LED bulbs that look a little yellow.
The LED light (no color number) in my computer room has 72 LEDs and it looks like sunlight.

5000K is sunlight. The car and early "white" LEDs are quite blue and generally above 6500K.

 

[audioguru]

Isn't the color number the heating? Redish is a low heating number and "white hot" is a high heat number producing pure white, not blue.

 

[gophert]

Isn't the color number the heating? Redish is a low heating number and "white hot" is a high heat number producing pure white, not blue.

It seems like that would be true but, unfortunately, designers and stylists (artists) set the names to the numbers. The designers thought the bluish color looked "cold" eventhough something heated to blue (6500 Kelvin) is hotter than something heated to a yellowish (warm) 3500K.

I hate when designers/artists interfere with science.

 

[audioguru]

On a sunny day, if the sun is covered by one tiny airplane then everything does not look blue since they are lighted by the blue sky.

 

[Pommie]

I had my lenses replaced about 5 years ago (age 55) because I was sick of carrying glasses everywhere. They fitted tri-focal lenses that will focus at reading length, TV length and far distance. To me it appears as though I can focus at any length.

Retinal tears and detachments sounds very scary.

Mike.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I had my lenses replaced about 5 years ago (age 55) because I was sick of carrying glasses everywhere. They fitted tri-focal lenses that will focus at reading length, TV length and far distance. To me it appears as though I can focus at any length.

Retinal tears and detachments sounds very scary.

Surely they warned you of the possibility?, it's a fairly 'common' side effect from cataract surgery - certainly here they make you well aware of potential issues well before surgery. Basically you have a choice, take the (small) risk of problems, or stay as you were (and gradually getting worse) to the extent of been unable to function any more.

I'd got to the stage where I probably shouldn't have been driving (but no one said I couldn't) and was struggling watching TV, and it was deteriorating at such a rate that it wouldn't have been long until I was unable to work - so there was no choice really.

When I had my first eye done there was an even younger guy who went in just before me, he actually worked at another local hospital (a porter or some such), and was a union representative. The surgeon sent him out without operating, he considered it 'too risky' (as he had an underlying condition which made it so), and that (in his opinion) wearing contact lens (and not glasses) would improve his sight to an acceptable degree. Then in a few years time, when there was no other option, they could risk the operation as there would be nothing to lose by then.

When you hang around eye clinics you hear some pretty scary stories, but at least you are reminded that there's a;ways someone else worse off.

 

[Pommie]

I had it done for purely cosmetic reasons so I don't think the same complications exist or, if they did, it wasn't explained. I know a few people that have had it done here in Aus and not heard of any complications. Note, also, I didn't have cataracts.

Mike.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I had it done for purely cosmetic reasons so I don't think the same complications exist or, if they did, it wasn't explained. I know a few people that have had it done here in Aus and not heard of any complications. Note, also, I didn't have cataracts.

Same operation, same risks, I'm amazed they didn't explain the potential risks - but perhaps different rules apply to cosmetic surgery as opposed to hospital surgery?. Was your op actually done in a hospital, or in an 'office' somewhere? - usually it's the exact same surgeon anyway, as the normally operate in hospitals and in eye centres as well. I seem to recall the surgeon who did my first eye also did ops in a shopping centre (amazing what you over hear when you're lying there ).

 

[Pommie]

I assumed your retinal tears etc. were caused by the wait (and high blood pressure) as it was the untreated eye that had the problems. Maybe it was a different procedure as I had both eyes done on the same day. I do know that the procedure to see if it can be done is quit rigorous and not everyone can have it done.

Mike.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I assumed your retinal tears etc. were caused by the wait (and high blood pressure) as it was the untreated eye that had the problems. Maybe it was a different procedure as I had both eyes done on the same day. I do know that the procedure to see if it can be done is quit rigorous and not everyone can have it done.

No the damage occurred after the operation on the second eye, about 6 months after.

Interesting that hospitals generally won't do both eyes at once, but cosmetic surgeons often do?

As far as I'm aware the operation is identical, they 'pop' the eye with a diamond cutter (making a 1.8mm hole), break up the old lens with ultrasound and suck the remains out with a vacuum pump. The new lens comes rolled up, is inserted through the small hole and unfurled (like a ship in a bottle), the hole may be fastened with a stitch, or left to heal naturally, depending on the surgeon and rules at the facility.

After care is applying drops for a couple of weeks, which they say 'may' sting - which means WILL sting, if it's not going to sting they don't mention it The stinging seems to get worse as time goes by, and towards the end of the two weeks is pretty painful.

 

[Pommie]

As far as I'm aware the operation is identical, they 'pop' the eye with a diamond cutter (making a 1.8mm hole), break up the old lens with ultrasound and suck the remains out with a vacuum pump. The new lens comes rolled up, is inserted through the small hole and unfurled (like a ship in a bottle), the hole may be fastened with a stitch, or left to heal naturally, depending on the surgeon and rules at the facility.

This sounds identical. I remember them saying that you have to stay awake for the procedure and they pump fluid in to make the eyeball more solid!! But, they give you a drug so you don't remember and I didn't. Don't remember any drops especially stingy ones. I did get some scaring about 2 years later which was polished off (blasted away) with a laser. Are your lenses the tri-focal ones?

Mike.
Edit, this has probably made a lot of people feel quite squeamish.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

This sounds identical. I remember them saying that you have to stay awake for the procedure and they pump fluid in to make the eyeball more solid!! But, they give you a drug so you don't remember and I didn't. Don't remember any drops especially stingy ones. I did get some scaring about 2 years later which was polished off (blasted away) with a laser. Are your lenses the tri-focal ones?

No, mine are single vision, and were free Multi-focal ones are only available privately, and at considerable expense. You've also got the problem that the operation can cause (or worsen) astigmatism, so even if the lens prescription is spot on you might still need glasses anyway for best vision. Mine were probably so bad that it was hard to get an accurate measurement (they measure the curvature of the eyeball and the depth to the retina), this is probably less accurate looking through a cloudy cataract lens But the lens aren't bad, I can function without glasses fairly well, and can drive without them - but they certainly sharpen things up, and I wear varifocals for every day use so I can read etc, as well.

The drops are (if I remember correctly) steroids and antibiotics, and are pretty well what you get given after any eye operation.

No 'eye pumping' here, the pumping noise is the vacuum sucking the old lens out, and no drugs either - apart from the dilation drops.

The laser treatment later wasn't for scarring, it's remnants of the original lens that weren't fully removed, and they 'blast' it away with a laser. This occurs in about 50% of cataract operations, I had one of mine done as well - most people you talk to have had one lasered.

 

[Pommie]

The laser treatment later wasn't for scarring, it's remnants of the original lens that weren't fully removed, and they 'blast' it away with a laser. This occurs in about 50% of cataract operations, I had one of mine done as well - most people you talk to have had one lasered.

I thought it was the membrane behind the lens that goes cloudy as it seemed to pretty much cover the whole eye. I don't remember any pumping noise but was told prior to the op that that is what they do.

Mike.

 

[audioguru]

I was blinded by cataracts when I was about 64, probably caused by the original lenses getting stiff and could not adjust focus any more.
When I was young my vision was perfect and I did not need glasses. Then at about 40 I got cheap reading glasses. Then at about 50 I got tri-focal glasses to see close, medium and far.
The cataracts came suddenly and quickly. At first I saw a starry haze that I thought was my glasses. 3 months later I was blind in a thick fog.
The surgeon offered #1: cheap huge government paid lenses that take months for healing, #2: fairly expensive newer smaller ones that allow quick healing plus extra surgery to correct astigmatism, then #3: very new, very expensive adjustable focus lenses that sometimes get stuck and need replacement. I selected #2.
Each eye was done separately and my vision was perfect the next day, but I need reading glasses for close-up since the lenses do not adjust..