Eyes cataract surgery

[Danb]

Yeah or nay…I’m to close and concerned about the outcome

 

D

[LANCECASPER]

  On 3/27/2024 at 7:44 PM, Danb said:

Yeah or nay…I’m to close and concerned about the outcome

 

D

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My older brother had his left eye done a couple of weeks ago - great results. He’ll get the right one done in a couple weeks. 

[dzeleski]

My grandfather had it done before he passed. The next time I saw him after he had the surgery he said it was like having 20 year old eyes again.

I know there are some risks depending on the case but if they say you have a good case I think its a pretty standard procedure at this point. Give your AME a ring as well just in case

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

My parents and my wife have had it.  All would recommend the surgery.  My wife chose to have monovision, and she loves it.  My dad said it was not allowed for pilots when he had it.

[Hank]

I made the lens implants for ten years, 2004-2013. Surgery takes about 10 minutes for one eye. Never heard anyone say they didn't like it.

Things to watch out for:

• Many lens models are available, with a multitude of corrections. Get what you need--presbyopia, toxicity, myopia, etc.
• Multifocal lenses are available. J&J advertises a contact lens (1/2" across) with three focal zones; in 2013, we made lens implants (1/4" across) with up to 13 focal zones.
• Many surgeons recommend single vision lenses to engineers and pilots, because those groups are "too picky." Lucky me, I'm both!
• Some people mix their contact lenses, one eye near and one eye far. The FAA doesn't like this. It can be done with your implants, but unlike contact lenses, they require surgery to change.

Potential gotchas as of ten years ago:

• Some people experience halos around bright lights at night.
• Some lenses with multiple correction factors (myopia, non-sphericity, and toxicity combined) can create "apparitions" / "optical phenomena" at the edges of your vision, where light reflects off of the edge of the lens. If you see these after surgery, ignore them and they will go away (your brain learns to ignore them); fixate on them and stay all bothered, they will become permanent (your brain learns to pay attention to them).

That's about all I remember. I recommend getting lenses with UV protection (they are generally some shade of yellow), and what Alcon calls "wavefront technology" and ask if you need aspherical, too. Look at your current prescription, if you need toricity there will be an axis shown (i.e., left eye 118°), which the lens will be rotated to match during implant surgery.

Good luck and enjoy your improved vision! Many patients no longer need glasses, but some may still need readers depending upon prescription and lens features.

[Danb]

Thanks Hank..helps. Getting apprehensive 

[Danb]

Basically need to provide a report of a current eye evaluation showing visual acuity and refractive error ,absent of significant side effects should be good to go, I currently fly with a SODA legally blind in one eye, my nightmares are if he messes up my good eye. They have light adjustable lenses where the adjust or fine tune your vision both near and far over a few weeks, one of the doctors was a pilot in the Marines and she highly recommended them plus recommended doing the bad eye to let more light in ?
Appreciate your help Hank

D

[Hank]

  On 3/27/2024 at 9:37 PM, Danb said:

Thanks Hank..helps. Getting apprehensive 

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My aunt said she was very worried for several days, and right after surgery she said there was nothing to worry about. Don't remember mom & dad saying anything at all (they had three eyes done between them).

All new employees watched a video on our first morning at work, taken through the surgeon's microscope, with the eyeball about four feet across on the wall. Took about ten minutes. "This is what we make. Quality is important. Be sure to follow all procedures, no shortcuts!"

You can't be put to sleep, but they give you something to help relax. There are no stitches, only eyedrops for a few days afterwards. No one does both eyes at the same time, you'll know what to expect for the second eye if you do it, too.

[Hank]

  On 3/27/2024 at 9:47 PM, Danb said:

They have light adjustable lenses where the adjust or fine tune your vision both near and far over a few weeks, one of the doctors was a pilot in the Marines and she highly recommended them plus recommended doing the bad eye to let more light in ?

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I'm just an engineer, keeping everything running, doing lots of testing, and starting up the new models. I've read about adjustable eyeglasses but not adjustable lens implants (IOL = IntraOcular Lens implant).

Relax and think about flying instead of this. If you have a good eye doctor and see well with hpthe lenses he prescribes, the surgeon can match it and have good results. Sounds like you have that important piece taken care of.

Now relax and think about flying without having to crane your head in strange directions to see your new panel!

[Rick Junkin]

@Danb I had my right eye done a couple of years ago. I chose a multifocal implant and have had great success with it. Minor halos at night, but less annoying than the halos from the cataract. I chose to prioritize intermediate and far vision and that has worked out great in the cockpit. I keep a pair of glasses available but I haven't needed them yet. I did need a laser treatment to clear up some minor cloudiness about 9 months after the surgery but it was a non-event.

Monovision implants will allow you to fly as soon as your ophthalmologist says you're good to go. Multifocal implants require a 3 month waiting period before you fly. Your brain needs to adjust, as Hank has described.

Your post about being legally blind in one eye just popped up. That raises the risk bar, but the odds are still well in your favor. Trust your ophthalmologist to advise you on the risk/benefit analysis to determine your best course of action. That being said, I have been amazed at the capability of new technology and the relative ease of the out-patient procedure. You have my best wishes for a great outcome should you decide to proceed.

Cheers,
Rick

[Schllc]

Both of my parents have done both of their eyes, one about ten years ago and the other five years ago.  Both were very happy with the results. 

[MikeOH]

I had my right eye done in January... just before my medical! Need 8500-7 form signed by ophthalmologist and bring to your AME exam.

Should have done it years earlier but I could no longer pass the eye exam so I really didn't have any choice.

Literally 30 minutes after the surgery I could see distance perfectly; like when I was 20! Couldn't be happier.

I went with the the single focus IOL for distance.

[N201MKTurbo]

I had my left eye done a week ago and my right eye done Tuesday. I was afraid I couldn’t pass my flight physical with my eyes the way they were. My vision was 20/50 with glasses. 
 

I’m sitting here on my IPad without glasses and it is easy to read. The best surgery I ever had! They checked my vision on my left eye before they did my right eye. It was 20/20 without glasses. I was able to read the smallest line they showed me, so it was probably better than that.
 

I got the standard lenses. I didn’t have any sedation during the procedure, (I had work to do when I got home) It was easy.

[Rick Junkin]

Excellent news, congrats!

[N201MKTurbo]

  On 3/28/2025 at 2:09 AM, Rick Junkin said:

Excellent news, congrats!

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Thanks!

[MB65E]

Good Friend in Shreveport LA does several of the surgeries per day. Awesome guy. He also Flys acro and a Citation. 

My Dad had one of his done, (not by my friend) he had a delayed recovery of about a week. He was amazed at the color difference and wished he would have done it sooner. 
-Matt

[donkaye]

There was a big thread on this awhile back.  Many seemed to like the vivity multifocal lens  That lens it very expensive at about $5,000/eye per my sister who had them implanted a couple of months ago.  I got the Toric lens with long range focal distance, since I had astigmatism and wasn't aware of the vivity lens.  They were $2,000 per eye.  Medicare pays for the operation and regular lens.  I paid the extra for the toric lens.

The operation was a non event and took about 10 minutes.  I had the eyes done separately 3 weeks apart.  The biggest deal were the eyedrops that were needed for 5 weeks.  My sister said she had eyedrops that performed multiple functions and were a non issue for her.

Without going into the details of Special Issuance 3rd Class for 20/25 in both eyes, after the operation and confirmation of corrected Commercial standard vision,  I was able to get my 2nd Class Medical back immediately.

 

[Hank]

Medicare will often pay for some level of lens replacement, but not premium lenses. It was always a Big Deal when a new lens model was finally approved by Medicare, as that made demand rise significantly. New models sold for 10-15X what our oldest model lenses did, so there was significant attention on new model launches at the plant, but other folks at HQ pushed paper with the government (our plant pushed paperwork for FDA launch approval).

As everywhere, innovation is what kept the company going, and as you can read here, that same innovation leads to happy(ier) customers and improved quality of life.

I enjoyed my time making lens implants, right up until the company was sold to another Fortune 100 company and everything (along with many people) began to change . . .

[65MooneyPilot]

I just had both my eyes done and it has been a good experience. Before the surgery my left eye was the better eye and now after surgery my right eye is super clear. With the new lenses everything is brighter. It’s like having a car that you have to replace or buff out the headlight lens on. I had astigmatism and upgraded to have that removed. Now no glasses needed except reading glasses. 
Four weeks of eyedrops three time a day, no heavy lifting for a week and no swimming for a month to keep bacteria out until fully healed. No restrictions on flying.  

[hubcap]

I had both eyes taken care of several years ago with no issues whatsoever. Couldn’t be happier. I do still need readers.