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Is There Any Hope for My Dad's Eyes?
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|
| Fred Mann 2005-08-17, 6:02 pm |
| Hello,
My Dad has been told he has "incipient cataracts", and that lasik is too
risky at this point (he could go blind if they attempt lasik). His doctors
have said that they would feel more comfortable performing the lasik once
the cataracts have fully formed. (that sounds depressing!!)
His symptoms include problems with depth perception and occasional double
images which have gotten gradually worse over the last two years. Also, he
has the occasional dizzy spell (fairly rare)
In 1991, he had laser surgery in his right eye to heal a tear (he wasn't
sure if it was a muscle tear). However, he did not experience these symptoms
back then, so this may be unrelated. His right eye has been *much* worse
than his left for a long time, with no depth perception troubles. He wears
corrective contact lenses, and this has worked fine for many years, until
recently.
I am also considering the idea that his depth perception problems may not
necessarily be related to the incipient cataracts, but may be due to other
factors (i.e. posture-related inner-ear problem -- just a guess). Any
thoughts on that?
I had him try bilberry for a couple months as a cheap and harmless attempt
to improve symptoms, but that did nothing.
My Dad likes to play tennis, and this is making it very difficult for him to
get his exercise. Obviously, he'd love to solve this problem without having
to wait until the cataracts are fully formed. So, any thoughts on this
matter would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks!!!
Fred
| |
| EyesRBAD 2005-08-17, 10:57 pm |
| Fred, don't you DARE do LASIK on your dad. When his cataract surgery
happens as long as he has NOT had LASIK he will be able to be fitted with
an intraocular lens that should bring him to 20/20. It will not fix his
close
vision, he will need reading glasses for that.
Older people have problems with failing night vision. LASIK causes loss of
contrast sensitivity (inability to see well and distinguish things in dim
light) and
also causes visual aberrations at night called GASH. You don't want your dad
to be stuck with these problems.
Also, as we age, our eyes become drier. LASIK cuts a flap severing corneal
nerves... shown by the MAYO clinic to not recover fully after surgery. Your
dad may have constant discomfort after LASIK and not be able to stand to be
outside, especially in a breeze. What would THIS do to his tennis game?
YOUNG professional tennis players have lost their comptetive edge because
they had LASIK and can no longer see the ball very well.
Your dad may have had surgery to heal a retinal tear. If he had a retinal
tear
he may be susceptible to retinal detachment. This means all the extra
suctioning
on the eye by the suction ring to make the LASIK flap would endanger your
father's sensitive retina.
Studies by Emory show all LASIK eyes have permanent pathology. This means
they are all sick.
Best to take your dad to a 2nd opinion surgeon who may be encouraged to
do the cataract surgery a little sooner.
Your dad may have a refractive imbalance, properly fitted IOLs from cataract
surgery
can correct this. If he does not have a refractive imbalance, he should be
taken to
a specialist who focuses on binocular vision problems. LASIK can cause
problems
with double vision and depth perception. Again, not the surgery that would
fix anything
for your father.
He should be evaluated medically for the dizzy spells as well.
Please steer your father away from refractive surgery of the cornea. Of any
kind.
"Fred Mann" <fredmann@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3QOMe.25544$rp.4964@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
> Hello,
> My Dad has been told he has "incipient cataracts", and that lasik is too
> risky at this point (he could go blind if they attempt lasik). His doctors
> have said that they would feel more comfortable performing the lasik once
> the cataracts have fully formed. (that sounds depressing!!)
> His symptoms include problems with depth perception and occasional double
> images which have gotten gradually worse over the last two years. Also, he
> has the occasional dizzy spell (fairly rare)
> In 1991, he had laser surgery in his right eye to heal a tear (he wasn't
> sure if it was a muscle tear). However, he did not experience these
> symptoms
> back then, so this may be unrelated. His right eye has been *much* worse
> than his left for a long time, with no depth perception troubles. He wears
> corrective contact lenses, and this has worked fine for many years, until
> recently.
> I am also considering the idea that his depth perception problems may not
> necessarily be related to the incipient cataracts, but may be due to other
> factors (i.e. posture-related inner-ear problem -- just a guess). Any
> thoughts on that?
> I had him try bilberry for a couple months as a cheap and harmless attempt
> to improve symptoms, but that did nothing.
> My Dad likes to play tennis, and this is making it very difficult for him
> to
> get his exercise. Obviously, he'd love to solve this problem without
> having
> to wait until the cataracts are fully formed. So, any thoughts on this
> matter would be GREATLY appreciated!!
> Thanks!!!
> Fred
>
>
>
>
>
| |
| William Stacy 2005-08-17, 10:57 pm |
| Sure, more than hope. Cataract surgery should be done by a cataract
specialist (a surgeon who ONLY does cataract surgery), due to the
problems he has and does have, esp. with what sounds like a retinal
detachment. He may want to go to a retina specialist first, and if
everything there is ok, you might even ask the retina doc for the best
cataract guy/gal in you area.
Forget lasik, as the other poster said, as there should be no need or
desire for it before or after cataract surgery.
I'd also recommend staying away from the multifocus/focusing IOLs.
w.stacy, o.d.
Fred Mann wrote:
>Hello,
>My Dad has been told he has "incipient cataracts", and that lasik is too
>risky at this point (he could go blind if they attempt lasik). His doctors
>have said that they would feel more comfortable performing the lasik once
>the cataracts have fully formed. (that sounds depressing!!)
>His symptoms include problems with depth perception and occasional double
>images which have gotten gradually worse over the last two years. Also, he
>has the occasional dizzy spell (fairly rare)
>In 1991, he had laser surgery in his right eye to heal a tear (he wasn't
>sure if it was a muscle tear). However, he did not experience these symptoms
>back then, so this may be unrelated. His right eye has been *much* worse
>than his left for a long time, with no depth perception troubles. He wears
>corrective contact lenses, and this has worked fine for many years, until
>recently.
>I am also considering the idea that his depth perception problems may not
>necessarily be related to the incipient cataracts, but may be due to other
>factors (i.e. posture-related inner-ear problem -- just a guess). Any
>thoughts on that?
>I had him try bilberry for a couple months as a cheap and harmless attempt
>to improve symptoms, but that did nothing.
>My Dad likes to play tennis, and this is making it very difficult for him to
>get his exercise. Obviously, he'd love to solve this problem without having
>to wait until the cataracts are fully formed. So, any thoughts on this
>matter would be GREATLY appreciated!!
>Thanks!!!
>Fred
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
| |
| Fred Mann 2005-08-17, 10:57 pm |
| Thanks for the responses!!
Is it possible to correct his vision immediately via surgery (or other
means), or does he have to wait for the cataracts to be fully formed?
Also, why would cataracts cause a depth perception problem? His eyes have
certainly been unbalanced for a long time with no such problems. I'm
concerned that we *may* be on the wrong track with respect to curing his
symptoms. I spoke to Pete Egoscue today who said he has seen MANY cases of
depth perception problems in older people solved by postural correction. He
explained that if the head is sufficiently forward in the posture, then
depth perception gets out of whack. (Pete Egoscue has about 300 clinics in
the US -- they do stretching/strengthening programs custom-made to bring
individuals back into postural "alignment" , to use a cliche term -- i.e.
the ear is directly over the shoulder and the pelvis is not rotated forward
and the feet are not splayed out, etc). I think that this is at least
plausible. I have positive first-hand experience with this type of thing.
Also, assuming cataracts ARE the problem, how does one find a qualified
surgeon?
Thanks again for the warnings about lasik!!!!
Fred
"William Stacy" <wstacy@obase.net> wrote in message
news:fARMe.332$GV7.161@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...[vbcol=seagreen]
> Sure, more than hope. Cataract surgery should be done by a cataract
> specialist (a surgeon who ONLY does cataract surgery), due to the
> problems he has and does have, esp. with what sounds like a retinal
> detachment. He may want to go to a retina specialist first, and if
> everything there is ok, you might even ask the retina doc for the best
> cataract guy/gal in you area.
>
> Forget lasik, as the other poster said, as there should be no need or
> desire for it before or after cataract surgery.
>
> I'd also recommend staying away from the multifocus/focusing IOLs.
>
> w.stacy, o.d.
>
> Fred Mann wrote:
>
doctors[vbcol=seagreen]
he[vbcol=seagreen]
symptoms[vbcol=seagreen]
wears[vbcol=seagreen]
other[vbcol=seagreen]
attempt[vbcol=seagreen]
to[vbcol=seagreen]
having[vbcol=seagreen]
| |
| serebel 2005-08-17, 10:57 pm |
| I would be very leery about someone saying that they can correct depth
perception by postural correction. Cataracts cause all sorts of visual
problems including depth perception difficulty. You do not have to wait
til the cataracts are fully formed too have them removed. Most people
wait that long because their insurance won't cover it til they cause
extreme visual disturbance.
SErebel
| |
| Ragnar 2005-08-18, 8:59 am |
| Tell dad that LASIK is not for him. IOLs are for him.. and if he
wants to spend your inheritance, the Crystalens IOLS are better.
On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:27:52 -0400, "Fred Mann"
<fredmann@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>Hello,
>My Dad has been told he has "incipient cataracts", and that lasik is too
>risky at this point (he could go blind if they attempt lasik). His doctors
>have said that they would feel more comfortable performing the lasik once
>the cataracts have fully formed. (that sounds depressing!!)
>His symptoms include problems with depth perception and occasional double
>images which have gotten gradually worse over the last two years. Also, he
>has the occasional dizzy spell (fairly rare)
>In 1991, he had laser surgery in his right eye to heal a tear (he wasn't
>sure if it was a muscle tear). However, he did not experience these symptoms
>back then, so this may be unrelated. His right eye has been *much* worse
>than his left for a long time, with no depth perception troubles. He wears
>corrective contact lenses, and this has worked fine for many years, until
>recently.
>I am also considering the idea that his depth perception problems may not
>necessarily be related to the incipient cataracts, but may be due to other
>factors (i.e. posture-related inner-ear problem -- just a guess). Any
>thoughts on that?
>I had him try bilberry for a couple months as a cheap and harmless attempt
>to improve symptoms, but that did nothing.
>My Dad likes to play tennis, and this is making it very difficult for him to
>get his exercise. Obviously, he'd love to solve this problem without having
>to wait until the cataracts are fully formed. So, any thoughts on this
>matter would be GREATLY appreciated!!
>Thanks!!!
>Fred
>
>
>
>
| |
| Ragnar 2005-08-18, 8:59 am |
| Well..specializing in cataracts and doing cataracts exclusively are
two different things. I would avoid going to a surgeon who does
cataracts exclusively or any procedure exclusively for that matter.
Here are two reasons:
1. If you have a problem with your eyes and you go to a surgeon who
only does one procedure... that surgeon is sure to perform the
procedure he does rather than suggest you get the best procedure for
your condition.
2. There are mills of every type of surgery. You do not want a
surgeon that schedules mass amounts of people in queues like a cattle
drive and performing McProcedure on all of them. I currently have
a similar problem with a dentist. He overbooks and he doesn't finish
his work because he runs out of time between patients. I have a few
teeth in my mouth that are half-finished and I am rapidly losing
patience with that man. I am probably going to have to look him in
the eye and tell him to FINISH what he is doing on me and tell his
other patient to go home. He's a young dentist and trying to do more
than he is capable of. At least he is young enough that I can get
him to do what I want for the most part.
On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 01:34:03 GMT, William Stacy <wstacy@obase.net>
wrote:
[vbcol=seagreen]
>Sure, more than hope. Cataract surgery should be done by a cataract
>specialist (a surgeon who ONLY does cataract surgery), due to the
>problems he has and does have, esp. with what sounds like a retinal
>detachment. He may want to go to a retina specialist first, and if
>everything there is ok, you might even ask the retina doc for the best
>cataract guy/gal in you area.
>
>Forget lasik, as the other poster said, as there should be no need or
>desire for it before or after cataract surgery.
>
>I'd also recommend staying away from the multifocus/focusing IOLs.
>
>w.stacy, o.d.
>
>Fred Mann wrote:
>
| |
| Scott Seidman 2005-08-18, 8:59 am |
| "Fred Mann" <fredmann@bellsouth.net> wrote in news:EQSMe.23933$XM3.9382
@bignews5.bellsouth.net:
> I spoke to Pete Egoscue today who said he has seen MANY cases of
> depth perception problems in older people solved by postural correction.
Nobody has seen any cases of depth perception problems solved by postural
correction. Anybody who told you that does not deserve to be treating
patients.
--
Scott
Reverse name to reply
| |
| William Stacy 2005-08-18, 11:54 am |
| I do recognize the difference, and can certainly appreciate the fact
that in many parts of the world you can't find a cataract specialist
within many miles. But I disagree with your reasoning.
Ragnar wrote:
> 1. If you have a problem with your eyes and you go to a surgeon who
> only does one procedure... that surgeon is sure to perform the
> procedure he does rather than suggest you get the best procedure for
> your condition.
This doesn't hold water because you are not going to go to a cataract
specialist unless you have cataracts already diagnosed by your o.d. or
your general o.m.d. The cataract specialist is not going to do anything
but the best procedure for that condition. He/she will be performing the
most up to date procedure available, unlike the general o.m.d.
> 2. There are mills of every type of surgery. You do not want a
> surgeon that schedules mass amounts of people in queues like a cattle
> drive and performing McProcedure on all of them.
Yes you do. The best cataract surgery requires 3 things. A very good
surgeon with good hands and the innate skill to do the work. A very
experienced one who does "mass amounts" of the procedures so his/her
techniques are flawless. And you want it to be done in the latest, best
equipped surgery center, something that general o.m.d.s may not have
access to. By the way, cataract specialists do not do the same exact
procedure on everyone. They are the ones who can and do handle the
difficult cases that require very special procedures.
One thing you don't want is a novice or who does one or 2 procedures a
month, and there are lots of those out there.
I currently have
> a similar problem with a dentist. He overbooks and he doesn't finish
> his work because he runs out of time between patients. I have a few
> teeth in my mouth that are half-finished and I am rapidly losing
> patience with that man.
He sounds like an idiot, not a specialist.
I am probably going to have to look him in
> the eye and tell him to FINISH what he is doing on me and tell his
> other patient to go home. He's a young dentist and trying to do more
> than he is capable of. At least he is young enough that I can get
> him to do what I want for the most part.
He is not a specialist, is he... He's a very busy generalist who needs
an office manager to run his life.
w.stacy, o.d.
| |
| William Stacy 2005-08-18, 11:54 am |
| Fred Mann wrote:
> Thanks for the responses!!
> Is it possible to correct his vision immediately via surgery (or other
> means), or does he have to wait for the cataracts to be fully formed?
As someone said, it is mostly an insurance question. If the surgeon says
the insurance may not or will not pay until they are worse, you have a
financial decision to make. In the scheme of things, cataract surgery
is pretty darn cheap.
> Also, why would cataracts cause a depth perception problem? His eyes have
> certainly been unbalanced for a long time with no such problems. I'm
> concerned that we *may* be on the wrong track with respect to curing his
> symptoms. I spoke to Pete Egoscue today who said he has seen MANY cases of
> depth perception problems in older people solved by postural correction.
Posture has nothing to do with depth perception. Nothing at all. This
guy is a charlatan, a well meaning one, perhaps, but a charlatan. Depth
perception of course is dramatically affected any time one eye sees
better than the other. All you have to do (if your eyes are normal) is
cover one eye to see what happens to your depth. You can assume any
postural position you want and your depth will not be affected at all.
(Pete Egoscue has about 300 clinics in
> the US
A very successful charlatan indeed.
w.stacy, o.d.
| |
| Sandy 2005-08-18, 11:54 am |
| Christopher, once you said that you were going to participate in this
group as long as I do.
http://groups.google.com/group/alt....71436ff312c0d8a
If I quit, would you?
I'm concerned about you. If you had a job, you could pay for your
dental work, and your dentist would gladly finish it, or may be you
could even go to an experienced dentist and the work would be done
right.
Deal? I quit, you quit. Let me know.
| |
| Neil Brooks 2005-08-18, 11:54 am |
| "Sandy" <sandy@savvysneaks.com> wrote:
>Christopher, once you said that you were going to participate in this
>group as long as I do.
>
>http://groups.google.com/group/alt....71436ff312c0d8a
>
>If I quit, would you?
>
>I'm concerned about you. If you had a job, you could pay for your
>dental work, and your dentist would gladly finish it, or may be you
>could even go to an experienced dentist and the work would be done
>right.
>
>Deal? I quit, you quit. Let me know.
Feel free not to cross-post this to s.m.v. We have enough petty bs
without adding this one.
Thanks,
The Peanut Gallery
| |
| Dr Judy 2005-08-19, 10:55 pm |
| "Fred Mann" <fredmann@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3QOMe.25544$rp.4964@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
> Hello,
> My Dad has been told he has "incipient cataracts", and that lasik is too
> risky at this point (he could go blind if they attempt lasik). His doctors
> have said that they would feel more comfortable performing the lasik once
> the cataracts have fully formed. (that sounds depressing!!)
Once he has the cataracts removed and IOLs placed, he is likely to have
close to plano refraction and will not need LASIK. As the cataracts
develop, his refractive error will change, having LASIK done now will
correct his current refraction but not the future changes.
> His symptoms include problems with depth perception and occasional double
> images which have gotten gradually worse over the last two years. Also, he
> has the occasional dizzy spell (fairly rare)
Dizzy spells are seldom, if ever, due to the eye, they are more likely due
to inner ear problems or problems with the vestibular system in the brain.
Mini stroke or incipient stoke can also cause dizzy spells. Eye muscle
problems can cause double vision, so can vestibular problems. An onset of
double vision in an adult with no previous history and no eye muscle
problems means that stroke and other neurological causes need to be
investigated. He should mention both these problems to his family doctor
for further workup and referral.
> In 1991, he had laser surgery in his right eye to heal a tear (he wasn't
> sure if it was a muscle tear). However, he did not experience these
> symptoms
> back then, so this may be unrelated. His right eye has been *much* worse
> than his left for a long time, with no depth perception troubles. He wears
> corrective contact lenses, and this has worked fine for many years, until
> recently.
> I am also considering the idea that his depth perception problems may not
> necessarily be related to the incipient cataracts, but may be due to other
> factors (i.e. posture-related inner-ear problem -- just a guess). Any
> thoughts on that?
What do you mean by depth perception problems? Is he having trouble
judging distances or is he having balance problems? If one eye is very
blurry, it might affect distance judging but if it were that bad it would be
bad enough to justify cataract surgery. If he is having balance problems
like tripping, falling, stumbling, trouble walking then those are definitely
not due to the eyes and he should see a neurologist.
Dr Judy
> I had him try bilberry for a couple months as a cheap and harmless attempt
> to improve symptoms, but that did nothing.
> My Dad likes to play tennis, and this is making it very difficult for him
> to
> get his exercise. Obviously, he'd love to solve this problem without
> having
> to wait until the cataracts are fully formed. So, any thoughts on this
> matter would be GREATLY appreciated!!
> Thanks!!!
> Fred
>
>
>
>
>
| |
|
| His surgeon should tell the insurance company that the surgery should be
done NOW. I had cataract surgery done last year - both eyes in 3 months -
and the cataracts were nowhere near 'mature'. My surgeon also said that the
surgery is faster and easier in earlier cataracts as well. The key seems to
be for the surgeon to tell the insurer that the surgery is necessary for the
patient to work and function properly. It certainly was in my case.
Mark
"Dr Judy" <mpace99nospam@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:UeadnZ2dnZ3PqAXynZ2dnYEYm96dnZ2dRVn-y52dnZ0@rogers.com...
> "Fred Mann" <fredmann@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> news:3QOMe.25544$rp.4964@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
doctors[vbcol=seagreen]
once[vbcol=seagreen]
>
> Once he has the cataracts removed and IOLs placed, he is likely to have
> close to plano refraction and will not need LASIK. As the cataracts
> develop, his refractive error will change, having LASIK done now will
> correct his current refraction but not the future changes.
>
double[vbcol=seagreen]
he[vbcol=seagreen]
>
> Dizzy spells are seldom, if ever, due to the eye, they are more likely due
> to inner ear problems or problems with the vestibular system in the brain.
> Mini stroke or incipient stoke can also cause dizzy spells. Eye muscle
> problems can cause double vision, so can vestibular problems. An onset of
> double vision in an adult with no previous history and no eye muscle
> problems means that stroke and other neurological causes need to be
> investigated. He should mention both these problems to his family doctor
> for further workup and referral.
>
wears[vbcol=seagreen]
until[vbcol=seagreen]
not[vbcol=seagreen]
other[vbcol=seagreen]
>
> What do you mean by depth perception problems? Is he having trouble
> judging distances or is he having balance problems? If one eye is very
> blurry, it might affect distance judging but if it were that bad it would
be
> bad enough to justify cataract surgery. If he is having balance problems
> like tripping, falling, stumbling, trouble walking then those are
definitely
> not due to the eyes and he should see a neurologist.
>
> Dr Judy
>
attempt[vbcol=seagreen]
him[vbcol=seagreen]
>
>
| |
| serebel 2005-08-20, 10:54 pm |
| I think Mark has the right idea here. Who would want to wait till you
can't see in order to have a surgery that you're going to need anyway?
To me, that's just needless suffering.
SErebel
|
| |
|
|