# Cataract op that eliminates specs forever?



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Chris has been told by his optician that his cataracts need removing. During the consultation he told Chris that there is an op that can give you new lenses in your eyes that mean you have no need for any specs any more. The catch is that it is only on offer by the private sector. The cost is about £5,000. 
The NHS option is for new lenses that mean you have to wear specs for reading.

My question is this - has anyone had this op and if so is it true that vision is perfect with no need for specs?

Would others, given the opportunity to never wear specs again, cough up the £5,000 needed to achieve it?


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## SaddleTramp (Feb 15, 2007)

My son has incredibly bad eyesight his eyes are (Were) -11 & -13 he also has a bad stigmatism, about 8 years ago I took him to the eye hospital at Leeds to see if there was anything that could be done, the doctor there told me about a new operation that was available but advised us to wait until it had been perfected.
About 5 years ago we re enquired after a report on Sky News about the operation it was called "HD Lenses" it was only available at Harley Street at that time by a Doctor Qureshi (Not sure about the spelling) we went down a had a consultation with the doctor and he explained everything.
The lens that they use are infra red reactive, in other words they replace the lens with a lens that then takes a number of "blasts" with infra red to get them to the perfect shape for the patients eye and vision requirement.
We went ahead, after wearing "Bottle bottom" glasses for years and then having massive problems with countless lens, he now has 20 + 20 vision, both He and His life has changed, he now has massive confidence and in fact now runs a company, His computing skills are incredible and all because I "Invested" a few grande in him.

My comment, Go For It it is well worth it.

Follow the link below for more information.

Eye Info

London Eye Hospital (Where his operation took place)

Eye Hospital

And my answer to your question YES without any doubt whatsoever


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## Remus (Feb 10, 2011)

Interesting info Saddletramp. My only input as someone who knows nothing about eye surgery is that, if it is being privately done in the UK, it may also be available in other EU countries for a fraction of the cost. 

I say this because it certainly applies to the cost of dental work carried out in Hungary and Poland etc. 

Different skills to be sure but surely worth checking out as it could save a lot of money.


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## Bengal (Aug 13, 2010)

About 6 years ago my wife had lens replacements done. She, originally enquired about laser treatment but was told her sight was too bad but that lens replacements was possible. She had the work done at Accuvision in London (they used a Morefields surgeon) where the lens was removed & replaced, one eye & then 2 weeks later the other one. She had a lens for near vision in one eye & one for distance vision in the other. The results have been tremendous. She has gone from wearing thick lens glasses and poor sight to being able to see really well without glasses for both reading & distance. It seems the brain can combine the different images (one close-up & one distance) from each eye & produce excellent overall vision in both eyes.

Due to the different lenses in each eye, not sure of why exactly, the performance in low light is not as good as in full light. So, during the day her sight is brilliant but, in very dull light and at night she uses distance vision glasses as well for driving.

So, the op is great but it might not fully eliminate the need for glasses of some sort, it depends on the particular circumstances.

Good luck for whatever you choose.

Bengal


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## GROUNDHOG (Mar 7, 2006)

Sorry but I would check that information is correct, I had mine done on the NHS two years ago and I was very short sighted, will PM you tonight with more info as no time now.


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## SaddleTramp (Feb 15, 2007)

Remus said:


> Interesting info Saddletramp. My only input as someone who knows nothing about eye surgery is that, if it is being privately done in the UK, it may also be available in other EU countries for a fraction of the cost.
> 
> I say this because it certainly applies to the cost of dental work carried out in Hungary and Poland etc.
> 
> Different skills to be sure but surely worth checking out as it could save a lot of money.


My only comment on that would be that it does need a number of Visits te "Set" the lens and each one being weeks in between so The cost of travel to and from may be more, but hey who knows?


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## meavy (Jul 30, 2010)

*Yes to cataract surgery*

At 18, our son lost his sight in one eye (he was in the Parachute Regiment at the time but that is another story). He needed an artificial lens and we took advice from the wonderful Eye Doctor Ali Mearza whom we knew already. www.alimearza.com

We went privately and paid extra for the best lens possible. Now our son has 20/20 vision and has finished 4 years of study which was easier without glasses etc.

I think it's worth the extra money to have the best possible vision, whatever your age. If you can afford it, go for it.


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## Davethepenguin (Oct 21, 2010)

*Cataracts*

We live in France & my wife had both cataracts removed & lenses fitted on the French Health service. She wore prescription glasses for 50 years but now she only wears 1.5 glasses for reading. She says it was the best thing she did.

Andy


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## sirhandel (Mar 5, 2008)

I had lenses replaced 2 years ago at Optical Express in Bristol. They have 5 or 6 surgeries around the country. Cost was 3500 quid in total. I now have 20/20 vision.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Eyes*

Hi

I had a consultation for laser and as my eyes are out of the scope of the laser, the lens implantation was the next option. Basically your own lens is removed and a new one dropped in.

I personally dare not risk it, in case of complications. There are no guarantees. A lad at work has had it done though.

Russell


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## Spanishphil (Nov 12, 2013)

Hi guys, Im a retired optometrist. 

One point people dont realise is that after a cataract operation your eyes will still change over time like every other part of your body, so your 20/20 vision today without specs might not be so in a few years and you may need to wear specs or contacts again at least part of the time. Your optician should know this! 

This has actually happened to my wife, 4yrs on from the op and now needs distance specs for tv and driving, she as is usual, always needed reading and separate computer specs from day one. She is now wearing varifocal specs full time again as she is fed up swapping glasses on and off.

The special lenses mentioned are a type of varifocal lens fitted inside the eye, they dont work well with small pupils hence the previous comment about seeing better in poorer light for reading, bright light = small pupils. Like all varifocals some people dont get on with them and others love them. I do have a friend 69 who has recently had varifocal implants and loves them here in Spain where it is bright. 

An alternative that should be available on the NHS is to get one eye fixed for distance and one eye for reading, many people are happy with this arrangement and you dont need specs other than perhaps for computer use.

Please do not assume that you will pay £5,000 and never wear specs for the rest of your life, it is very likely you will need them for something at some time in the future.

A comment was made about lazer eye surgery. This can make it very difficult for the correct strength post cataract lens that is inserted into your eye to be calculated. This is a recent problem that I was nt aware of but has happened to my son in law who needs a cataract removed and has been told they cant guarantee he will get good vision without needing specs or contacts after the op. The lazer surgery which burns away part of the front of the eye makes the machines used to calculate the lens strength unreliable.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Thanks for all the, very helpful, replies.

Thank you Spanishphil for your expert advice. Nice to have you on board.


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## meavy (Jul 30, 2010)

*This ad is not acceptable, I think*

I'm a subscribed member and am shocked to see an ad appear under the latest post on this thread for Laser Eye Surgery. It may be relevant to the current topic but it is from a firm that isn't endorsed by any of us. I now have to find out how to get rid of ads that members shouldn't be forced to see. And I regret the commercialisation of this Forum - isn't the £12.50 sub enough to keep it going?

Thanks to SpanishPhil for his helpful post. It may be worth getting your optician on board before laser work is done. Mine showed me what sigh I would have without corrective surgery and it was clear I would still need glasses. For me there was no point in proceeding. I also tried contact lenses, one for distance and one for reading - the brain can work it out, apparently. It just gave me a huge migraine and I knew this solution wasn't for me.


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