CATARACT SURGERY THE EVENT

The lens that viewed every event in my life was soon to be removed and vision restored. It was bittersweet because I felt partially responsible for my cataract due to my FOV months ago. Yet I reminded myself that my PVD two years ago was the actual cause. If I had left things alone and let nature take its course I would still one day get cataracts -- have surgery -- and spend the rest of my life bothered by floaters. I made the empowered decision to get a FOV knowing I would need CATARACT SURGERY one day.

---

---

SURGERY DAY
After dilation I was taken to a room for the FLAC procedure. Lying on a table I stared directly at a red dot while a bright mobius pattern danced across my eye for about 1 minute. It seemed like nothing happened but the laser had quietly performed limbic incisions, a capsulotomy, and broken up the lens in one quick procedure(!) The result was that walking to the OR my eye was very blurry with a faint mosaic pattern which made sense given what the FLAC had just done. There was no going back now!

On the OR table I was given mild IV sedation to remain conscious so I could respond to directives from the surgeon. After a few minutes I saw the new lens going in as the room became clearer. Three grainy black circles appeared in front of my vision which slowly sharpened -- which I believe was the toric being rotated for correct axis. Afterwards I was wheeled back to the changing room. An eye patch wasn't needed but I kept my eye closed on the drive home.

BACK HOME
My first serious look at the inside of my house revealed that my worrying about an IOL creating an odd look was unfounded. It simply looked like I was wearing a quality contact lens(!) The EDOF design showed no zones or gradients and the texture of my couch, walls, and branches on the trees outside was highly detailed. Edges were very sharp and colors had a vibrancy and ‘pop’ equal to/better than my glasses. With my brownish cataract gone, hues took on a slight bluer shift as expected with a fresh, clean look. Honestly, I can't remember ever seeing this clearly. One surprising change was the gas burner on my stove. It danced with vibrant purple and varied ranges of blue, almost like a stained glass window. I never saw these shades before. My other eye which I had thought saw white normally had a slightly muted, tan hue by comparison, it was almost funny. After marveling over the clarity something occured to me: having a Core FOV months ago helped enhance the clarity of the IOL since the space between the lens and the retina was clearer(!)

The next test was NEAR FOCUS. Up close I was expecting a dense blur from all the scare stories I had read online. But it was exactly like wearing a contact lens. When wearing -2.50 contacts I used to strain when text got closer than about 18”. With the IOL details also began getting slightly strained at 18". Yet I was able to read my phone at arms length, all I needed was a pair of +1.50 readers. Honestly, I laughed at all the anxiety and worry I had been experiencing for months. For computer use +1.25 was perfect. In the dark on bright sources like street lights and headlights I do get a small diagonal flare at a 45 degree angle but this seems to be diminishing each day. I also got a few new floaters the day after surgery and a dark speck in central vision was unexpected and very annoying. But by the 3rd day the central speck had moved away and the others dissipated or mostly faded. At the 10 day mark I had only one speck that crosses vision on occasion. I don't expect perfection but there's one thing that months of floaters and a cataract prepares you for: How to endure visual anomalies.

---

---

This journey from PVD & Floaters → FOV → Cataract surgery took one year and seven months. For me, it was completely worth it and the once-frightening mysteries of FOVs and cataracts seem almost boring now.

On May 1, 2026 I had a core FOV done on my other eye. This left me with two floater-free eyes and wonderful clarity. I scheduled the 2nd IOL in September. The ENDGAME is that in a couple of months I will have matched, 3D, crystal-clear vision that should last me the rest of my life. As Aldo Raine said: "It ain't so bad".

Datsunzgarage.us © 1997-2026

All comments are anecdotal only. This is not medical advice.
Datsun is a registered trademark of Nissan ®