It depends. If you choose standard cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, it's likely you will need reading glasses and possibly computer glasses or other special-purpose eyewear afterward, depending on your visual needs.
In most cases, patients will require +1.25 D for computer use and +2.25 to 2.50 D for reading near. The rule of thumb is that if you want to see things closer, select a higher number like +3.00 D, and if you want to see farther away like at a music stand, choose +1.00 D.
Protective glasses are prescribed after cataract surgery. But for the purpose of reading, you can use your old glasses for up to 3 weeks until the refractive power of the operated eye stabilises, after which your doctor will prescribe new glasses.
Reading. Reading will be more enjoyable after cataract surgery, whether you select a monofocal IOL or a premium IOL. All IOLs can provide excellent up-close vision without glasses. After cataract surgery, you can read without using reading glasses again.
It is very common to have blurry or unclear vision in the days and sometimes even weeks after cataract removal. Most of the time, this is caused by normal swelling in the eye which occurs as a part of surgery. Patients with larger, denser and/or firmer cataracts are more likely to experience more inflammation.
Plenty of UV protection – Get sunglasses that are at least UV 400, Dr. Khan recommends. That's because UV 400 sunglasses block virtually 100 percent of UV rays. These sunglasses filter out light wavelengths up to 400 nanometers, which includes UVA and UVB rays.
Following cataract surgery, a conventional lens implant will usually provide clear vision at a single distance, but you will still need glasses for the correction of presbyopia. This means, if your lens implants are for distance, you would need reading or computer glasses for close up vision.
Whether vision achieves 20/20 depends on many factors, including accuracy of the biometry measurements of the eye, the strength of the implanted intraocular lens, pre-existing health of the eye including the retina and the cornea, and the postoperative course.
Depending on the lens and the patient, neuroadaptation may happen sooner, later or not at all. The majority of patients will adapt to multifocal IOLs within six to 12 months, according to Dr. Maloney. But about 10 percent of patients never will adapt.
If you find that you're holding reading material with your current readers farther away from your face than normal to see it clearly, then you might need stronger reading glasses. If you're holding your reading material closer to your face than normal, though, then you need weaker reading glasses.
After cataract surgery, expect your vision to begin improving within a few days. Your vision may be blurry at first as your eye heals and adjusts. Colors may seem brighter after your surgery because you are looking through a new, clear lens.
Up to half of all people or more will develop cloudy vision after cataract surgery. A secondary cataract, also called posterior capsular opacification (PCO), can happen months or years after you've had cataract surgery. PCO is the most common development after cataract surgery.
Patients with a dislocated IOL may experience a decrease or change in vision, diplopia, and/or glare. Additionally, they may report ocular pain or headaches from intermittent angle-closure and/or inflammation. Some patients also report seeing the edge of the IOL.
No, your vision generally doesn't deteriorate after cataract surgery unless other problems arise, such as macular degeneration or glaucoma.
Aside from blurriness, some individuals also experience a temporary vision imbalance known as anisometropia. Anisometropia typically lasts just a few days after surgery and can lead to double vision or issues with depth perception.
Most patients achieve excellent visual acuity after cataract surgery (20/40 or better). This outcome is achieved consistently through careful attention through the accurate measurement of axial length and corneal power and the appropriate selection of an IOL power calculation formula.
“High eye pressure can interfere with the incision before it fully heals,” says Eghrari. “Positions that put your head below your waist, such as bending over, can also increase eye pressure and should be avoided initially after surgery.”
Cataract surgery and sunglasses
Either way, the surgery has still left your retina vulnerable, and even if you have an IOL with that UV coating, you're still at risk to eye damage due to UV rays. You could even cause your cataracts to return as UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts.
If you're farsighted — that is, you already wear glasses to see up close — you'll likely need stronger reading glasses to start out with. If you're nearsighted — that is, you wear glasses to see far away or to drive — you can probably start with lower-strength readers.
There are a few warning signs to look for if you think your glasses are too strong, including blurry vision, eye strain, headaches, dizziness and nausea, and problems with depth perception.
Low-strength reading glasses possess powers of +0.25 diopters. High-strength reading glasses can exceed +2.50 diopters. In rare cases, individuals may need reading glasses of up to +4.00 in order to read.
As mentioned earlier, the best way to determine what you need is, of course, to have an eye doctor perform an eye exam. But, if you are fairly certain that you just need a slightly higher strength, ordering glasses +0.25 or +0.50 diopters stronger than what you have may do the trick.
For me with 1.75 diopter lenses I can focus on objects in a range of about 11 inches to 16 inches. Outside of that range stuff starts to blur. With 2, the range is 10 to 15 roughly. With 3 diopter the range is around 7 inches to 11 inches.
Non-prescription glasses typically start at +0.75 and can reach up to +4.00. These can be measured in increments of +0.25. If you're around the age of 35 - 45, you'll likely need to go with reading glasses that are +0.75 to +1.00.