Question:
So do I get a new pair, or just a new lens in the R side
of frame? Who gives me the prescription for that lens?
Answer:
In most cases, the opthamologist aims for something approximating normal
vision with the interocular lens that is inserted. If he/she is using
modern equipment and is experienced, it ought to be pretty close. How
close depends in part on how much residual astigmatism you end up with.
For both me and my wife, vision in the eye that was done was good enough
to drive with.
There are some cases where there is likely to be a significant wait
between the surgeries for the two eyes or where it is not even clear the
other eye will ever be done. I have a friend in that situation. In
that case the opthamologist may put in an interocular lens which corrects
vision to that the undone eye has. Then you definitely have to wear
glasses to see through that eye. The reason this is done is that if the
cataract free eye is corrected to 20/20, and the patient is highly
myopic, the image on the retinas of the two eyes, one without a lens and
the other with, will be of very different sizes, and most people find it
very hard to adapt to that.
