Question:
I have been told that I should have surgery now (phacoemulsification and
IOL
implant). And I have been told to wait 6 months for surgery. I am in
a predicament because I use my eyes constantly in my profession and
cannot afford to lose any more sight, when it can be fixed with surgery.
Are there any benefits to waiting to have surgery ?
Answer:
If you are doing fine, then waiting is appropriate. It sounds like you
aren't doing fine, and I'd say there was more risk in waiting, if the
cataracts are indeed nuclear sclerotic. Harder lens material is more
difficult to remove via the phaco machine, and there's a greater risk of
rupturing your lens capsule.
If both cataracts have progressed to the point that surgery is indicated,
then there's no reason to "balance" your eyes by leaving the operated eye
nearsighted. This is done with it will be years between cataract surgerys
(by the doctor's prediction) and you don't want the eyes to be so different
that the patient will have difficulty with glasses.
