Richard Jernigan -> Cataract Question (Nov. 15 2013 16:37:12)
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This is a reply to a question from Ruphus on the General forum. After replacing the lenses, two defects remain. One is astigmatism induced by assymetry of the corneas that apparently increases with age. Ordinary optometry only makes a stab at correcting astigmatism, adding a single cylindrical component to the optical prescription, while the assymetry of the cornea is likely to be far more complex. Of course the replacement lenses contain no astigmatism correction, since their eventual orientation cannot be tightly controlled. So astigmatism correction is left to eyeglasses The second defect in my case is a slight deformation of the retina near the fovea in the left eye. This arose when the vitreous humor, the gelatinous filling of the eyeball contracted and separated from the retina. This separation happens to everybody with age, though both I and my brother the M.D. were unaware of this. Both conditions could be corrected with further surgery. Laser keratotomy could be used on the corneas. I was unaware that the slight retinal deformation could be surgically corrected, but it seemls pretty invasive. The total effect of the remaining defects is quite small. The only real difference between my present vision, and the slightly sharper than average vision of my fifties is that then I could read a normal USA highway sign at a quarter of a mile, and now it's more like 150-200 meters. Further surgery didn't seem worth the risk. RNJ
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