Cataract surgery update

[Anna Mason]

Five years on
I thought fellow KC sufferers might be interested in an up date on my cataract situation. This time five years ago I had surgery to remove a cataract from my left eye. There were complications measuring for an IOL and a decision was made not to implant one. Contact lens fitting was very tricky.
Roll forward 5 years and my situation has changed. The capsule left in my eye has calcified and contact lenses continue to be tricky in that eye because the prescription requires a lens shape that is heavy in fact one fitting was impossible to blink over another kept dropping in my eye.
The decision has been taken to recalibrate and insert an IOL and then refit a contact lens then laser the capsule.
This IOL implant is scheduled for next Tuesday so let's hope my luck dragon is active and they get it right. My ophthalmologist is suggesting a +12 I believe.

[Anne Klepacz]

I do hope this resolves all the problems you had after the original operation. All the very best for next Tuesday, and let us know how you get on.

[Anna Mason]

Apologies I meant to update this before but I have been a little too upset. So I posted on 16 Mar as on 15th March I had my pre op assessment.
On Monday 21st March the day before my scheduled implant I received a phone call.

"Hello it's ..... Just checking that you have been informed your surgery has been cancelled" .
I was gobsmacked I had really wound myself up about being prepared for it. It was the first I had heard.
It has been cancelled because the surgeon was not happy with the measurements taken which is pretty much where I was 5 years ago. I return, apparently, on 1st April to repeat the measurements. I have, therefore, been unable to wear a lens for a month as I have to keep it out for the tests.
I hope I don't sound too neurotic here but I am already pretty traumatised as I had a bad riding accident in October and have a now healed fractured vertebrae in my lumbar region and have spent 18 weeks with my left leg in an external fixator (TSF). The sorting my left eye out was my one optimistic bit if sunshine on the horizon.
Now I don't know where the hell life is taking me.

[Anne Klepacz]

Oh Anna, it's awful when you psych yourself up for an operation and it doesn't happen. The only comfort is that the cancellation was for the best of reasons (rather than because someone was ill or theatre had been overbooked). It would have been even worse if you'd gone through the op only to find that the IOL wasn't the right prescription. I'll have all my fingers crossed for 1st April and successful measurements then. At least it's not too long to wait now.
All the best.

[Anna Mason]

the reason they cancelled my op
Where to start at the beginning I suppose.
We arrived for my appointment with Mr R about 20 minutes early.
Sat in waiting area 1 ,5 minutes later called to Waiting area 2
40 minutes later nurse tells me they have lost my notes
30 minutes later nurse asked me to remove my other lens was given anaesthetic drops and had eye pressure taken.
Went and sat down
15 minutes later asked to go to optometry for measurements and sat there for 20 minutes in Waiting area 3 as they continued to search for notes. Notes not forthcoming but my usual lady printed off her copies of the files including the results of tests on 15th March when they did the sonar?thingy.
She went to see Mr R then came back and took me back to see him so he could explain the issue (see at end)
He explained then sent me back to waiting area 3 to usual lady for some more measurements where she fitted my eyes that can't see with lenses for glasses not for me to wear but to get a prescription for the IOL then I was allowed home.

The Issue
My left eye is the one being operated on. The difficulty in getting good vision with contact lenses is because of the difference in my two eyes.
My right eye is much shorter sighted than my left but the Kerataconus is much worse in the left.
As the left eye needs the lens inserted my optometrist has recommended a lens that will make my left eye as short sighted as my right. This isn't normal but we are dealing with my Kerataconus as well so would bring the eyes into level and make correcting with lenses better.
Apparently a Spanish doctor who saw the results of 15th of March was not at all happy. She says that they should do early cataract surgery on the Right to make it less short sighted and then the same with the Left. When I saw Mr R he referred to my consultation with the Spanish doctor but I had to point out that I had never seen her only a Nurse. So he asked me would I be happy to have early surgery on my right eye. I declined. The thing is my left eye is so bad if they can't correct that and have trouble measuring it for an IOL what hope would my good eye have?
So I may or may not be having surgery to correct vision in my left eye.
God only knows and apparently he will tell me in a week or so if they have an IOL to implant available.

[Anna Mason]

Finally today I received a letter thanking me for my input (I sent a very long email') and currently as I type they are going to send me a new date for the original surgery on the left eye.
On the other issues my back is a lot stronger and now the frame is off my leg after 18 weeks then I spent two weeks in plaster and 4 weeks in a walking boot. Now I can walk without crutches and most importantly in a straight line.

[Anna Mason]

And finally it has happened.
Yesterday we got up at 5am and set off for a 7.30 appointment.
What a shattering day all prepped up asked for my date of birth more times than I care to remember, eye tests, blood pressure tests the lot.
First patient went off at 9.15 and then we waited and waited and waited and finally someone came along at 11 and told us that a routine check on the operating theatre had exposed infection and they were doing a deep clean.
All ops were halted and they hoped they wouldn't have to cancel.
Finally at 1.30 (it may not seem long but I can assure it feels like a very long time) the surgeon came back and one by one spoke to the patients saying I am sorry your operation is cancelled.
I got me shoes back on and put my stuff ready to go home expecting me to be next and suddenly the nurse turned up and said come on your surgeons waiting.
So I had my op and Was tired they took their time releasing me and we arrived back home at 6.30.
Now I wait to see how contact lens fitting goes in 6 or so weeks time.
It's odd that when the true lens was removed 5 years ago my vision was really good until the swelling went down. Currently it's as bad as it ever was but my two eyes do appear I think maybe possibly to have the same focal point.
So I guess it's a case of watch this space.

[Anne Klepacz]

Heavens, what a day! But what a relief it did go ahead this time. Wishing you all the very best for a speedy recovery and for the contact lens appt. I'll certainly be watching this space!

[Anna Mason]

Thanks Anne I was a bit twitchy about cloudiness yesterday but that appears to have been the gunk they popped in at the hospital and the amount of blur. My vision without a lens is off the chart but it was blurrier than normal so I did the only sensible thing a girl can do. I photographed it and realise the pupil is still very dilated. Back to see surgeon 8th July.

[Anna Mason]

Ok so 10 days on no cloudiness, no discomfort, vision is as bad as ever but that's because I have no contact lens yet.
Drove 2 hours to checkup had pupil dilated and saw consultant for approx 2 minutes after an hours wait then 2 hours home again.