Anyone who is familiar...

po18guy
po18guy Member Posts: 1,505 Member
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

...with the odyssey I am on may be able to identify with this. Due to extended treatment, radiation and steroids, I had (according to the surgeon) "world-class" catarats in both eyes. In early August I had a cataract removed and a new len$ placed in my left eye to eliminate astigmatism I was born with. Went perfectly. Yesterday, I had the right eye done after two delays due to the 5 week virus I contracted in, of all places, Hawaii. Where I had to avoid the sun.

OK so far. The cataract removal and placement of a new lens went just fine. Except.

Except the surgeon advised me that his "team" had given him the wrong lens - a cheaper and less effective one - and that was now in my eye. So, back in he went, digging the old/new lens out and placing the correct lens.

Soreness and inflammation? Oh yeah. At today's follow up, he advised me that they had a meeting and some team body parts were chewed so as to "see" that this would not occur again.

The good is that I spared some other patient from having to go through this. With patience, when the inflammation subsides, my eyesight will be better than I was born with. There are some things in life that we are better off not knowing in advance.

Comments

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,817 Member
    #2
    Steroids

    I was diagnosed with moderate cataracts about five years ago, but have not had them removed yet.  The first thing the O.D. asked me when he noticed them and saw that I had received chemo was "did you receive steroids?", because steroids I understand are strongly llinked to cataract development.    I told him "No," because R-ABVD does not include Prednisone, but most combination regimens, of course, do include it; something to be aware of.

    I suspect that artifical lenses are not subject to later cataract development, being non-organic material.

     

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,505 Member
    edited October 2019 #3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

    Steroids

    I was diagnosed with moderate cataracts about five years ago, but have not had them removed yet.  The first thing the O.D. asked me when he noticed them and saw that I had received chemo was "did you receive steroids?", because steroids I understand are strongly llinked to cataract development.    I told him "No," because R-ABVD does not include Prednisone, but most combination regimens, of course, do include it; something to be aware of.

    I suspect that artifical lenses are not subject to later cataract development, being non-organic material.

     

    Indeed

    The pre-transplant radiation only accelerated their growth, and 95mg of prednisone daily post-transplant well... the opthamologist says what when my eyes stabilize around the new lenses that my prescription will not change. I will probably need readers, but that's fine. Even readers did not function with cataracts. I now have vision that is better than I was born with, so to see things with sharp edges is a bit of a revelation.

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,817 Member
    #4
    po18guy said:

    Indeed

    The pre-transplant radiation only accelerated their growth, and 95mg of prednisone daily post-transplant well... the opthamologist says what when my eyes stabilize around the new lenses that my prescription will not change. I will probably need readers, but that's fine. Even readers did not function with cataracts. I now have vision that is better than I was born with, so to see things with sharp edges is a bit of a revelation.

    Indeed

    I've had 20/450 since kindergarten, so I guess I can relate.

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,505 Member
    #5
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

    Indeed

    I've had 20/450 since kindergarten, so I guess I can relate.

    There are times...

    when seeing the world in soft-focus is a great advantage.

     

    Mostly in front of the mirror.

  • PeprmntPat55
    PeprmntPat55 Member Posts: 70 Member
    #6
    Good Grief!

    If it's not one thing it's another, right? You have such a positive attitude. It's contagious.  I have cataracts as well, and they have just gotten so bad in the last few months I'm going for a surgical consult soon.  Ugh.  The first thing I asked my optometrist was if he thought the cancer treatment I received had anything to do with the fast progression and he said, does it really matter? Would you have opted not to take the treatments if you knew it was possible?  So yes, he's right. It would not have stopped me. I am really looking forward to getting my eyes fixed. It's gotten so bad I can't see well enough to drive at night. The time changes next week so it will be dark at 5pm. Since I live alone this will greatly limit my social activities.  Po18 I hope your eyes are feeling better soon!  Pat

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,505 Member
    #7
    Thank you, Pat!

    Honestly, I could have been down and depressed through all of this, but that would probably have affected my decision making. Meaning that I might not be here. So yes, a positive attitude can be a great help. I am running out of body parts to be operated on, so things are indeed looking up! But, what sort of diploma do they award??? 

  • Rocquie
    Rocquie Member Posts: 869 Member
    #8
    Cataracts

    I also had prednisone caused cataracts. Before the doctor diagnosed me, I thought there was something wrong with my glasses. ??! I felt that my glasses had gotten blurry or developed a film that I couldn't clean. It never occurred to me that I had developed cataracts that quickly. I thought I was too young. Surprise.

    I had surgery done on both eyes last year three months apart. The first thing I noticed was how bright everything was and how vivid colors were. 

    The surgery was done as an out patient at the hospital, under sedation. Immediately after the surgery I was completely blind, which freaked me out. The doctor assured me my vision would come back. I left the recovery room with a bandaged eye. After a few hours, I removed the bandage and could see perfectly fine, although my eye was quite sensitive to bright light for several days. 

    Now, I only have to have readers, which I can buy at the drug store, and I have worn glasses since I was 10 years old. 

    Cheers,

    Rocquie

    PS -- po18guy, I am so sorry you had to go through a second surgery to replace your new lens. 

  • lindary
    lindary Member Posts: 711 Member
    #9
    cataracts

    Like Max my eyes have never been 20/20. Diagnosed with a lazy left eye when I was 5. The right eye ended up being better than 20/20. Over the years the left eye has not changed but the right eye has weakened. I need prescrition glasses now to help that right eye. So far it is healthy, just weak. Kind of like the rest ot me.

  • illead
    illead Member Posts: 884 Member
    #10
    Premium lenses

    Hi Po, I'm so sorry you had such a terrible experience, sheesh, haven't you been through enough?

    I had both eyes operated on 10 yrs ago at the age of 60.  I was at the stage that I had to quit driving.  I opted for premium lenses, they were pretty new at the time.  Insurance or Medicare won't pay for them, they won't even deduct the price of regular lenses.  Back then they were $2,000 each, probably more now, we just bit the bullet.  I now have 20/20 far, midway, and up close and after 10 years it hasn't changed.  Since I paid so much, my opthamologist gave me all the drops for free (we did not have prescription coverage), so I figure that savings took a chunk out of the price of the lenses.  So it ended up a win win.

    Becky

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