Thank you!! I will ask about Focus N&D lenses. I went down to a -9 in
Acuvue 2 and Proclear, and can see both distance and at the computer, but
severe irritation/confusion persists. I'll call now about the Focus lenses.

Do you think I can wear glasses again? I understand what's going on, but am
not sure if, in time, my brain will merge 2 very different images. What if
my popped-out, left lens were replaced with one that corrects for reading,
or simply replaced with an opaque lens? (Am I dreaming?!)

Many specialists just don't/can't spend adequate time with patients. I
chose a surgeon who teaches, does research and has treated people my age
with this type of cataract. I knew the "personal touch" might be lacking. I
like this doctor, but triple-booking seems to be a fact of life in some
parts of the U.S. I should add that I'm at the hospital weekly, because of
concerns about retinal detachment. So my doctor cares, as much as one can
care in a 10-minute visit!

Thank you for your help.
Kelly

Yep, call me confused. Guess that's what happens when a cataract develops
and must be removed *within a 4-month span.* It's an adjustment, and I have
a long way to go.

I realize contacts are "my only hope." As someone who wore them night and
day for years, I was so proud when I grew up enough to realize that wearing
glasses isn't the end of the world, and removing contacts a few hours a day
might just be good for my vision.

Yes, my surgeon told me I would have trouble with glasses. Thanks to
helpful people here, I understand why. The glasses still cause multiple
images, but I know that may change down the road; this surgery was very
recent. My surgeon also worried I wouldn't adjust to perfect vision, since
I never corrected to 20/20.

We also discussed reading glasses, and I've tried many different ones. No
luck yet. Remember, my right eye sees up close just fine, so while reading
glasses help the *new* left eye, they distort vison in the right eye, the
one in which I wear a contact.

My optometrist, whom I've known many years, is away for 3 more weeks. He
has a huge heart, with talent and patience to match. I have no doubt he'll
make sense of this, but in the meantime, I must work daily. It's the
computer that's presenting the greatest challenge right now, and a simple
change in contacts may help tremendously.

I have private health insurance that dictates what's "reasonable and
customary," and I bet it's right on target if you live in rural
Mississippi. It's paying a very small percentage of the costs. No one I
know in the state of Florida goes near an HMO. (Sorry if that offends
anyone.) While "cataract mills" typically charge Medicare fees, surgeons in
private practice and at universities charge $2,700 to $3,500 for surgery;
hospital/facility fees are $4,500 to $6,500; and the anesthesiologist's
cost is about $1,000 for administering lido drops/gel. Acular, Pret Forte
and Zymar are pricy little drugs! (I live in an expensive county.) Luckily,
I know how to appeal insurance company decisions.

Now I hate to sound petty, but here goes: I can't imagine living with no
near vision. How could I put on mascara or do other things I take for
granted?! I guess that's my lesson - take nothing for granted.

Kelly