Since we all will develop cataracts by age 65 and some of us much sooner should anyone over the age of 50 have lasik surgery?

Wow I was thinking of posting this exact same thread! Good point, but keep in mind that cateracts form at different ages for different people and some never get em. However if you are over 50, especially if you have a family history of cateracts, you probably should strongly consider clear lense extraction

Doctors need to tell patients middle aged or better about their chances of cataracts and the procedure that would be done to correct this. They should not just go ahead and do lasik. I also believe a doctor can "not see" cataracts which are in early stages and jump to the lasik. A short time later, another doctor tells you that you have cataracts.

A short 17 months after lasik, a doctor told me I had cataracts. This was not my lasik surgeon, but a doctor whom I consulted for a second opinion. As a high myope (-9.5) I knew the chances of cataract surgery being off the mark were higher. My doc never discussed this with me, of course before lasik. I finally had OS cataract done a year ago. The eye is miserably nearsighted. I still have to have cataract surgery OD, but the outcome will be uncertain again.

IF my doctor had asked about CLE and explained about cataracts, etc. it would have made much more sense to have that instead of lasik. Any person having lasik does not know what to expect if/when they develop cataracts. The surgeons have a hard time calculating good results. They are beginning to acknowledge this as post-lasik patients are presenting with cataracts.

I hope others age 50ish will be given a chance to have other options. I could have had my -9's taken care of, no chance of future cataracts all at once. For those who are sure their lasik was successful, don't be too hasty. You may have a big surprise some day.

Such words of wisdom! This rises a very valad point of concern that more surgeons and doctors need to be informed of. Lasik has no effect on cateracts, but cateracts can form by themselves and lasik will be then wasted plus IOL calculation will be tricky. What can be done to you that you got undercorrected? Can they remove your IOL or piggyback another one? I can understand why people are reluctant to get IOLs, they cost more and its more serious, complex surgery, however they need to think about cateracts being a possibility in their future.

Different answers from different doctors. My own doc wanted to piggy-back an iol. I said no. My vision is even more hazy after the cataract surgery than before. I think that tells me the cornea is bad and no exchange or piggy-backing of iols will help. If I can be "fixed" it will be something of a non-surgical nature.

There is some literature indicating that laser energy may induce cataracts in some individuals.

Had I been informed by Dr. Stephen Wexler or the staff of TLC Laservision in St. Louis I could have saved almost $4000.00. Anyone over 40 should consider they will get cataracts and most health insurance plans cover surgery for IOL implants. This information would severely reduce the profit margin of the assembly line Lasik centers. I suppose that's why they don't tell you.
If you're considering TLC or a similar assembly line, spend a little more money and go to an Opthamoligist who does more than Lasik surgery and has your best interest in mind.

>Had I been informed by Dr. Stephen
>Wexler or the staff of TLC
>Laservision in St. Louis I could
>have saved almost $4000.00. Anyone over
>40 should consider they will get
>cataracts and most health insurance plans
>cover surgery for IOL implants. This
>information would severely reduce the profit
>margin of the assembly line Lasik
>centers. I suppose that's why they
>don't tell you. If you're considering
>TLC or a similar assembly line,
>spend a little more money and
>go to an Opthamoligist who does
>more than Lasik surgery and has
>your best interest in mind.

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All Ophthalmologists now know that calculating IOL power for cataract surgery is very difficult for patients who have had refractive surgery. They kind of have to 'guess'. Surgeons even have a special term for cataract surgery in a post-refractive surgery patient. They call it the REFRACTIVE SURPRISE. Your doctor had no right to perform refractive surgery without informing you of this known risk.

Tell everyone you know about it, because failure to inform others only paves the way for more patients to be damaged.