# Thanks diabetes! Cataract surgery **URL:** \ **Category:** Eyes\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671 "2019-02-18T11:54:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kenrick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/kenrick/32/113_2.png) [@kenrick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/kenrick)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/1 "2019-02-18T11:54:06Z")
I have been super nearsighted ever since I was a kid. I learned I had cataracts a couple months ago, likely a diabetes complication, had surgery on my left eye a couple weeks ago and last week had surgery on my right eye! If anyone else needs cataract surgery it is pretty quick and painless. With the implanted lenses I can now see about 20/30 without needing glasses or contacts. It is pretty amazing to be seeing bright colors and things clearly in the distance without glasses. It is probably the best distance vision I have had since I was 6 years old! So I guess, thanks diabetes? Otherwise I’d probably have to wait until my 70’s to get cataract surgery? Now I just gotta get used to reading glasses because anything within an arm’s length is really a blur. I still haven’t figured out a good system but am starting to amass a collection of different readers to stash in different places… ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/2 "2019-02-18T12:12:04Z")
Congrats!!! It is great that it works so well with you! I just found out this year I have the very beginning of cataract, so another 10 or 15 years and it will be my turn. > [@kenrick](#): > > I just gotta get used to reading glasses because anything within an arm’s length is really a blur. I still haven’t figured out a good system but am starting to amass a collection of different readers to stash in different places… I have had to do that for a good 5-6 years. My system: - I keep one pair on my hair, with a red neoprene tether, that I carry everywhere with me. It is my constant companion. I lower it over my eyes everytime I need to read: phone, menu, book etc. The tether helps me keep it always w me and helps hold it in place, the color allows me to find it better when I have taken it off (rarely) - One set of spares in the car, in the day pack, in each room of the house, by the computer, and a stack of spares (and spare tethers) in a bedroom drawer. The ability to keep the glasses in my hair all the time is a big enabler for me. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/3 "2019-02-18T12:52:19Z")
I have pairs in certain places also. One I keep in the office, one in both cars, and I have two home pairs…One upstairs and one down. 1x readers right now but I think I’m ready for 1.5 magnification. Aging woes. ☹ Gratz on the surgery! ---
**Author:** ![docslotnick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/docslotnick/32/75_2.png) [@docslotnick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/docslotnick)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/4 "2019-02-18T20:42:10Z")
@kenrick Congratulations on your new eyesight! Glad it all went well. I wasn’t aware that cataracts were a diabetic complication. I too have been nearsighted and glasses wearing since childhood. And then a couple or few years ago my vision really got bad. Being a dentist I knew it had to be taken care of immediately. The ophthalmologist diagnosed cataracts, and a week later I had my first surgery. A truly amazing difference! In any event, if they are a complication then “thanks diabetes”! ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/5 "2019-02-18T20:51:34Z")
> [@docslotnick](#): > > wasn’t aware that cataracts were a diabetic complication. I was surprised by this too. By it is confirmed by WebMD 🙂 [5 Ways Diabetes Can Affect Your Eyes & Vision](https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-eye-problems) > High blood sugar can lead to problems like blurry vision, cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy. In fact, diabetes is the primary cause of blindness in adults ages 20 to 74. ---
**Author:** ![docslotnick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/docslotnick/32/75_2.png) [@docslotnick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/docslotnick)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 9:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/6 "2019-02-18T21:11:53Z")
> [@kenrick](#): > > Now I just gotta get used to reading glasses because anything within an arm’s length is really a blur. I still haven’t figured out a good system but am starting to amass a collection of different readers to stash in different places… @kenrick I solved that problem by just getting progressive bifocals that had no distance correction. Of course I wanted to keep wearing glasses. Like my wife tells me, I look better in glasses–they cover up more of my face 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Jen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/jen/32/4777_2.png) [@Jen](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/7 "2019-02-18T22:10:13Z")
Interesting, glad everything went well for you! I’ve had cataracts for the past 20 years, but was told they are a complication of the eye condition that causes my vision impairment (which they are). My ophthalmologist has never mentioned any connection to diabetes. He’s also never mentioned surgery, but I think that’s because surgery in my case would be quite high risk and so I don’t have any interest in doing it until my vision worsens to the point that things can’t get worse if there are complications. I actually like the way I look in glasses. Growing up, I had strong (+12.5) reading glasses, but they only helped somewhat for reading and were super thick and bulky. I was kind of excited when I was told a couple years ago that I have astigmatism and got glasses. I didn’t notice a major difference, but felt they did make things a bit sharper. Then a couple weeks ago one of the lenses fell out, in my better eye no less, and I didn’t even notice for a day and a half! So that makes me think they make zero difference, and I’m not sure spending money on new ones when the time comes will be worth it, even though I do like the way I look with glasses compared to without! But, then again, I have the superpower of braille. So who cares about glasses and all that nonsense when I can just read in the dark if I want to. 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/8 "2019-02-18T22:32:54Z")
> [@Michel](#): > > > wasn’t aware that cataracts were a diabetic complication. > > I was surprised by this too. Cataract formation or progression occurs in [80 to 100 percent of patients](https://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/cases/239-post-vit-cataract-surgery.htm) who undergo pars plana vitrectomy, the type commonly done to clear out hemorrhages resulting from retinopathy and also to repair a detached retina, a common complication of a vitrectomy. So in this sense cataracts are not just a complication of diabetes but may also be a complication of a complication of a complication. I have a very slowly developing cataract in my left eye, the result of diabetes in general, but had much more rapid cataract development in the right eye after I had a vitrectomy. ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/9 "2019-02-18T22:41:57Z")
To be fair, cataract is like death, taxes, and prostate cancer for men: everybody gets them if they get old enough. Here is what U Michigan has to say about it: [https://www.umkelloggeye.org/conditions-treatments/cataract](https://www.umkelloggeye.org/conditions-treatments/cataract) > By age 65, over 90 percent of people have a cataract and half of the people between the ages of 75 and 85 have lost some vision due to a cataract. So, possibly, diabetes is only a slight accelerant 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/10 "2019-02-18T22:44:46Z")
> [@ClaudnDaye](#): > > I have pairs in certain places also. @ClaudnDaye, what exactly did you mean by that? And is this something you need more magnification for as time is going by? > [@ClaudnDaye](#): > > I think I’m ready for 1.5 magnification. Aging woes. Pretty soon you might need a microscope 😄 ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/11 "2019-02-18T22:50:12Z")
> [@Michel](#): > > @ClaudnDaye, what exactly did you mean by that I keep different pairs of readers in different locations so that I am not constantly needing to carry a pair with me. Yes… The older I’ve gotten the further away the words have gotten on paper so the greater the magnification in the readers so that I can actually read the pages of books I need to read. I started messing readers when I was 40…20/20 my whole life before 40. I’m having difficulty now reading with 1x magnification so may need to go to to 1.5. I tried then before but they have me a headache. ---
**Author:** ![Jen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/jen/32/4777_2.png) [@Jen](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/12 "2019-02-18T23:27:17Z")
> [@ClaudnDaye](#): > > 1x magnification so may need to go to to 1.5 Do you mean magnification (1x, 1.5x, etc.) or diopters? Most reading glasses are measured in diopters (+1.0, +1.5, etc.). Usually, 1x magnification is equal to about +4.0 diopters, which are usually the strongest reading glasses you can buy in regular stores. Beyond that range is getting more into the realm of low vision aids… My glasses as a kid (that I do still have and use occasionally) were +12.5 diopters, which is super strong (even most glasses stores couldn’t make them), but magnification wise it was only equal to about 3x. I also have a pair of glasses that are +40 or 10x magnification, which are truly amazing and actually allow me to read regular print, but I don’t use them often at all because I have assistive technology that does the same with less effort. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/13 "2019-02-19T01:18:21Z")
Whatever that 1x means. I’m no eye doctor. 🙂 Cheap $10 reading glasses from Walmart ---
**Author:** ![Kailee56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kailee56](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Kailee56)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/14 "2019-04-24T03:36:30Z")
I was told at my last eye exam that I have cataracts. Problem, they are too “young” for surgery. Terrible as this sounds, I can’t wait. My baseline is astigmatism + farsighted. I have never seen less than 3 moon, with a new Rx no less. Basically, I have the vision of Monet, without the talent. Since the surgery can get rid of the astigmatism, I can’t wait until my cataract is “mature” enough for removal. ---
**Author:** ![kenrick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/kenrick/32/113_2.png) [@kenrick](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/kenrick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/thanks-diabetes-cataract-surgery/6671/15 "2019-04-24T10:06:38Z")
Yes, there is a definite silver lining! I had really strong astigmatism and the implants mostly corrected it (to about 20/30 and 20/40), but I do need glasses to make it a bit sharper. Having been a while since the surgery, the main downside is I can’t read anything up close. I used to at least be able to hold something super close to my eye and be able to read it. Now I need the right power of reading glasses. I do use progressive lenses which are great for reading or using a phone but not so good for the computer so I still swap glasses in and out.