Dr. Davidson was my O. D. From a previous practice in Gonzalez and he was getting certified to fit sclerals. I started noticing slight cloudiness and Dr. Davidson said I was starting to get cataracts. I went to 2 of the top surgeons here NOT at WEC but their biggest competitor because my corneas were hazy all of a sudden one day- my corneas, not the lens of my eye. The first doctor passed me into the second doctor who is a corneal specialist. He did an amazing job scraping off my corneas- it was quick and painless - but in talking about my cataracts, he concurred with doctor #1, that due to the damage on my corneas and the condition of my eye surface, they were hesitant to do cataract surgery but maybe eventually cataract surgery AND a corneal transplant. Meanwhile I continued to see Dr. Davidson for my scleral lenses and eye exams- fast forward two years and he said during an exam. "There is research on a new lens that is for people just like you. Do you have Medicare yet? "
He asked because there is a good out of pocket amount even with insurance. Some private insurances pay more but Medicare contracts have set amounts.
After reading up on IOLs, decided on light adjustable lenses but I'm learning in a Facebook page that many doctors are not following the recommended protocol by RxSight. My doctor Blake Williamson, was one of 7 in the country to start doing them 4 years ago and the technology and process they follow is what has brought success to their patients.
On surgery day (after sedation and prep, which includes one final eye exam and pre op dilation.
1. Lasik to smooth out any corneal irregularities
2. Another laser dissolves your lens and vacuums it out. (You can see it but not feel it.)
3.You're wheeled into the next room where second doctor implants your lens.
4. You get UV googles and thorough instructions and you're out. Each part took less than a minute and there is a video of my procedure somewhere on here. Totally painless.
Next day Dr. Blake calls and you have video visit - all my stuff was good. I had eyes done on 2 consecutive days. 1 week later you get an in person post op visit with ophthalmologist Dr. Blake AND optometrist Dr. Davidson who will be doing actual adjustments. Still wearing googles (ugh).
First adjustment on BOTH eyes scheduled 3 weeks later. After that I had 3 more weekly appointments on both eyes. I had very realistic expectations (NOT 20/20 but at least 20/40 which legal driving requirement in our state)
My optometristDr. Davidson, has been my optometrist since his graduation practically when he was at another practice so I had great confidence in him and his recommendations. I've been with him through each new certification since I was his most visually challenged patient in scleral lenses.
My ophthalmologists' group WEC do about 30 LALs a week. They are not a boutique practice. You don't want to go to a doctor who does one a month.
Fun fact: on last adjustment, everything was RED for about 32 hours. Apparently the last adjustment "excites" the rods and cones. It was like looking through a red tinted lens for a day and a half. Third day I woke up to rose colored lenses which self corrected in an hour or so of being outdoors in natural light.
Now for the last part- in August, 6 months post op, because that's when most insurances will pay, my ophthalmologist AND optometrist will evaluate me together to see if I have any debris and if so they will clean it up with a YAG laser.
My accommodation is a little slow, not due to cataract surgery but due to my age- 69.5. I don't wake up and see with my old scleral lens vision, but I get there within an hour or so. If I read for hours (and I do) it takes a second or 3 for my eyes to adjust to say, the TV. This is all normal when one is approaching 70. I am thrilled however. That when I wake up, I can see the time on the cable box from the bed and I don't need to grope for glasses to get around my house and to take the dogs out first thing. I hope this clarifies the process for you.
My old ophthalmologist, who is one of the top corneal specialists in our state, told me to hold off with cataract surgery as long as I could because my corneas were so badly scarred that he couldn't guarantee a good outcome. Don't be afraid to ask questions and by all means, educate yourself. Don't just take a doctor's word for it that something doesn't exist. 3 years ago when my corneal specialist told me to hold off, my optometrist was telling me, "I just learned about some new lenses at our conference. I think we may be able to help you."
You only get one pair of eyes.
In case anyone is curious it's about a week at Disney for a family of 4. $8K- except this lasts way longer.
Thank you Drs. William Williamson, 4 my lasik & lens extraction, Dr.Blake 4 the lens implant procedure & Dr. Josh Davidson, fof being the most thorough and educated OD in the state. You have all taken excellent care of me. read more