Cataracts affecting Balance

[kncowans]

Hello all

I hope you are well.

I have recently been advised by my Ophthalmologist that I should not Ride my Bike until after I have Cataract Surgery as they will be affecting my Balance.

Whilst it is true that my Balance on the Bike is not great currently, I put it down to not Cycling for 16 Years, I never thought that the Cataracts would be affecting my Balance.

My Left Eye is the worse one, vision is very Blurry and I can only make out Shapes, no Detail beyond 10" or so.

My Right Eye is also Blurry, but not so bad,

I wear VariFocals and am Favouring my Right Eye.

I only got the Bike, a Trek Dual Sport 3, in August Last Year so this advice from my Ophthalmologist is disheartening.

I should be having the Cataract Surgery on the Left Eye in Late July, hopefully, followed by the Right Eye once the Left Eye has fully Healed.

All Fun

Thanks

Kevin

[Jdsk]

i hope that it all goes well. Not long till July.

Jonathan

[kncowans]

Hello Jonathan

Thanks for the Reply.

Being Autistic, I am having to have a General Anaesthetic as I would not be able to have it done using the more usual Local Anaesthetic since my Awareness of my surroundings is heightened.

I have been told that it will take approximately 6 to 8 Weeks for each Eye to Fully Heal then I have the Waiting Time between each Operation.

I will be looking at approximately 20 Weeks away from the Bike which will take me to December (ish), there goes This Year

At least the Bike will not be getting any Wear

Thanks

Kevin

[Audax67]

Hello there Kevin.

Interesting. I've been a T2 diabetic for ~40 years according to my doc, and since it attacks i.a. the inner ears, my own sense of balance is pretty ropey; I have to rely on visual cues to stay upright. If I stand on one leg and close my eyes I go over sideways PDQ, and if I take my eyes off my surroundings for any length of time when I'm on the bike I drift out towards the middle of the road. Back when I was riding at night with 2007 battery lights I had to keep eyes front at all times, because the spread of the beam wasn't wide enough to pick out anything beyond the road. Once I got dynamo lights I was OK, and a few modern items would probably be OK as well.

Anyway, I was operated on for cataracts in 2014 and 2015. Before the first operation I'd stopped driving at night because the lights of oncoming traffic washed out my view of the road ahead. However, I had no problems on the bike, since I was sitting higher than headlights and could see far enough ahead for the speeds I was doing. No problems with balance, either. I did a 120k ride on the eve of the op and, with the ophthalmo's blessing, I was back on the bike two weeks later and had no problems at all. Same again in 2015, other eye.

Now, my vision was never as bad as you describe, but if you've been riding up until now and managing all right I'd suggest asking the surgeon if you can't have your operations done far enough apart to let you ride in between and not lose your fitness. Obviously I don't know the details of your case, but 10 weeks' recovery time per eye seems more than excessive. You might also suggest that your coronary/cardiac health is at least as important as your eyes.

Good luck!

BTW I have a Trek out in the workshop as well - love it. Hope you can get back on yours ASAP.

[kncowans]

Hello

Thanks for the Reply.

I think that they want to do both Eyes one after the other as the difference between the Offsets, on my Prescription, of both Eyes is quite High so they are going to fix that at the same Time.

Thanks

Kevin

[Audax67]

OK. Still, 20 weeks off is a long, long, long time.

[kncowans]

Hello

Agreed, I will query things when I attend my Pre-Op Appointment.

Hopefully, the 20 Weeks was the absolute Maximum.

I just want to get the Surgery done, I hate waiting

Thanks

Kevin

[Audax67]

Yeah. PITA

[Jdsk]

...
I will query things when I attend my Pre-Op Appointment.
...

I recommend writing down the questions so that you don't forget anything in the consultation.

Jonathan

[kncowans]

Hello

Thanks for the Reply.

Yes, I try to write down the Questions that I have or I tend to remember a Question when I am on my way Home

Kevin

[briansnail]

Make sure you have a neighbor or family member on hand.You will probably be given eye drops after to administer after the operation.
Best Wishes.
***********************************************
I ride Brompton and a 100% British Vintage.

[kncowans]

Hello

Thanks for the Reply.

My Sister should be able to take me Home, hopefully.

The Eye Drops are another issue, for me.

Asking me to administer Eye Drops is like asking me to Stab myself, it is never going to happen.

I have been told that the District Nurses will be able to administer the Eye Drops for as long as is needed, hopefully that will still be an option.

I have been researching Balance and Cataracts, sticking to Medical Research Papers etc. which are a reliable Source.

Apparently, Cataracts affecting Balance is a known issue, especially when Vision in one Eye is particularly poor.

I can only see Shapes with my Left Eye, no Details, my Right Eye is Blurry but not quite as bad as it is compensated for by Glasses, I wear Varifocals.

I just need to wait for my Appointment.

I had my Initial Appointment on 25 January 2023 which is when I Signed the Consent Forms for the Cataract Surgery.

A couple of Weeks later I received an Appointment for my Pre-Op Assessment on 27 February 2023.

Unfortunately, when I arrived at the Appointment, the Receptionist told me that they had no record of my Appointment.

After 20 Minutes, the Receptionist returned to tell me that, Yes, the Doctor had made the Appointment which triggered the Appointment Letter being Sent, but, 30 Minutes later he Cancelled the Appointment but no Cancellation Letter was Sent.

It now appears that the Surgeon assigned to me had gone on Extended Annual Leave, hence why my Surgery should now be in Late July, hopefully.

These Posts get long pretty quick do they not

Thanks

Kevin

[Jdsk]

...
I have been researching Balance and Cataracts, sticking to Medical Research Papers etc. which are a reliable Source.
...

I wouldn't recommend any patient to read individual research papers without some serious precautions. There are many causes of cataracts and a fair few lines of treatment. There's a risk of making decisions that aren't appropriate to you.

I would recommend the NHS advice (other reputable sources are available), the Patient Information Leaflets from where you're going to be treated, and asking those healthcare professionals directly.

And if you do want the best available evidence then I recommend starting with reviews from the Cochrane Collaboration:
https://www.cochrane.org/search/site/cataract
and the guidance from NICE:
https://www.nice.org.uk/search?q=catatract

Jonathan

[kncowans]

Hello Jonathan

Thanks for the Reply.

I have always been able to glean the information that I require from the Sources I utilise without clouding the issues.

I guess my Autism and the way I process information helps.

Thanks for your concern though, it is appreciated.

Kevin

[briansnail]

Do you have a update on how it went please?