Affects on Your Golf Game After Cataract Surgery

[Carolina Golfer 2]

I just had my 2nd eye operated on to remove cataracts.   The first one was done in early August and the second one done last week.

 

Everyone I spoke to ahead of time said it will be a "life changer"  Things will look brighter, clearer and you'll see better.  Now, both my eye surgeon and things I read online cautioned me that everyone is different, and that it may take several weeks for the eyes to fully adjust to their new lens. 

 

For the record I had the very expensive (not by choice but due to severe astigmatism) Toric lens put in.  After the first (right) eye was done, I noticed an immediate improvment in vision with it, from day 1.   I decided not to wear my glasses with the right lens out and the left lens in, it just made things look wierd, including me...ha     But I saw fine with the one good eye kind of "dominating" the total vision. 

 

2nd (Left) eye was done 1 week ago.  Dr. said it looked beautiful.  I had blurry vision for about 4 days--again not uncommon from what I read, it was actually more uncommon that my right eye didn't have any bluriness immediately after.    But by early this week the blury left eye cleared up.

 

So I'm seeing with both eyes now.  I can do most daily functions, drive, read most everything except for very small print fine, without glasses.  So that part is very convenient.   However, the important part to all of us that golf, is our game.  

 

Now I know it's unrealistic to expect to come out 1 week from surgery, strike every ball perfectly, and see the ball land 5 feet from the flag from 200 yards.   I couldnt' do that beforehand, so I didn't expect miracles.   But twice this week, I went out to play, 9 holes by myself, and today 18 holes in a league.   I shot an eyepopping (no pun intended) 108.  I could not make clean contact with irons to save my life.   Tee shots weren't too bad, don't know if that is because the ball is teed up or the bigger clubhead or what, but shots off the turf were hitting anywhere from 1 to 4 inches behind the ball.  

 

As for vsion, before the surgery my limit on seeing the ball clearly was about 150 to 170 yards.   Today I had trouble following shots even that far.   I have noticed this week that my eyes seem to "weaken" as the day goes on, meaning I can read easily and clearly on the computer in the morning, but by afternoon it's a bit of a strain.    I guess that could be normal as well.

 

So I'd love to hear from al lthose that have cataract surgery on both eyes what your experiences have been, realiastic time frame for things to get as good as they are going to get..etc.

 

Thanks

 

[Springsteennut]

You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll see. I had some complications with mine but it is so much easier to follow the ball than it was before surgery. I see contours on the green so much better on approach shots. I was just middle of the green mostly because I couldn’t really see the green from about 150. Now I can see where I need to land it.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

Thanks, that's what I'm hoping for. I understand it may not happen right away, had hoped it would 🙂    How long before you felt you noticed a huge improvment in your say distance vision.   You say so much improvment in following the ball.  How long was it before you were able to do that.    Did you see much improment from week 1 to say week 4?

[ChipDriver]

4 hours ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

I just had my 2nd eye operated on to remove cataracts.   The first one was done in early August and the second one done last week.

 

Everyone I spoke to ahead of time said it will be a "life changer"  Things will look brighter, clearer and you'll see better.  Now, both my eye surgeon and things I read online cautioned me that everyone is different, and that it may take several weeks for the eyes to fully adjust to their new lens. 

 

For the record I had the very expensive (not by choice but due to severe astigmatism) Toric lens put in.  After the first (right) eye was done, I noticed an immediate improvment in vision with it, from day 1.   I decided not to wear my glasses with the right lens out and the left lens in, it just made things look wierd, including me...ha     But I saw fine with the one good eye kind of "dominating" the total vision. 

 

2nd (Left) eye was done 1 week ago.  Dr. said it looked beautiful.  I had blurry vision for about 4 days--again not uncommon from what I read, it was actually more uncommon that my right eye didn't have any bluriness immediately after.    But by early this week the blury left eye cleared up.

 

So I'm seeing with both eyes now.  I can do most daily functions, drive, read most everything except for very small print fine, without glasses.  So that part is very convenient.   However, the important part to all of us that golf, is our game.  

 

Now I know it's unrealistic to expect to come out 1 week from surgery, strike every ball perfectly, and see the ball land 5 feet from the flag from 200 yards.   I couldnt' do that beforehand, so I didn't expect miracles.   But twice this week, I went out to play, 9 holes by myself, and today 18 holes in a league.   I shot an eyepopping (no pun intended) 108.  I could not make clean contact with irons to save my life.   Tee shots weren't too bad, don't know if that is because the ball is teed up or the bigger clubhead or what, but shots off the turf were hitting anywhere from 1 to 4 inches behind the ball.  

 

As for vsion, before the surgery my limit on seeing the ball clearly was about 150 to 170 yards.   Today I had trouble following shots even that far.   I have noticed this week that my eyes seem to "weaken" as the day goes on, meaning I can read easily and clearly on the computer in the morning, but by afternoon it's a bit of a strain.    I guess that could be normal as well.

 

So I'd love to hear from al lthose that have cataract surgery on both eyes what your experiences have been, realiastic time frame for things to get as good as they are going to get..etc.

 

Thanks

 

Questions:  are you over 65?  Did you have glasses or contacts or both? How strong was your correction?  As a weird analogy - if you have astigmatism then your eye (or eyes) are shaped more like a football rather than a circle.  Glasses can help to refocus the light/images but it is imperfect - and sometimes your eyes basically change shape to adapt to the glasses or contacts.  So your eyes have to readjust - and if you've had glasses a long time - it may take a little while for your eyes to adapt to the new lenses.   Also - not to scare you - but Toric lenses are great if they are placed optimally for your astigmatism - but they can also shift (again as your eye is adapting) and they may change your visual acuity/accuracy.   Be patient...and try not to obsess.  Most people will adapt albeit not quickly/overnight.  Couple of weeks is still reasonable.  If worried - call your ophthalmologist - I assume you've seen him a couple of times already?  If he's not worried - don't be worried.  🙂  Remember  it's surgery - and IMO all surgeries should not be taken lightly.  It causes severe trauma to the eye when you cut it - it "reacts" and based on your age/correction/length of time - it could just take longer than expected.   Overall I hope you achieve the vision that you're expecting.  I had my surgery a few years ago and the benefits have been great.   But it wasn't immediate.

Edited September 23, 2022 by ChipDriver

[Carolina Golfer 2]

22 minutes ago, ChipDriver said:

Questions:  are you over 65?  Did you have glasses or contacts or both? How strong was your correction?  As a weird analogy - if you have astigmatism then your eye (or eyes) are shaped more like a football rather than a circle.  Glasses can help to refocus the light/images but it is imperfect - and sometimes your eyes basically change shape to adapt to the glasses or contacts.  So your eyes have to readjust - and if you've had glasses a long time - it may take a little while for your eyes to adapt to the new lenses.   Also - not to scare you - but Toric lenses are great if they are placed optimally for your astigmatism - but they can also shift (again as your eye is adapting) and they may change your visual acuity/accuracy.   Be patient...and try not to obsess.  Most people will adapt albeit not quickly/overnight.  Couple of weeks is still reasonable.  If worried - call your ophthalmologist - I assume you've seen him a couple of times already?  If he's not worried - don't be worried.  🙂  Remember  it's surgery - and IMO all surgeries should not be taken lightly.  It causes severe trauma to the eye when you cut it - it "reacts" and based on your age/correction/length of time - it could just take longer than expected.   Overall I hope you achieve the vision that you're expecting.  I had my surgery a few years ago and the benefits have been great.   But it wasn't immediate.

Wow!  What great information.  Thanks so much.   The answers to your questions. 
 

I am 62.  I have worn corrective lens since age 5 for a very RX.  +8  I think. I was nearly blind without them.   I wore glasses until my early 20’s then went to contacts.  Went back to glasses around age 50 for convenience.   I have always worn progressive lens.   Well since going back to them.  
 

My Ophthalmologist is great. He’s with John’s Hopkins here in MD and I think he said he’s done 10,000 of these.  He did mention the marking and placement of the Toric lens was very important.    I have seen him after each surgery snd he said they both look great.  I go back for a 4 week follow up in late October.   
 

Yeah my wife tells me not to obsess as well and not to expect miracles.   So of course I did a self vision test today with a chart I found online and put 10 feet away as suggested and saw I was comfortably reading 20/50 and struggled to read 20/40 😳.  That explains why I had trouble following the ball today. 

He did mention about the football shape of tbe eyes.  I hadn’t bright about the fact the glaaasws have had yesrs to adopt to the chsnge but the new Lenses  have had about a hot minute. 
 

I’m generally a very patient person.  But of course I was hoping for immediate improvement.   And to be fair I have had that.  I’m able to do most daily activities without glasses for the first time in my life.  
 

He did say at the 4 week checkup he’ll know if he needs to give me a small RX for distance vision.  Does that sound normal or possible? 
 

Thanks again for your info and reassurance. 

 

[Springsteennut]

3 hours ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Thanks, that's what I'm hoping for. I understand it may not happen right away, had hoped it would 🙂    How long before you felt you noticed a huge improvment in your say distance vision.   You say so much improvment in following the ball.  How long was it before you were able to do that.    Did you see much improment from week 1 to say week 4?

I’m not the best example for time frame. I had complications with both surgeries. The right eye was not a big deal. The new lense shifted slightly so they had put it back in the right position. Vision was good in that eye after that in a couple of days. The second was basically a one in a million complication. I won’t bore you with the details since it’s so rare. The important is the vision is so much better than it had been in years.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

6 minutes ago, Markrip said:

I’m not the best example for time frame. I had complications with both surgeries. The right eye was not a big deal. The new lense shifted slightly so they had put it back in the right position. Vision was good in that eye after that in a couple of days. The second was basically a one in a million complication. I won’t bore you with the details since it’s so rare. The important is the vision is so much better than it had been in years.

Glade you have had good results even if it was a bit of a journey to get there.   I’m assuming reshiftimg the 1st lens was a simple or even more so than the original surgery. 

[bladehunter]

You sound pretty normal as far as results and timeframe to me. I’m not a doc but I hear ophthalmic surgery talk daily.  I know a surgeon personally and my wife runs the practice.  Which  includes their own independent surgery center/clinic.   
 

from what I hear with a toric lense revisions are more commonly needed.  This can be a realignment of the lense or adding a second lense to adjust the focus of the first.   Tell them exactly what you’re seeing or not seeing and let them fine tune if needed.  I’m certain if you’re at John’s Hopkins your surgeon is a good one .  And you’re correct. Every person is different.  

[golfarb1]

Like a miracle

20/200  uncorrected vision before 

Now I can read the bottom little line on an eye chart without glasses from 10 feet . 

For about one month after surgery , lights on opposing cars at night were fuzzy at the edges . Others who have had similar problems suggested taking VitD3. 
Now I need to wear glasses when I read.

The good thing is that I can go into my local drug store  and choose the correction level that I need. 
It is natural to rotate your head in the backswing in order to make a full shoulder turn. Previously when I wore glasses , the frame of the glasses would obstruct my vision as I rotated my head . 

Edited September 23, 2022 by golfarb1

[ChipDriver]

48 minutes ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Wow!  What great information.  Thanks so much.   The answers to your questions. 
 

I am 62.  I have worn corrective lens since age 5 for a very RX.  +8  I think. I was nearly blind without them.   I wore glasses until my early 20’s then went to contacts.  Went back to glasses around age 50 for convenience.   I have always worn progressive lens.   Well since going back to them.  
 

My Ophthalmologist is great. He’s with John’s Hopkins here in MD and I think he said he’s done 10,000 of these.  He did mention the marking and placement of the Toric lens was very important.    I have seen him after each surgery snd he said they both look great.  I go back for a 4 week follow up in late October.   
 

Yeah my wife tells me not to obsess as well and not to expect miracles.   So of course I did a self vision test today with a chart I found online and put 10 feet away as suggested and saw I was comfortably reading 20/50 and struggled to read 20/40 😳.  That explains why I had trouble following the ball today. 

He did mention about the football shape of tbe eyes.  I hadn’t bright about the fact the glaaasws have had yesrs to adopt to the chsnge but the new Lenses  have had about a hot minute. 
 

I’m generally a very patient person.  But of course I was hoping for immediate improvement.   And to be fair I have had that.  I’m able to do most daily activities without glasses for the first time in my life.  
 

He did say at the 4 week checkup he’ll know if he needs to give me a small RX for distance vision.  Does that sound normal or possible? 
 

Thanks again for your info and reassurance. 

 

Give it time - I grew up knowing ophthos at NIH, Georgetown; Hopkins (Wilmer) and Jefferson (Wills) and most in Pennsylvania area.   We have 3 generations of ophthos and I'm giving you stuff I've learned.  In general - trust your doc.  🙂 

 

At your age, and length of time, and severeness of correction - perhaps you are hoping for a panacea....frankly you have it...and it's probably going to get slightly better.  Give it a little more time to adjust.  You're in good hands.

 

One thing to notice - you will most likely need "grannies" for reading or distance.  That's the downside to becoming older when your natural lens loses its flexibility....and now you've gone to a artificial lens that doesn't flex at all (but can now change a little bit due to Torics).  But it's not "perfect" and that might be what you're hoping for.

 

IMO - give it time and you will adjust - and the benefits to having the surgery will greatly outweigh any perceived problems.  If you can get distance vision (5+ feet and farther) that's great for golf!   I wear grannies for close vision...I have them scattered all over the house.  But when I play golf - it's so much better than when I played with glasses.  You'll get there soon enough!  🙂 

 

Good luck!

[Carolina Golfer 2]

53 minutes ago, ChipDriver said:

Give it time - I grew up knowing ophthos at NIH, Georgetown; Hopkins (Wilmer) and Jefferson (Wills) and most in Pennsylvania area.   We have 3 generations of ophthos and I'm giving you stuff I've learned.  In general - trust your doc.  🙂 

 

At your age, and length of time, and severeness of correction - perhaps you are hoping for a panacea....frankly you have it...and it's probably going to get slightly better.  Give it a little more time to adjust.  You're in good hands.

 

One thing to notice - you will most likely need "grannies" for reading or distance.  That's the downside to becoming older when your natural lens loses its flexibility....and now you've gone to a artificial lens that doesn't flex at all (but can now change a little bit due to Torics).  But it's not "perfect" and that might be what you're hoping for.

 

IMO - give it time and you will adjust - and the benefits to having the surgery will greatly outweigh any perceived problems.  If you can get distance vision (5+ feet and farther) that's great for golf!   I wear grannies for close vision...I have them scattered all over the house.  But when I play golf - it's so much better than when I played with glasses.  You'll get there soon enough!  🙂 

 

Good luck!

Thanks again.  I will take your advice to heart. I know “recovery” takes time.  I had both knees replaced 8 years ago rigjt around this time. It was. ) weeks of grueling PT.  But I was better than ever.  And played pain free golf for the first time in years. 
 

I’ll look at thsi (no pun intended) the same way!   Yeah he warned me about the likeliness of “cheaters” as my mom called them.  And that’ll be fine.  
 

Thanks again for the time and info. 

[Springsteennut]

12 hours ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Glade you have had good results even if it was a bit of a journey to get there.   I’m assuming reshiftimg the 1st lens was a simple or even more so than the original surgery. 

Yes quicker than when the lense was put in. The freaky part of all the surgeries was being awake. Weird feeling but oddly fascinating 

[Carolina Golfer 2]

1 hour ago, Markrip said:

Yes quicker than when the lense was put in. The freaky part of all the surgeries was being awake. Weird feeling but oddly fascinating 

Yeah, that did freak me out.  I went in the first time thinking I would be put under, and when he explained it was only a light anesthesia, and that he needed me awke in case I had to move my head or eyes, I wasl like Okaaaay ?    Definitely a wierd feeling, maybe like the first time I smoked the wacky weed....way back in the 70's, just felt like I was there, but didn't know what was going on.   Had a good nap later in the day though..ha

[tcbringhurst]

On 9/22/2022 at 6:33 PM, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Wow!  What great information.  Thanks so much.   The answers to your questions. 
 

I am 62.  I have worn corrective lens since age 5 for a very RX.  +8  I think. I was nearly blind without them.   I wore glasses until my early 20’s then went to contacts.  Went back to glasses around age 50 for convenience.   I have always worn progressive lens.   Well since going back to them.  
 

My Ophthalmologist is great. He’s with John’s Hopkins here in MD and I think he said he’s done 10,000 of these.  He did mention the marking and placement of the Toric lens was very important.    I have seen him after each surgery snd he said they both look great.  I go back for a 4 week follow up in late October.   
 

Yeah my wife tells me not to obsess as well and not to expect miracles.   So of course I did a self vision test today with a chart I found online and put 10 feet away as suggested and saw I was comfortably reading 20/50 and struggled to read 20/40 😳.  That explains why I had trouble following the ball today. 

He did mention about the football shape of tbe eyes.  I hadn’t bright about the fact the glaaasws have had yesrs to adopt to the chsnge but the new Lenses  have had about a hot minute. 
 

I’m generally a very patient person.  But of course I was hoping for immediate improvement.   And to be fair I have had that.  I’m able to do most daily activities without glasses for the first time in my life.  
 

He did say at the 4 week checkup he’ll know if he needs to give me a small RX for distance vision.  Does that sound normal or possible? 
 

Thanks again for your info and reassurance. 

 

+8 glasses magnify the image you see. You probably noticed the difference if you were wearing contacts vs glasses, where the contacts maybe took a little getting used to since the image was smaller. The same thing happened with your new lenses placed by the surgeon. Your “new” world probably looks a little smaller and may be affecting your depth perception? Just speculation, but does make sense if you went from wearing +8 glasses to nothing. 

 

Yes, at the 4 week visit, we usually release a glasses prescription if everything has healed up nicely. It can sometimes be a challenge to get the lens placed perfectly for clear unaided distance vision, especially in an eye that had a +8 prescription. Your eye is on the smaller end compared to the general population and gives the surgeon less room to work with. Not that it can’t be done without issue, just a factor to consider. 
 

If you still have fuzzy vision even when wearing glasses (if you end up getting them), let your doctor know as there can sometimes be another underlying issue. 

Not sure if your office offers it, but ours has a package that allows patients to get LASIK after cataract surgery if they really want to be glasses-free for distance. Something to mention to your doctor if you want to 🙂

[tcbringhurst]

23 hours ago, ChipDriver said:

One thing to notice - you will most likely need "grannies" for reading or distance.  That's the downside to becoming older when your natural lens loses its flexibility....and now you've gone to a artificial lens that doesn't flex at all (but can now change a little bit due to Torics). 

Not sure what you mean by torics being able to change a little? Torics are also rigid lenses; they just correct for astigmatism. 

[Carolina Golfer 2]

39 minutes ago, tcbringhurst said:

+8 glasses magnify the image you see. You probably noticed the difference if you were wearing contacts vs glasses, where the contacts maybe took a little getting used to since the image was smaller. The same thing happened with your new lenses placed by the surgeon. Your “new” world probably looks a little smaller and may be affecting your depth perception? Just speculation, but does make sense if you went from wearing +8 glasses to nothing. 

 

Yes, at the 4 week visit, we usually release a glasses prescription if everything has healed up nicely. It can sometimes be a challenge to get the lens placed perfectly for clear unaided distance vision, especially in an eye that had a +8 prescription. Your eye is on the smaller end compared to the general population and gives the surgeon less room to work with. Not that it can’t be done without issue, just a factor to consider. 
 

If you still have fuzzy vision even when wearing glasses (if you end up getting them), let your doctor know as there can sometimes be another underlying issue. 

Not sure if your office offers it, but ours has a package that allows patients to get LASIK after cataract surgery if they really want to be glasses-free for distance. Something to mention to your doctor if you want to 🙂

Thank you very much.  You nailed the description of the glasses magnifying things perfectly.   When o first started wearing glasses I would occasionally wear my contacts for convenience.  And if definitely played havoc won’t my depth perception.   As you said.  My entire world looks smaller now.  It’s definitely an adjustment.   Things don’t appear blurry at all. That has pretty much gone say.   
 

I know I’m supposed to be patient but I’m one that likes to track progress on anything.  So I printed an eye chart today and put it at the noted 10 feet.  I was able to read 20/50 clearly but struggled to read 20/40.    I suppose that will improve over the coming weeks?

Tried hitting balls again today and still hit way behind it when on the ground.  Driver or even a iron teed ip slightly I didn’t have that issue.   I think it sill Just take a lot of practice to get used to the different smallness. 

I’m not thrilled I’d still have to wear glasses afterward.  But it will be what it will be.   You also are correct. I have very small eyes.  Drs have mentioned that before.   
 

i didn’t know I’d be a candidate for LASIK   Also I have a history of both retinas tearing.  And had the cryo procedure on both about 12 years ago. 

Thabks for sharing your professional experiences. 
 

 

 

[tcbringhurst]

1 minute ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Thank you very much.  You nailed the description of the glasses magnifying things perfectly.   When o first started wearing glasses I would occasionally wear my contacts for convenience.  And if definitely played havoc won’t my depth perception.   As you said.  My entire world looks smaller now.  It’s definitely an adjustment.   Things don’t appear blurry at all. That has pretty much gone say.   
 

I know I’m supposed to be patient but I’m one that likes to track progress on anything.  So I printed an eye chart today and put it at the noted 10 feet.  I was able to read 20/50 clearly but struggled to read 20/40.    I suppose that will improve over the coming weeks?

Tried hitting balls again today and still hit way behind it when on the ground.  Driver or even a iron teed ip slightly I didn’t have that issue.   I think it sill Just take a lot of practice to get used to the different smallness. 

I’m not thrilled I’d still have to wear glasses afterward.  But it will be what it will be.   You also are correct. I have very small eyes.  Drs have mentioned that before.   
 

i didn’t know I’d be a candidate for LASIK   Also I have a history of both retinas tearing.  And had the cryo procedure on both about 12 years ago. 

Thabks for sharing your professional experiences. 
 

 

 

Some blur at 1 week after surgery might clear up later. It just depends on the healing process and inflammation levels. Hard to say without taking a look. 
 

You could also get back into contacts, assuming your eyes are healthy enough for them. And as far as LASIK goes, I think it’s worth having a conversation with your doctor. Assuming your corneas are healthy enough and you don’t have other issues, then it’s definitely an option. I don’t think many patients know that LASIK is an option after cataract surgery, so that’s why I like to mention it when I can.