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Cataract surgery and photography

cerett

Member
I will be needing cataract surgery on both eyes. (Yes, getting old really sucks!) Hoping to get some input as to whether, as a photographer, to correct for near or distance vision. If the new lenses are for distance only, I will need to wear glasses to check the camera settings. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated, especially from those who have had the procedure done. Thank you.
 

Robert Campbell

Well-known member
I will be needing cataract surgery on both eyes. (Yes, getting old really sucks!) Hoping to get some input as to whether, as a photographer, to correct for near or distance vision. If the new lenses are for distance only, I will need to wear glasses to check the camera settings. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated, especially from those who have had the procedure done. Thank you.
A colleague had both done a few years ago. She had a 'far' correction in one eye, and a 'near' one in the other. She seemed to manage quite well, though I thought it might have been difficult. She's not a photographer.
 

craygc

Member
I've had both eyes done myself with intra ocular transplants. I had the procedure performed in Singapore and when I was first told I needed the operation, the surgeon told me that there are a few types of lenses; he told me the names and suggested I thin about which one I would prefer. Initially, I considered this a strange suggestion. However, I ended up spending over 2 hours a day for 2 weeks researching this topic and when I returned, I was so opinionated I was down to manufacturer and model number. I was even down to comparing MTF charts between them (see attached) - and surprisingly, monofocals resolve twice the detail of multifocals. When my surgeon asked if I had decided and I told him my choice and reasoning, all he said was "they don't tell you that in the marketing material, do they?"

From my investigation I would certainly choose monofocal over multifocal. Also, I chose a long distant focus and use glasses for close/reading. I had both eyes done about 4 years apart with the same surgeon and he suggested pulling the focus a little closer on the second eye which would help with seeing closer objects. We tested this with some external optical lenses and I personally didn't like the variation - I may have adjusted to it but I preferred to go with both being long distance.

Now is 4 years since the second eye was done and I've photographed a lot. Yes, sometime you need to reach for the glasses to read menus but its not too bad. I use Sony A7's for digital and work everything through EVF (including menus) as I can use the diopter adjustment. I also us a Ricoh GR - thats a bit more painful. I can use some parts of the menu without glasses as I know what the options are and can identify the text shapes. I've never needed diopters with film Leica M's but did with SLRs and Mamiya 7's.

Everyone's mileage will obviously vary but, as an avid photographer, I would certainly recommend doing both eyes as monofocal, infinity focus then just deal with the rest - it won't be as bad as you initially imagine. If you're actually interested in the specific lenses I went for, msg me and I'll dig up those details.

Went digging: I have 2x Tecnis z9000 lenses

The AcrySof SN60WF from the upper chart is also a monofocal and has a higher MTF value but it has a heavy yellow tint to filter blue light, which I didn't want.
 

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cerett

Member
I've had both eyes done myself with intra ocular transplants. I had the procedure performed in Singapore and when I was first told I needed the operation, the surgeon told me that there are a few types of lenses; he told me the names and suggested I thin about which one I would prefer. Initially, I considered this a strange suggestion. However, I ended up spending over 2 hours a day for 2 weeks researching this topic and when I returned, I was so opinionated I was down to manufacturer and model number. I was even down to comparing MTF charts between them (see attached) - and surprisingly, monofocals resolve twice the detail of multifocals. When my surgeon asked if I had decided and I told him my choice and reasoning, all he said was "they don't tell you that in the marketing material, do they?"

From my investigation I would certainly choose monofocal over multifocal. Also, I chose a long distant focus and use glasses for close/reading. I had both eyes done about 4 years apart with the same surgeon and he suggested pulling the focus a little closer on the second eye which would help with seeing closer objects. We tested this with some external optical lenses and I personally didn't like the variation - I may have adjusted to it but I preferred to go with both being long distance.

Now is 4 years since the second eye was done and I've photographed a lot. Yes, sometime you need to reach for the glasses to read menus but its not too bad. I use Sony A7's for digital and work everything through EVF (including menus) as I can use the diopter adjustment. I also us a Ricoh GR - thats a bit more painful. I can use some parts of the menu without glasses as I know what the options are and can identify the text shapes. I've never needed diopters with film Leica M's but did with SLRs and Mamiya 7's.

Everyone's mileage will obviously vary but, as an avid photographer, I would certainly recommend doing both eyes as monofocal, infinity focus then just deal with the rest - it won't be as bad as you initially imagine. If you're actually interested in the specific lenses I went for, msg me and I'll dig up those details.

Went digging: I have 2x Tecnis z9000 lenses

The AcrySof SN60WF from the upper chart is also a monofocal and has a higher MTF value but it has a heavy yellow tint to filter blue light, which I didn't want.
Thank you so much for your detailed response. I will be going for monofocals and correct for distance only. I think simplicity is the key. I have been told that correcting one eye for distance and the other eye for close-up really messes up your depth perception. I don't mind wearing glasses for close-up work and viewing the settings on my camera.

BTW, I asked the same question of the MF forum and got some excellent responses.
 

craygc

Member
One other suggestion for afterwards. Once it's all done and you have your reading glasses there is a level of frustration when trying to work with or read small things that usually you would bring closer to your eye. Pick up a pair of cheap off the shelf reading glasses with a power of around 4.0 for those times - they're great for when you need to hold something around 4" - 6" from your eyes to see it :)
 
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