[Leica] Leicas and Cateracts

[Peter Klein]

Hi, Rei:  I did the monofocal option, so my eyes are at infinity now. I had
to put a +0.5 diopter correction lens in my leica M eyepiece. No problem
focusing a Leica M once I did that. I actually took my M8 to the
ophthalmologist, and asked the technician to put their various test lenses
in front of my eye while I looked at something at 2 meters distance through
the M viewfinder. I picked the one with the best sharpness, which was +0.5,
and ordered that diopter strength from Leica.

I had both eyes done, one year apart. I was one of the unlucky few that had
medical complications after each surgery. Fortunately, they were dealt with
successfully and I'm OK.  In addition, my eyes since childhood have not
quite "tracked" together correctly.  This was "fixed" with two operations
as a child, but the tendency has always been there. After my cataract
surgeries, due to the change in from nearsighed to normal distance vision,
I have good vision looking straight ahead and close in, but get double
vision when I look to one side.  So I have to wear glasses with prism
correction in them when driving. In the house, watching TV, no problem, but
beyond 10-12 ft, I need the glasses.

Because of all this, I read quite a bit on the subject.  It appears that
using different focal lengths in each eye may exacerbate any tendency to
double vision.  I had done that with contact lenses for several years
before the cataract issues cropped up, and in hindsight, it may not have
been the best thing to do.  So I would make very sure that you have no
tendency to double vision (strabismus) if you want to do what Sonny did.

The multi-focal length implants are fairly new, and they have downsides.
For both these reasons, I stayed away from them. The eyes are small and
delicate structures, and do-overs increase the chance of a less good
outcome. So while I am sometimes an early adopter of technology, when it
comes to my eyes, I stuck with the tried and true.

Hope this helps!
--Peter


On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 4:35 PM, Tina Manley <tmanley at gmail.com> wrote:

> Rei -
>
> I have never had a cataract replacement surgery, but I have photographed
> hundreds.  The most important thing is to choose a surgeon that does this
> every day and gets good reviews from his patients.  That's easy enough to
> find on social media these days.   If your surgeon does lots of cataract
> replacements and gets good reviews, I would relax and follow his advice.
> He certainly knows more than you do about cataracts.
>
> I know it's scary but the odds are that you will end up with better vision
> than you have now.  I hope that's so.
>
> Once you have explained what your dream vision would be, listen to the
> surgeon and relax.
>
> Hope all goes well!!
>
> Tina
>
> On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 4:56 PM, Rei Shinozuka <shino at panix.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > First, "Hi" to the LUG and the many friends I've met here.   I've been
> > pretty quiet here as of the last few years (I switched to digest), but I
> > still get out the M9 and Noctilux from time to time:
> >
> > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/shino/2016arizona/
> >
> > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/shino/tedsprom/
> >
> > Here's my question and I hope it's not considered rudely off-topic for
> > this board (thought it involves optics and Leicas)
> >
> > I was recently diagnosed with cataracts in the right eye and despite my
> > love of bokeh and optical aberations, it's degraded my vision to the
> point
> > where I'm going to have to get the eye treated.
> >
> > I've read up on cataract surgery.  It looks like there are 3 types of
> > solutions on the market today.  From the web this is what I've gleaned:
> >
> > A. Monofocal
> > PROS: Good image quality
> >            Most mature product
> > CONS:  Set to focus at one distance only; need glasses for near distances
> >
> > B. Multi-Focal (e.g. TECHNIS, RESTOR)
> > PROS: Concentric lenses set at different focus distances, allows focus on
> > near/intermediate/distance
> > CONS: Inferior image quality, halos at night, decreased low-light
> > sensitivity
> >
> > C. Accomodative (e.g. CRYSTALENS, TRULIGN)
> > PROS: Dynamically focuses like the human eye, good image quality
> > CONS: Limited range of focus, newest technology
> >
> > I'd love to keep using my RF Leicas.  Has anyone on this list undergone a
> > Cataract procedure in the last few years, and has it affected his or her
> > photography?  Has anyone tried one of the premium types (bottom 2 choices
> > in the above table).  I'd love to hear your experiences.
> >
> > Most doctors don't quite get it when I say "But doc, will I still be able
> > to focus accurately at f1.0?" but I think many of you will understand.
> >
> > thanks!
> >
> > -rei
> > shino at panix.com
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Tina Manley
> www.tinamanley.com
> tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
> http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography/3B49552F-90A0-
> 4D0A-A11D-2175C937AA91/Tina+Manley.html
>
> _______________________________________________
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>