Cataract surgery & diving

[RockDoc]

Looks like I'm headed for cataract surgery in the near future (I swear it is due to an eye injury when I was 18, not my age...).

I was wondering if anyone had had experience with the surgery and subsequent diving... How did it go? What type of IO replacement did you get? Any complications? How long did you have to lay off diving? Recommendations or comments?

[Donnah]

I'm a 64 year old diver, and just had cataract surgery. IOLs are both Restor lenses. The surgery is nothing. For both, I was walking out the door an hour after the surgery was scheduled. The worst things were all the drops and the restrictions on activity.

The doc's recommendation was to wait 3 months before diving, although he would prefer I wait longer (I'm not). There's a good article by Frank Butler, titled "Diving and Hyperbaric Ophthalmology" which is available on-line. I don't remember exactly where, but you can Google it.

Donna

[BuzzF117]

I had my cataract surgery when I was in my mid 30's and it was peice of cake. I wasn't eligible to get a perfect correction so I still needed glasses. I could have gone to work next day if I could have gotten perscription for glasses that soon but Dr wanted to wait couple of days to let eye "settle in" but once I had script I had glasses same day "insided contact in lab" and was back to work. I did have to go back in a few year later to have a quick 30 second laser treatment for a membrane that needed to be cleared up but Dr said it was normal for people to have it done later on. I wasn't a diver at the time so I can't offer up any help there but it was well worth the surgery I didn't realize how bad my vision was until I had it done especially since I only have sight in that eye.

[Chewie07]

My father-in-law had the intacs used for corneal surgery and was back diving in 6 weeks. And he did not have laser assistance (they did it the old fashioned way with the keratome).