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Cataracts and model railroading Locked

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Posted by 7j43k on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 2:07 PM

Steven Otte

 

You've been a member of the Forums since 2004 and contributed more than 4,000 posts, and you've never heard of the Diner? You're pulling my leg, right? Wink

Jeffrey's Trackside Diner...

 

 

Oh, that!  Never clicked with me.  Maybe I'll visit.  I figure I won't catch anything, as I got my first shingles shot a month ago.  Of course, there's still rabies--I figure that's where the term "rabid railfan" came from.

 

Ed

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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 11:58 AM

I didn't mean to start a roll call of personal illnesses. 

2 months ago I put on a new KD coupler spring, there was no way I could have done that last week before my procedure.  The changes were insidious and vision is not just convenient to model railroading, it's pretty darn essential.

Besides we educated someone to the existence of the Diner.  Consider it a Public Service thread Steve. 

 Ed join us in the Diner, we are talking about Shingles today. 

 
 

Henry

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Posted by Steven Otte on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 11:48 AM

7j43k

 

 
richhotrain

Why not just discuss health related topics in the Diner where such discussions are not off-limits and there is plenty of experience there with health or lack thereof as it relates to model railroading?


 

 

 

What is "the Diner"?


 

 

You've been a member of the Forums since 2004 and contributed more than 4,000 posts, and you've never heard of the Diner? You're pulling my leg, right? Wink

Jeffrey's Trackside Diner is the designated off-topic thread on the MR Forums. You'll find it in the General Discussion (Model Railroader) Forum, often near the top of the first page. You (and everyone else) are welcome to discuss any topic you like in the Diner, as long as it doesn't violate other Forum rules like the prohibition on advertising, religion, politics, etc. This month's Diner thread is here: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/265400.aspx

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Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editor
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Posted by 7j43k on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 10:19 AM

richhotrain

Why not just discuss health related topics in the Diner where such discussions are not off-limits and there is plenty of experience there with health or lack thereof as it relates to model railroading?

 

Rich

 

 

What is "the Diner"?

 

Ed

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 10:13 AM

7j43k

Being able to see is very convenient for model railroading.  Almost necessary.  And supporting and helping model railroaders (pretty much everyone who show up on this forum) in improving or maintaining their eyesight would seem pretty related.   

Ed 

Why not just discuss health related topics in the Diner where such discussions are not off-limits and there is plenty of experience there with health or lack thereof as it relates to model railroading?

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Steven Otte on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 9:47 AM

The same argument could be made about many health issues. Likewise, one could argue that social, economic, and political issues that affect model railroaders are therefore relevant to model railroading. But this forum isn't about health, society, economy, or politics. We have to draw a line somewhere, and even though that might appear arbitrary, the line must nonetheless be drawn.

Here's an example that I seem to remember coming up just a short while ago on this Forum. Someone might start a thread about the difficulties of model railroading from a wheelchair, and offer or solicit advice on building a layout that would accommodate a modeler in a wheelchair. Replies that dealt with supporting the layout from the walls to keep the underside clear, how wide aisles should be, where to build instead of the basement, etc., would be on-topic. But when the thread gets into the best kind of wheelchairs, wheelchair maintenance, general difficulties of living with a wheelchair, etc., that's off-topic.

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Posted by 7j43k on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 9:32 AM

Being able to see is very convenient for model railroading.  Almost necessary.  And supporting and helping model railroaders (pretty much everyone who show up on this forum) in improving or maintaining their eyesight would seem pretty related.  

 

Ed

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 8:58 AM

Steven's comment makes me wonder, was this thread ever really about model railroading?  

On the other hand, there are threads on the forum that purport to be about model railroading but, in reality, are about something else entirely.

How do you decide what is on topic (model railroading wise) and what isn't?

Rich

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Posted by Steven Otte on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 8:46 AM

This thread started out about how having cataracts affects model railroading, but it has now drifted away from that and is completely about eye problems. I realize this is a serious topic that apparently affects a lot of our readers, but this is a model railroading forum. If we don't get back to the topic of model railroading, I'll have to lock the thread. Sorry.

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Posted by EMDSD40 on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 6:48 AM

The wife had both eyes done and her vision was crystal clear afterwards and she was beyond pleased with the results. Done on an out patient surgery one eye at a time.  Now a word of caution...........because she is a transplant patient a flu shot is necessary and that’s where the problems began. A possible side effect of the shot included a “cough” which she had so bad it caused blood vessels in her eyes to rupture causing floaters and follow up laser treatments to stop the bleeding. She has been fighting this problem for nearly two years now. In closing .....by all means get your vision corrected, you won’t be sorry. If you get a flu shot.....get past any “side effects”, then have the surgery. Question your doctors so you have good information to plan your surgery and have the best results. Best of luck to you!

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Posted by rrinker on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 7:57 PM

My guy IS a glaucoma specialist, MD, not OD. And very highly rated.

                           --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

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Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 2:04 PM

rrinker
I'm not sure what other options there are, but

Nor do I, but I would be looking for a second opinion from a glaucoma specialist, especially if your ophthamologist is a generalist.   Considering what is at stake, you are close enough to U of P or Hopkins.

Henry

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Posted by rrinker on Monday, October 23, 2017 5:27 PM

 I'm back to appointments every 2 weeks because my IOP just refuses to go down to normal levels, even with the shunts in place.I've again had 4 different drops in 2 months. The good (left) eye seems to be gradually coming down but the bad (right) eye, which was at a very good pressure post-op, keeps creeping back up. I'm not sure what other options there are, but if it keeps going up, chances are the damage will get worse. I have partial vision in the right eye, but if it gets worse, I could lose it all.

                                 --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, October 23, 2017 4:15 PM

From my last post in June, to September, my vision went from 20/30 to 20/150  I could not read anything witht the affected eye.  Getting an appointment was a bit problematic with my busy eye surgeon.

As her husband was one of my partners for a number of years, I pulled rank and got an appointment 2 days later.  Still it took 3 weeks to schedule the laser. 

It was uncomfortable only because the light (not the laser) was very bright and my pupil was maximally dilated.  The procedure itself took maybe 1 minute.  There was some difference in my vision immediately, but it improved dramatically as my pupil shrunk in size over the next couple hours.  I am back to 20/20 and grateful that I have good vision.  Will probably have the cataract in the other eye removed in 6 months.

Bottom line, if your vision deteriorates after a successful cataract operation, go back to your doctor.  That is not normal and may indicate a number of different problems, all of which have treatments.

 

Henry

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Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, June 2, 2017 6:00 PM

Time to bring back this thread.

I had lasik surgery (corneal surgery to improve vision) years ago.  I had cataract surgery in my left eye in 2012 and my vision in my right eye has started to deteriorate.  I was expecting the eye doc to say I needed cataract surgery but they were able to correct my vision to 20/20 with new lenses.

My left eye was not as sharp as it was.  I am developing a secondary cataract which does not mean the cataract "grew back"  There is a membrane that is left behind, intentionally, that can get cloudy.  The treatment for that is a simple, well simple if you are an eye surgeon, laser procedure.  Mine was not judged to be bad enough to need that.

The point of all this is if your vision deteriorates after you have cataract surgery, it doesn't mean it didn't work or it grew back.  You need to go back to your eye doctor to find out what is going on.  It may be something else entirely but only your eye doctor can tell you.

Henry

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Posted by Metro Red Line on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 11:53 PM
I had my cataract surgery today. I assumed the thing would be just like going to the dentist, but no, they had me lie down on a hospital bed with open-back gown (over my clothes though), and hooked me up to an EKG and blood pressure monitor. A little excessive, but oh well. They wheeled me into the O.R. and it was like some sort of psychedelic space trip, especially the moment I regained my sight in my right eye! I saw these lights suddenly come into view (kinda like ditch lights, lol)! So now I have my multifocal lens in place and the cataract-encrusted natural lens that has served me for 45 years is now gone. But I have to rock a pirate patch over the eye until tomorrow when I have my follow-up appointment. I can see out of the corners of the patch -- things are real bright and still out of focus due to the dilation. It's kinda like Christmas, where I'm taking sneak peeks at the big present before the wrapping comes off in the morning. One good thing is, I took a sick day from work and after I got home, I decided to run trains on my layout :)
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Posted by Metro Red Line on Friday, February 24, 2017 4:06 AM

Hi Everyone - 

A little update: My surgery date is set for March 22. Have a pre-op on the 16th and followups the day after and a week after the operation. I went to a train show with a friend a couple weeks ago (It was an hour's drive away and he drove) and it was tough trying to take all that in with one eye. I just bought some metal wheelsets for my rolling stock and an intermodal trailer. I was able to install all the wheelsets using mostly touch alone. I can run trains, but I want to hold off on the serious detail modeling until after the operation. And mind you, I'm an N-scaler :)

 

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Posted by superbe on Friday, February 3, 2017 9:17 AM

Randy,

I haven't been following this thread closely but I have had both cataract surgery and total knee replacement, both very successful.

Regarding my knee replacement it was done 20 years ago and I have had no adverse effects. I was told to avoid any activitities that would put undo stress on my knees to lengthen the life of the "pads", but they could be replaced if necessary.

No doubt after 20 years there have been improvements in the replacement.

I'd take another look at having a replacement. The worst part for me was the physical therapy afterwards to get full range of motion.

Bob

 

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Posted by rrinker on Friday, February 3, 2017 7:25 AM

 I'm with you on holding off on the knee replacement. They keep telling me I'm too young, I will likely outlive the replacement and it can't be done again. I can;t get cortisone shots because of the effect it has on blood sugar, so I've been getting this other injection which is supposed to last 6 months or more, but it doesn;t seem to work for me. On top of all the other things, I have very bad arthritis in my knees, and the crazy thing is I was never into any impact sort of sports, I walked, I never could run or jog (my knees would hurt even when I was a young one and not fat). I rode a bike a lot. I blame 4 years of walking up and down the side of a mountain for college (literally - the campus is nothing but stairs all over the place). So to avoid as much of it as I can, I bought a single story house - which has the added advantage of more sq ft of basement space per sq ft of living area as well. Worst comes to worst, I can install one of those chair lift things in the stairs to the basement, and it's the only staircase in the house.

                  --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by Uncle_Bob on Thursday, February 2, 2017 6:27 PM

yougottawanta

Uncle bob everyone I know who has had the surgery has better eye site afterwards. Go for it. I understand your the concern. I am holding off on a knee replacement. I keep hoping they have some new miracle method that it will be smoother and less intrusive.

YGW

 

Thanks, YGW, but it's done.  I had one eye done in November and the other in December.  My last time with eye drops was on Inauguration Day.  I'm officially 20-20 in both eyes, though there's still a bit of astigmatism that I can correct with prescription lenses, though I can just use cheaters for reading.  We'll see if anything changes between now and my next appointment in April.

Good luck with your knees, YGW.  Are you currently getting cortisone shots and such?

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Posted by yougottawanta on Thursday, February 2, 2017 10:43 AM

Uncle bob everyone I know who has had the surgery has better eye site afterwards. Go for it. I understand your the concern. I am holding off on a knee replacement. I keep hoping they have some new miracle method that it will be smoother and less intrusive.

YGW

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Posted by Uncle_Bob on Thursday, February 2, 2017 2:09 AM

I'm glad you saw a doctor.  Good luck with your surgery!  BTW, by the time this is over, you'll be sick to death of eye drops, but you'll be really good at getting them in your eye.  Cool

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Posted by Metro Red Line on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 8:40 PM

BigDaddy

Sounds like good news.  We discussed the multifocal lens earlier in this thread.  Best of luck. 

 

Thanks. I wouldn't have found out about multifocal lenses if it weren't for this thread! I asked my doctor about it and he told me about my options. 

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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 3:49 PM

Sounds like good news.  We discussed the multifocal lens earlier in this thread.  Best of luck. 

Henry

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Posted by Metro Red Line on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 3:26 PM

Update: Went to the ophthalmologist yesterday afternoon. The cataract was so bad he couldn't see into my eye, so he did an ultrasound of my eye. Couldn't detect any unusual issues besides the cataract. I'd need the cataract removed for him to see what's going on. Anyway, I have a lens measurement appointment on Monday and we'll be scheduling the surgery then. I'm also gonna splurge and get the $2,500 multifocal lens. I think that's a worthy investment. Go for the gusto!

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Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 7:09 AM

 Subways count, at least if you're a Lion.

Good luck. This is so important, because so many eye related things show no noticeable symptoms until it's too late. Or things change so gradually you don't notice anything is wrong until it's too late. Ironically, I was diagonosed with Type 2 diabetes a year and a half ago, which also can have adverse effects on the eyes, but the doctor assures me I have no diabetic related issues - just the glaucoma which is fairly common in people as nearsighted as me - without my glasses my limit to see normal size type clearly is about 4 inches.

Hope everything is OK. I waited too long and now I am paying for it, but nothing to do for it but to cope and try to keep others from making the same mistake.

                           --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by Metro Red Line on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 1:29 PM

Uncle_Bob

Maybe Metro Red can find an ophthalmologist near a rail line so he can railfan on his way to or from his appointments.

 

Does a subway line count? :) I'm taking the train from work to my appointment later today. The medical office is just yards away from the subway station. Wish me luck, folks. 

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Posted by Uncle_Bob on Monday, January 30, 2017 9:20 PM

Good Lord!  70?  Mine is around 18 and they run tests all the time to make sure it's not going above 20.  I'm sorry you've had the problems.

Like a lot of people, I didn't used to go to the eye doctor like I should, till they diagnosed me with sarcoidosis a few years ago. That meant I had a lot of tests and a bunch of drugs, including steroids, which helped the sarcoidosis but accelerated the growth of my cataracts and increased the pressure in my eyes.  Luckily, the sarcoidosis hasn't attacked my eyes, but I have to get my vision checked a couple times a year by an optometrist, plus two trips a year to the ophthalmologist to make sure I don't have glaucoma.  

One benefit of these appointments is that it gives me a chance to swing by the old LV yard in Sayre to check out what's there.  One of those trips allowed me to see the NS Southern heritage locomotive.  Maybe Metro Red can find an ophthalmologist near a rail line so he can railfan on his way to or from his appointments.

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Posted by rrinker on Monday, January 30, 2017 7:55 AM

 As someone who has just had surgery on both eyes - get to an eye doctor immediately! I now have limited vision in my right eye because initially it was just a little fuzzy in the morning but would then clear up. Until one day when it didn't. Had I sought treatment immediately, I probbaly wouldn't have an real noticeable vision loss. It wasn't cataracts. It was glaucoma. IOP in my right eye was 70 (summons board MD to help the board OD when they crack their head falling off their chair). I knew something was off when the doctor didn't say anything but just walked out of the room to consult with the glaucoma specialist at the practice. He immediately scheduled an appointment and after trying pretty much every medicine on the market to no real effect, i was scheduled to have a shunt implanted. That was October. The optic nerve damage is permanent, so while it won't get any better, it's difficult to see with just my right eye. The left was also bad, IOP 40, no response to any treatments, so 3 weeks ago I had a shunt implanted in that one too. No vision loss in the left, and now that the pressure is stablizing it should be fine. The first few days post op on the left were very trying, I couldn't see very well out of the left, and the right is already messed up. I couldn't do any of my normal activites - everything I do requires vision. My work, and every one of my hobbies.

 ANd of course now with the shunts implanted there is pretty much a 100% chance of developing cataracts. More surgery to look forward too. Though my Mom had lens implants and afterwards she had better eyesight at 80 than I did at 46.

                 --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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