Cataract Surgery with Restor Multifocal IOL

In the right eye in 2007 and on the left eye in 2009. I think I can help people overcome their anxiety. Well I’m retired now. I was a college professor. Reading was always so important to me so that’s why it’s important that I have good eyesight now in my retirement because that’s my main hobby – it’s to continue my reading and my studies.

I’ve been retired since 2011. When I was a small child, in third grade, I guess it was I started to develop severe myopia. It was something I inherited from my mother neither of us could see any of the eye chart beyond the big E. That was all we could see and so I had to wear very thick glasses as a child and then when I was 21 I got contact lenses, which was a big help. But several years ago I begin to develop cataracts first on the right eye then the left eye and I knew that I needed to get really good surgery because some people had not had good surgery and it had led to unfortunate results.

And so I heard about Dr. Richardson and he at that time was well known at USC because students would come from all around to witness his operations and so i thought well this is the person that I need for that. And the nice thing was it reduced all the anxiety I had about facing cataract surgery. I’ve never been to a hospital before I never had any kind of surgery so I didn’t know what to expect and when I knew that Dr. Richardson was going to do it and I simply just relaxed. I was completely at ease during the whole procedure before and after and that meant alot to me to have the confidence of the first-rate surgeon.

When I first found out from my optometrist that I had cataracts she recommended Dr. Richardson and that I needed to see a specialist and so that’s how I got familiar with Dr. Richardson and he sent me to the retina institute in Pasdena as a precaution. Just to have the retina check before he did any surgery and the doctor up there was telling me how good Dr Richardson was and with good hands I was going to be in. So I have all these information coming in- that I’ve picked the best choice and that’s what really eat my anxiety. I just went into it with complete confidence. And it was just nothing at all anything that I should have been afraid of.

My interaction with Dr. Richardson and the staff has always been exceptionally good.They’re understanding they’re polite, they are friendly… it’s a good atmosphere to come to. He contributed to the lessening of anxiety by reassuring me, by telling me the procedures — what I was going through so I knew every step that’s gonna be taken and that added a lot relaxation before the surgery and then also I had choices kind of optical lens I was going to get. And I chose the crystal lens, which was wonderful because it has corrected a lot of the myopia that I had.

So, here I am in my 70’s and I’m seeing better than when I was a small child so that’s been a real plus. I mean, my vision is so much better now and but it was through, I think, the advice at the Dr Richardson gave me, the options that he showed me that I had and then the reassurance that all of these were routine that I didn’t have to worry about anything. It was just, I would almost say a pleasant experience. It wasn’t what I expected.

I think it’s so important the doctor that you get and in my case my insurance did not cover it but I was willing. I wanted the best so I was willing to pay for it without the insurance just to get Dr. Richardson. I would say that any opportunity that you have to get somebody first-rate at that you should take that. If something is as important as your eyes, you don’t want to take second rate or third rate choice. I just think that it’s so important take care of your eyes especially if you want to use them the way I did. They’re so important in my life that I would not worry about the cost. I would not make that a deciding factor when you do something like cataract surgery. Go for the best available if it’s all possible. And not worry about trying to find the cheapest.

About Dr. David Richardson  

David D. Richardson, MD is the Medical Director and Chief Surgeon of San Marino Eye, a medical group practice located in San Marino, CA. He has authored a patient-centered book on Cataract, “So, You’ve Got A Cataract?”and has written many articles about glaucoma and cataract surgery on his blogs, New-Glaucoma-Treatments.com and About-Eyes.com, respectively.