Acceptable Symfony result?

I can fully appreciate your frustration.  Something I read through before opting for Symfony lenses is Dr Por Yong Ming’s blog about implanting Symfony lenses.  He was using these a year prior to Canada.  He describes what you should be able to see distance wise and near on that blog.  Just google Dr Por Yong Ming Symfony and you should be able to fioit.  At the bottom of the blog is at least 18 month’s worth of Q&A with people writing in and this surgeon responds - very informative.  I am sure if you wrote him a question he’d reply.

Also on YouTube is a Dr Shannon Wong who had Symfony implanted in one eye.  He is an opthamologist himself and did this to correct presbyopia.   But that you tube video will give you a good idea of what you should see with Symfony.

Ya, I've read these... I feel my vision in my one eye doesn't measure up to what they say.

I think the really bothersome thing is that I constantly compare my two eyes and the one eye just isn't as good at ANY range - the one eye beats the other every time with the difference between the two becoming more and more apparent as you transition from far to near objects.

So, at far distance the difference is pretty negligible and I know that the lenses are only manufactured at 0.5 power intervals so, ya, I get it, one eye luckily is dialled in better to the closest suitable lens while the other isn't. Fine. 

But when I look at say... a pocket book novel... my good eye can read it no problem crisp and clear...but with my problem eye it's only possible at arms length and not at all clear... just doable. My good eye can read the Smartphone, problem eye cannot. The difference between the eye is now suddenly VAST.

That's hard to come to terms with and it seems like the poor eye should be able to do better... I mean why not, I have my other eye showing me what is possible!

 

Hi Sue.An ... I'm glad you referenced Dr. Shannon Wong's youtube video. I had seen it before my surgery (in one eye), but went back to look at it again anyway. I wonder why his outcome is so different than mine. (Briefly, I can't see anything crystal clear in my Symfony eye). It makes me wonder if I should contact Dr. Wong about taking over where my current surgeon left off. Hmmm. Thanks Sue.An.

I was thinking both your eyes did poorly for reading but seems it is more one eye causing the issue.  Would it not be possible for your surgeon to tweak it with lasik?  

Yes watched that video again not very long ago and Dr Wong’s results mimic my own so it just might be worth your while to contact him.  

Unfortunately he doesn’t comment much on night vision concentric circles but I would think he sees them and no doubt knew in advance about them but considered it a trade off he was willing to make.  Nice he can see the instruments again he uses in daily work.  

When I was away on holiday last January it was great to see GoPro and camera dials.  Made life easier!

Let me know how it turns out should you decide to contact him.  

Thanks. I should probably clarify that when I said that I don't see anything crystal clear in my Symfony eye, that I meant my vision isn't crystal clear as far as reading goes. I'm not sure how to gauge my vision for distance. On bright sunny days, my Symfony eye seems very clear as far as distance goes.

Sorry im -.75

If you are close to 20/20 for distance and up close isn't completely blurry, I would consider that a success.

What type of IOLs do you have?   I would say that would be true with monofocals unless one eye is targetedfoe distance and other eye for intermediate. However with Symfony (EDOF lenses) you should be able to get decent reading.    

Night-Hawk, that is interesting... so you have a monofocal and 1.5 reading glasses which is exactly what Symfony at plano is supposed to provide?

So, would you mind doing a measurable test for me?

You can download a chart to be used at a distance of 14" from the address below... let me know what is the best you can read - and by that I mean the best you can push through without error (but it is going to be blurry)

allaboutvision dot com/eye-test/jaeger-chart dot pdf  

the two "dots" above need to be replaced by periods.

This will be interesting!

Hi logan72565

I have been using an app on iPhone to test vision from this same website All About Vision but printed off the chart this morning and at 14 inches away can read the smallest No. 1 paragraph without glasses with my Symfony IOLs both eyes open.  

I did experiment with lighting conditions and without good lighting I can only read to No. 4.  By good lighting I mean a reading lamp on in my office aside from fluorescent standard overhead lighting.

My surgeon tested reading ability 24 hours after my 2nd surgery and I recall being able to read 2nd to last paragraph which I am going to assume would be No. 2 here on this chart as I believe they all use Snellen.  My surgeon didn’t bother testing reading after first eye’s surgery saying with Symfony near vision is better once 2nd eye done.

I have to say that is truer even now.  I am 11 months out from first surgery and if I close one eye to read it takes 5 to 10 seconds of blinking to bring reading words/letters into focus.  

I am starting g to think with artificial lenses your eyes work function together vs independently.

I don’t believe I am only one with this result with Symfony lenses.  Even on this forum there are a few who’ve gone great reading results with these IOLs.

OK I downloaded and printed that chart.

With +1.50 reading glasses my right eye with the monofocal IOL could barely read the No.1 paragraph if I used a reading lamp.  Without the lamp with background midday light coming in thru windows in my house I could read No.3 with the right eye and +1.50 reading glasses.

Under the same conditions with my left eye with natural lens corrected for distance focus and adding the +1.50 reading glasses I could read the No.1 paragraph with or without the reading lamp, probably because the natural lens still has a little accomodation left maybe 0.50D.

With +2.00 reading glasses my right eye with the monofocal could read the No.1 paragraph text without the reading lamp.  I normally use +2.25D for reading thats what was recommended from my last eyeglasses Rx optometrist visits which of course makes even fine print readable easily.

But I'd say for smartphone viewing at least with a decent size screen the smallest text on my phone normally looks like about No.6 or No.7 size text on the chart. So thats why I think +1.25D minimum might work for smartphone focus, though my typical phone viewing distance is farther out than 14" more like 20-24" I'd say.

Sue.An... I find it interesting that under "normal" non-optimal lighting you read J4 because I'd say that's in line with what I could do... however you can use a iphone from 11", but I can't do that... I need more like 19" for some reason. After reading your message I started thinking about how the iPhone is actually pretty big in comparison to the reading test, so now I'm pretty puzzled why it's a problem for me. 

Unfortunately I've noticed now that I'm at month 4, my near vision is actually getting worse. In good light I used to be able to read J1, but not anymore.. more like J7. No idea why this is happening... perhaps PCO, but I certainly don't notice anything at all "cloudy" about my distance vision. 

Night-Hawk. your vision with the 1.5 reading glasses does seem similar to my good Symfony eye... at least until the past month... it's now deteriorated... no more J1... more like J7.  

When did you first notice it deteriorate?   The IOL is much thinner than your eye’s natural lens and as it heals and adheres it moves back and forth before it settles which takes 6 weeks.  This too can account for vision being a bit more near or far sighted.

If it is PCO your doctor should easily be able to determine that at an exam.

I have a regular sized iPhone (not a plus).  Also never increased the font size on it.  I do find back lighting on them great for being able to read. 

When your doctor completed your eye test did he provide you with a prescription?  Or just verbally tell you you’re 20/20?