Has Any One Else Noticed this Unusual Vision Issue with Symfony Lens

I find the colors are way off. Everything seems so harsh and blinding. I feel like I have an led bulb in my heard.  Everything has a purple blueish cast. My red throw looks purple now. That is one thing I did not expect. Maybe everyone is different but that really disturbs me.  

according to drs you are now seeing colors as they are.Not dulled by the cararacts which can give a yellowish filter.As cataracts develop over time one does not notice their effect till they are removed.

I recall the first week or two with my right eye IOL, I also seemed to perceive a purplish/violet haze and colorcast on some things, also extra bright. I think the retina had to get used to the brighter image thru the IOL and after some weeks and now after 6 months I don't observe that stuff.  Colors all look accurate and no violet haziness.

Thank you my left eye has no cataract so I know it wasn’t the way it looked through my right eye. Very frustrating but hopefully will settle down thank you again for your feedback

You should have a card as to the lens Implanted.You can Google Info on it.Some are uv filtering.I did lots of research prior to my surgery and decided on Symfony Lens which did not filter  out uv rays.. my color perception changed after surgery with blue gas flames having a purple tint though now months later I am use to it..probably what one saw as a child.

i would think your dr would have discussed this color issue or whomever did follow up.

my dr said no surgery is yet perfect though I must say I am thrilled with mine.No glasses, and full range though must have very good light for sharp contrast with small print

Hello Bravogoldenk9 ... When you say that you must have very good light for sharp contrast with small print, is that another way of saying that the small print isn't in focus (or is blurry) in low light? I see comments every once in a while referring to contrast ... just trying to make sure I know what people are referring to. Thanks.

If I am outdoors I can read the smallest print.Driving and seeing far and near is excellent.Dr said pupil contracts in bright light sharpening focus..prior to surgery one eye was more nearsighted than the other so I could read easily close up but other eye  got presbyopia so focus was off with that eye.Had to either read with one eye or hold things far off...Got use to it but after surgery both eyes similar.Think there is minor difference as one eye 20/20 other 20/20 minus 2 letters.

in any event I no longer have presbyopia.Ratner a slight loss of contrast close up unless good light.I got use to it quickly and love being glasses free..The other day I needed to read tiny print and just went over to window.Small thing to do for me not to be nearsighted anymore.

dr said no artificial lens is going to replace our natural one.However the years take their toll and I am grateful to have almost perfect vision..

Ps look up contrast sensitivity on google.it will have charts showing how print fades...with an iol contrast may be a bit less than it was when we were young..

I can weigh in on this too RPK.  In low light it is the contrast that is the issue - not focus (ie lettering isn’t blurry in low light).  In low lit fancy restaurants I have had to use my iPhone flashlight to read the menu) which would be same as Bravogoldenk comment about moving to a window with more light.  But my cataracts gave me worse contrast than my Symfony lenses in low light.  

Nothing is like one’s natural lens but once cataracts affect your vision one has to make a compromise.  I too enjoy the glasses free vision I have with Symfony.  Haven’t looked back since surgeries and wish I had chosen differently.  That being said I think one can be pleased with other options too.

What do you mean by the contrast

look up contrast sensitivity for examples of print where letters fade but do not blur

Basically it’s the  ability to perceive differences between an object and its background.  in low lighting harder to distinguish objects or lettering (if reading in low light) from background.  Things appear more washed out.

I've heard people talk about "contrast" issues, but never saw a description of what that meant. Thank you. I'm assuming this only happens with Symfony lenses? Maybe that's why I feel like things are darker in low light now than before I had cataract surgery. ??? (Before surgery, I never saw any of the side effects that I'm seeing since the surgery. That must be why it's hitting me so hard. It's been devastating to me).

Thank you for the reply Bravogoldenk9. I'll do a Google search on it. Am I right in assuming that you do not lose the contrast if you opt for a mono-focal lens? (I'm still considering a lens exchange in the one eye that I had operated on ... a Symfony lens to a standard lens ... but honestly, I'm not sure if I have the courage to go through a 2nd surgery on the same eye. I'm having enough trouble getting through the surgery one time, let alone two).

Okay, I did a Google search on contrast sensitivity. After looking at one of the charts, maybe contrast sensitivity is the reason I'm feeling like colors don't look as rich as they did before surgery (while watching a movie in a theater) ... and why things don't look as detailed anymore.

contrast sensitivity in low light is part of having any iol.The loss of contrast sensitivity is quite minor and really only an issue in low light and tiny print.If you exchange for monofocal you will lose focus except in a defined area..I found that thought terrible and much prefer a full range from close to infinity,

my non professional thought is it may be your cornea healing.Oddly corneas have alot more to do with vision than i ever knew..in my reading i learned it can take months for vision to stabilize.That is why they only do lens exchanges if something went wrong..damaged lens, error in measure etc

as to your color issues it might be retina issues, cornea etc but nowhere did color issues come up other than a yellowed cataract natural lens gradually had you see filtered colors which became normal.Now you see color unfiltered.

My dr said offering new lens is not for everybody..High strung engineers demand perfection.I will say in the olden days cataract surgery was nasty .Lens removed, heavy glasses..we are lucky

i stopped noticing halos, accept i need light for tiny print and see my garden for what it is...the blue hostas stand out as never before

The contrast issue is with all IOLs not just Symfony lenses.  Monofocal lenses would have provided better contrast than multifocal lenses and Symfony lenses were said to be close to monofocal lenses in terms of contrast.  If I remember from reading about it one could expect the reduction to be between 15 and 20%.  This would be perceived greater with people who do clear lens exchange because they didn’t have cataracts to begin.  With cataracts I had already noted a reduction in contrast.  

Thank you again for the input Bravogoldenk9. I wouldn't say I'm high strung, but I am a perfectionist type of person.

Sometimes I do think back to my grandparents, who wore the Coke bottle glasses, and think how lucky we are to have advanced as far as we have (in terms of eye technology) since those days.

Also, I sometimes wonder why so many people with mono lenses set for distance, don't feel a need to wear glasses most of the time ... except to read very fine print. That sounds almost identical to multi focal lenses to me (except they have less of the side effects). ???

you might google range of clear vision with monofocals..some drs set one eye close the other far and the brain adapts and give full range..though not everyone can adapt.these may be tne people you see....

RPK0925

In most cases those with monofocal lenses get that ability to read through mini monovision not both set for distance.  Yes some might but that is more to do with their corneas vs lenses.    And some with monofocal lenses will experience issues with halo and glare too just % wise less than those with EDIF or multifocal lenses.There are no 2 eyes the same.  And outcomes will vary person to person.

What I think you have to do is aim for the best but be prepared to be content if best case scenario does not work out.

I had about 12 others with me at the hospital to see our surgeon for 24 post op and while waiting we chatted and could watch each other have the eye exam (chart reading by technician) while we waited for our turn to see the surgeon for a closed door thorough exam.

I was the only one who had opted for Symfony that day - the others had monofocals and the majority of them did even know there were lens options. They had seen their optometrist like me and told they had cataracts.  If I think back it was me who asked about lens options because I had researched and been on forums and reading before I had my consult.  I was with this same group of people for right eye surgery and left eye.  So lots of time together to chat as we had hours to wait together for surgeries and 24 post ops.  I can tell you not one of them could read with monofocals set for distance.  They said even with iPad with fully extended arms it was hard without cheaters or enlarging the font.

Of course this is a small sampling I realize but there is a reason why (and this includes EDOF and multifocal lenses) that one can expect to still need glasses. Multifocals and EDOF lenses allow you to be less glasses dependant but still no guarantees.

I wish I could have it all but with today’s available options - just not reality.  You can’t make a decision based on someone else’s outcome.  Again hope for the best but know it may not be as perfect as you would want.

you thoroughly studied the subject as did I. my dr said i knew more than some of his residents.Everything is on the web even videos from all the eye meetings...One could watch those who conducted the trials in various countries.Israel used the symfony in all sorts of eyes and got good results.However many older people do not drive at night so halos meant nothing..

also meetings had many drs talking about corneas and dry eye in older people and what to do with unhappy patients..at what point a lens exchange or laser touch up...?

i loved the research and enjoyed having an intelligent discussion with dr...not a passive person..i think you were fretting over the upcoming surgery at one time

i was measured so many times  probably because i asked so many questions and made him  nervous about it not coming out 20/20 and j1 close

I agree my biggest complaint is the change in colors not all colors but a lot of them. The other is the night. I don’t care how many lights I turn on it is dark and somewhat dingy.  I should have waited as my cataracts were slight but I thought by all the talk that this would be great. Not so, I think if your cataracts are just starting just wait till you have to do it. Nothing is like your natural eye. I’m so frustrated with it and I think it doesn’t matter which ones you have put in there is always going to be a negative. Just my option 

Yes agree once your cataracts affect your vision then it’s time to have the surgery.  I didn’t realize I saw everything though a yellow tint until after first surgery and I compared it with other eye.  I guess if your cataract wasn’t affecting your vision then the new view wouldn’t be as welcomed.  The natural lens is best?

For what it's worth, I have the same feelings regarding the dinginess.