Has anyone had Perfect vision after Multifocal IOLs surgery’- please share experience

You're likely to read a lot about these things because people who have had a positive outcome tend not to bother so much with internet forums.

I had trifocal lenses implanted 2 and a half years ago, and i'd say that it realistically took around 4 to 6 months for the bothersome side effects to disappear. There are things that will never change, like I will always need very good light conditions to read comfortably, but i see this as just a compromise for a life without thick glasses (I was a +8.50), i have not worn glasses for anything since surgery, I can play golf, and i can read very small print providing its well lit!

So id not use the word 'perfect' because my girlfriend can definitely see better than i can with her natural vision. But it's defintely good enough where by it hasn't made anything difficult for me.

Hope this helps! Everybody is different so you really won't know until you do it, but at this point my experience is definately positive!

I am very happy with my results. I had a Symfony multifocal lens implanted in my right eye and a Symfony Toric multifocal lens implanted in my left eye about 18 months ago. I can see well at all distances without glasses (20/20) vision. I agree with the comment from Nizza that I do need good lighting for reading, but I have not worn a pair of glasses to read since before my surgery.

I do still see starbursts at night from bright lights, but driving has not been a problem. Before the surgery the bright lights looked like a large white blurr, now they are a clear starburst. Seeing the starbursts is a small price to pay for the excellent vision that I have at all times.

In my experience, there have been no consequences following cataract surgery, other than pre-existing conditions.

I have had vitreous detachment and epiretinal membrane, but these were not diagnosed fully until after the cataract was removed permitting a better examination of the back of my eye. They were then treated effectively. I also needed a YAG laser capsulotomy (a five-minute job), subsequently, but have no real ongoing problems, thankfully.

If I had a second chance to do over I would not. I have a very difficult time driving at night for the same reasons u mentioned. I'm ok during the day. I don't know how to explain this but there seems to be a separation in my vision between my eyes. its like they don't work together the same. some days i notice it more than others. i am using lubricating eye drops frequently due to dry eye now and i know that affects vision. my near vision is gone. I don't need glasses for distance but its not at 20/20 its 20/25 so I'm getting glasses with progressive lens mainly for near vision and have the distace tweaked a little. I'm dissapointed that I put out this much money for the results I got. Had I known what I know now I would have just had my cataracts removed and stayed with wearing glasses for distance vision.

The lenses I got are the Carl Zeiss Trifocal Toric lesnses, I can't remember the exact name or power etc.

I have absolutely no problem driving at night, I can see very clearly but I do lose some confidence when I'm in a badly lit area, somewhere with no street lights for example. As for Halo's and Starbursts, absolutely no problem at all, certainly no more than when I wore glasses.

The biggest issues I had was I used to have very hazy vision around the time of day that the sun would set, very difficult to explain, but it was almost as if my pupils were not dilating to adjust for night time vision, it was a strange and uncomfortable sensation, but now I don't get that at all, I also had the same problem with areas that have an overwhelming level of artifical light, Supermarkets for example, I remember the airport being particularly bad!

Also I had what they call negative dystopia where i could see crescent shape shadows in my peripheral vision... I was worried this would never go but like I said previously, after 6 months I noticed that these things were no longer an issue any more.

At the moment I'm getting dry eyes a lot, I'm not sure why but this has a big effect on my quality of vision! When they are not dry I honestly have no complaints!

It's a very personal journey, but I'm pretty sure that the bad cases are the minority and you read them a lot because those are the people that come to forums like this to seek help. I myself used to be on this forum almost daily during my recovery, once I was ok, I stopped coming on here. I still get the emails so every once in a while if I feel I can offer somebody some advice then I will!

Best of luck to you!

Neil

I can't offer you a response based on personal experience. I have a friend that has the PanOptix trifocal lenses and does report the adverse issues you describe.

I presume you are in the same situation as I am in, in that you are doing research to make an upcoming decision as to what type of lens to select. One way to do this is to look at the various premium multifocal IOL choices, and try to find the best one. The other way to look at the situation is to look at yourself and try to decide if you are a good candidate for the lens, rather than the other way around. You will find on a Google search many articles describing who is a good candidate for an multifocal IOL and who is not. The factors are physical and psychological. Your doctor should inform you of any physical issues with your eye that would disqualify you, but in the end you have to decide if you have the right personality and expectations for using them. My conclusions to date are that it is very highly unlikely that any multifocal IOL will achieve perfect eyeglass free vision at all distances and in all lighting conditions. If that is your expectation, you will almost certainly be disappointed if you go with any of these premium multifocal lenses. In any case do your own research. Here is the name of one article you may want to read.

Review of Ophthalmology Premium IOLs: How to Spot Poor Candidates

A quote from the article: "I would also recommend avoiding implanting these lenses in very particular people, such as an engineer who asks how the optics of the lens work.”

That would be me! I have pretty much concluded that even though I have no disqualifying physical characteristics, that I know of, I am probably not psychologically suitable for them.

Not what you were asking for, but I hope that helps some...

Hi

Perfect is never achieved, no matter what lens you are choosing.

I was not told that premium lenses would be free of side effects, I was told that I should expect side effects.

It is not possible to make a lens that perfectly can imitate a natural good lens, end the theoretical perfect outcome with iols are almost impossible, because there will always be factors that makes it less than perfect, and it goes both for premium and monofocal lenses.

In studies where real life life outcomes are measured, 95-98% of patients with trifocal lenses would choose the same lens again, depending on which study you see.

And the same goes for monofocal lenses, the satisfaction rate are the same.

I have a mix with edof in one eye, trifocal in the other eye, both Zeiss lenses.

Overall I am happy with vision, although both lenses have shot slightly over target at +0.75, so I could have had more vision for the same money....

Visual side effects are there, the edof are worst, but side effects have never been a problem, I have never had any problems driving at night or anything like that.

It is now about 6 month after surgery, side effects have become noticeable less, and are still improving I think.

So no, I do not have a perfect result, but I have a fairly good result, that does not stop me from anything I want to do in my life, and most of time I am free of glasses, I never take glasses with me, I only keep a pair of readers at the computer desk where I work, if I need them for small things.

If monofocals had short over target the same amount, I would have had an even bigger problem with my vision now.

I'm happy with my outcome, RESTOR 2.5 Multifocal. However, there are side effects with every IOL and side effects/risks from the surgery itself. It's good that you are jumping on this forum early as you'll be able to read stories from actual patients.

In my opinion, it comes down to this (and this is overlying simplified). There is a fixed amount of light entering your eye. When you are younger, the muscles in the eye alter the shape of the lens and direct all the light towards the focal point you need at that moment. Once you have an IOL, with exceptions of adaptive lenses which have had limited success, the IOL doesn't change shape and instead directs portions of the overall light energy to different visual needs. A fixed (monofocal) lens is directing everything towards a single focal point (usually distance) while multifocals and EDOF design are splitting the same incoming light towards various focal points/needs. There isn't any way that this is "free" so you are going to have some issues/deficiencies in your vision, compared with a monofocal.

This is the "tradeoff" that many of us mention in our reviews and comments.

1. You may NEVER notice any difference or your brain may tune it out OR
2. You may notice it only in certain circumstance OR
3. You may notice it all the time.

This is a personal experience that is different for everyone. As you read the forums and have your own surgery, it's also important to try to distinguish between problems people experience which are due to the type of IOL they have vs. those that are simply issues related to any cataract surgery.

My personal opinion is that if you are a younger, active person that wants a more expanded range of vision, then the side effects of mulitifocals/EDOF lenses are worth the tradeoff, but many would not agree with me. However, I would never advise anyone to get these lenses as a cure for presbyopia.