My Yag laser for posterior encapsulation after cataract surgery made vision worse

How infrequently can this happen?  Re damage to IOL.  I haven’t needed procedure yet but this would be s concern as once you have that done my understanding is that it’s next to impossible to have a lens exchange.  And if there is damage to IOL due to YAG one would want it exchanged!

Could vision be worse if there is debris that is floating around after YAG?

Here is a quote from a 2013 article "Nd:YAG Laser Posterior Capsulotomy" by Roger F. Steinert, MD on the web site of American Academy of opthalmology:

"Pitting of IOLs occurs in 15% to 33% of eyes during Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. Pitting is usually not visually signi?cant, although rarely the damage may cause suf?cient glare and image degradation that the damaged IOL must be explanted.

The type and extent of lens damage depend on the material used in the IOL. Glass IOLs may be fractured by the Nd:YAG laser. PMMA IOLs sustain cracks and central defects with radiating fractures. Molded PMMA IOLs are more easily damaged than higher-molecular-weight lathe-cut lenses. Damage to silicone lenses is characterized by blistered lesions and localized pits surrounded by multiple tiny pits. The damage threshold is lowest for silicone, intermediate for PMMA, and highest for acrylic materials.

Frequency of damage depends on IOL style. IOLs designed with a ridge separating the posterior capsule from the IOL sustain less damage than lenses with a convex posterior surface and close apposition between the posterior chamber IOL and the posterior capsule."

I am not trying to scare any one, but like all surgeries, there are some potential issues one needs to be aware of so that one can weigh those against the potential benefits. (unfortunately, the surgeons don't always talk about the potential issues, except asking you to sign a disclaimer just before the surgery). For example, I have had a small amount of PCO in my left eye for years, but chose not to do anything about it because in my case, the potential benefit is relatively small.

Regarding the debris, if it becomes a problem after the YAG surgery, the surgeons can usually get rid of that with another round of laser.

Thanks for that info.  Gives me reason  to seriously consider benefits too.  Although if vision is hazy and cloudy likely not much choice.   Sounds like acrylic lenses (which I believe Symfony is) has highest potential for damage.

Mine are acrylic. She did not explain much before the first round and kept telling me (after the left eye got worse haze-wise) my follow up that the lens was fine and there was no  problem. I said it was not. And it was an unacceptable outcome. Then she said an optometrist could fix it by changing my glasses. I said no, my visual clarity was perfect. It was just the haze. Then she said she could send me to a neurological ophthalmologist (takes more than a year to get in) and I said, no, it is not neurological. I know abut neurology as I am a health writer. I need my eyes for my work as a writer and photographer. My left eye is my dominant eye I use to take pictures. So finally she said she'd do another round of laser. I do not know.

She did not explain much before the first round and kept telling me (after the left eye got worse haze-wise) my follow up that the lens was fine and there was no  problem. I said it was not. And it was an unacceptable outcome. Then she said an optometrist could fix it by changing my glasses. I said no, my visual clarity was perfect. It was just the haze. Then she said she could send me to a neurological ophthalmologist (takes more than a year to get in) and I said, no, it is not neurological. I know abut neurology as I am a health writer. I need my eyes for my work as a writer and photographer. My left eye is my dominant eye I use to take pictures. So finally she said she'd do another round of laser. I do not know.

She did not explain much before the first round and kept telling me (after the left eye got worse haze-wise) my follow up that the lens was fine and there was no  problem. I said it was not. And it was an unacceptable outcome. Then she said an optometrist could fix it by changing my glasses. I said no, my visual clarity was perfect. It was just the haze. Then she said she could send me to a neurological ophthalmologist (takes more than a year to get in) and I said, no, it is not neurological. I know abut neurology as I am a health writer. I need my eyes for my work as a writer and photographer. My left eye is my dominant eye I use to take pictures. So finally she said she'd do another round of laser. I do not know.

Please don't let her or any other surgeon do anything to your eye unless they have a clear understanding of what they are trying to do and can explain the same to you to your satisfaction.

Thank you. This has led me to reconsider the new YAG surgery and research potential options. I will write to the doctor and ask her what she thinks she will be able to do, especially since she thinks there is nothing wrong with my left eye.