Nanoflex intraocular lens

If you do an internet search on "about-eyes Nanoflex" there is an article about the new Star Nanoflex accomodating IOL compared to Crystalens and multifocals.

There is a good FAQ section in that article, that includes:

FAQ #1: “Why haven’t I heard of this lens before?”

Staar is a relatively small company compared to Alcon, AMO, and B&L (the big three IOL makers in the USA). As such, Staar simply doesn’t have the marketing budget to compete. Hate to break it to you, but doctors are just as likely to be swayed by marketing as anyone else. Whether it’s laundry detergent, a car, or an intraocular lens placed at the time of cataract surgery, we are all influenced by familiarity with a brand. Indeed, marketing studies have supported that familiarity breeds trust so the most heavily marketed brand tends to be trusted for that reason alone.

FAQ #2: “Why aren’t more surgeons using this lens if it’s so great?”

I can’t say for certain why the Staar nanoFLEX® IOL is not embraced by more surgeons, but I have a few thoughts on the subject:

It’s a plate haptic IOL. When plate haptic IOLs first came on the scene they were made of silicon which is a slippery, springy material. They could not be easily folded with forceps so required injectors to get them through a small incision during cataract surgery. As these IOLs left the injector they did so with significant speed and force. I’ve even seen a video of one that jumped out of the injector through the capsular bag and into the back of the eye! The Staar nanoFLEX® IOL, however, is not made of silicon. It’s made of Collamer®, which is a less “springy” material. I’ve found injecting it to be controlled and stress-free. Many surgeons, however, may simply not be willing to try another plate haptic IOL after their initial experience with silicon plate haptic IOLs.

The force of inertia (or habit). Everyone, surgeons included, tends to prefer what they are familiar with. Surgeons who have been using acrylic lenses (the most common type) may just not want to be bothered by trying out a different lens material which requires becoming familiar with a new lens injector, surgical technique, etc.

Not all surgeons are even aware of the nanoFLEX® IOL due to the limited marketing done by Staar. See FAQ #1.

Unfortunately, everyone (including the surgeons) get  influenced by the  sales pitches of the big companies.

At the time I got the Symfony lens for my right eye (having been influenced by all the advertised advantages without any mention of the potential night vision issues), if I had chosen to get a monofocal lens, it may have been the Nanaflex IOL. That would have been based on the 2015 article, "My Firsthand Experience with the nanoFLEX® Collamer® IOL," by Dr. Alan Carlson, which makes a strong recommendation for this lens. However, it will be wise to do a more thorough investigation about the lens before one decides to find a surgeon who uses it.

The Staar Nanoflex IOL looks like a good alternative if you have no significant astigmatism.

In my case I have nearly 3D cylinder astigmatism in my eyes, so I require toric IOLs and this lens does not offer that.

So I am limited to monofocal torics, the Symfony toric, and the Trulign (Crystalens toric) IOLs, if I don't want the added complexity of cornea surgery.

Thank you! The problem is bloody DYSPHOTOPSIA with hydrophobic acrylic, truncated/squared edges and probably refractive index=1.47. So now, after several months, I still have edge-glare, edge-flickering and halos. I refused multifocal lens because of that problems but I have them with monofocal too. I suggested the surgeon to use the nanoflex but she refused because she's not used to them and said that hydrophobic acrylic lens are the best on the market ... 

Do your pupils dilate to 5mm or greater?

I've heard that becomes an issue with IOLs with smaller diameter 6mm or less.

I don't know, but in my opinion all aspheric monofocal IOLs are basically the same (I have a B&L silicone monofocal and have practically no glare).

If you try to relax and not focus on it, it's very possible you'll adapt to it and not notice it eventually.