near vision poor after getting Symfony...seeking others' experience

Has your vision varied in the right eye over the past week or so?  Its still relatively soon after the surgery, since healing takes 1month+

I had cataract surgery Oct 24 with a tecnis monofocal toric IOL, so its 3 1/2 weeks for me and my vision has varied quite a bit over that time.  The day after it was around 20/40 and improved at times a week later to as good as 20/25 and nearly 20/20 for periods, but unfortunately for the past week or so its gone back to 20/40 to 20/50 most of the time so it might be stabilizing there instead of the better vision it was capable of for a few days a couple weeks ago. 

I believe the eye has gotten a little nearsighted and probably some resididual astigmatism too. I have an optometrist appointment next Wed so I'll see exactly where its at then and hopefully at least it can be corrected to near 20/20 with glasses.  Hoping for glasses free doesn't always end up the result with the variables of cataract surgery - they can't perfectly predict how the cornea will end up after cutting into it.

In theory the ORA equipment should allow the surgeon to verify the refraction result during surgery without it just have to hope his calculations end up close.  Though the cornea could change thru the healing process after the incision, so the results can still be off weeks later, even with the best pre-op calculations and ORA.

In my case, I believe the power is not too far off but perhaps too much residual astigmatism. Won't know for sure until an optometrist can test if the eye can be corrected well with lenses and what the Rx ends up.

Unfortunately my right eye is the most blurry its been the last couple days and getting close to one month after surgery.  I estimate today its definitely worse than 20/50 probably 20/80+ and now as bad as it was pre surgery corrected with the cataract.  Its possible the toric IOL has rotated, or one of the possible swelling issues or early PCO.  So I I'll probably have to try to get a full dilated exam sooner than my schedule early Jan appointment if it doesn't get better soon or at least able to be corrected well with eyeglasses assuming the Rx will be stable.

Think you should contact the surgeon’s office to see if he could see you sooner.

Well today my right eye vision came back to near the best its been.

Seems to vary by a bigger jump day to day, and then stays within the day (even over several minutes) within about 2 lines on the eye chart.

However days like today where in the morning my right eye had a nice clear image of the eye chart 20/25 line, at times blurring/fading slightly to 20/30 and sharpening at times to nearly making out the 20/20 line - I would have to say the toric IOL must be close to the right position to do that at all.

I would expect if the toric IOL rotated signficantly, the vision wouldn't get better the next day, I haven't heard reports of it rotating off one day and back the next - they tend to rotate within the first month typically and stay at the new position.

So the vision variation I've been experiencing day to day, and the lesser variation within a day, must be due to some other cause.  Possibly the cause is not even related to the cataract surgery, since I seem to recall I had vision variation year ago before the cataract started to affect my vision in that eye.  After the cataract made the eye really blurry, I wouldn't have noticed the variation since it was just too blurry, so I made just be able to notice it now after the catarct is now gone.

So at least I feel better that its most likely not due to toric IOL rotation, that would require going thru the whole surgery procedure again (incision so they can grab and rotate the IOL back) and all the healing and eyedrops over again.  I will just be patient and hopefully after more healing it improves and perhaps the eye doctor can check for any other possible causes in my right eye at the scheduled full dilated comprehensive eye exam in early Jan.

I also have the eye exam at an optometrist this coming Wed, and she might be able to check the cornea and retina condition (make sure no significant swelling, etc)  as well as get the refraction result for my right eye.  At home I've found a small -0.25D or -0.50D eyeglasses lens helps get me at least one line improvement, which makes sense since that eye's target was -0.25D and there is always up to 0.50D error possible, plus there is probably a little residual astigmatism (0.50D typical) that corrected with eyeglasses could give yet another line improvement.  So if I'm getting 20/25-20/40 range like today uncorrected in that eye, 20/20 is possible corrected it would seem.  I will find out on Wed.

Today I found an excellent online webpage eye chart that has a calibration line that you measure in centimeters and then stand back from your computer monitor to view it by that number of feet.  For example, on my 24" monitor the line measured as 6.5cm, so to view it I measured 6.5feet.  I stood back that far and could read the lines and could read the 20/30 line uncorrected.  The next lower line was 20/20 and with -0.25D eyeglass correction I could read most of the letters on that line.

I think this is a better controlled eyechart test since it doesn't depend on room lighting which varies with a paper eye chart during the day with windows in the room, etc.  Much more repeatable from my experience.

Here is the website address for this eyechart, I left some spaces that should be removed. Hope it works to display here:

Moderator comment: I have removed the link(s) directing to site(s) unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.

Do an internet search with: Milford Eye Care Vision Test

Should find an excellent online eye chart viewable directly on a computer monitor. There is a calibration line that on my 24" monitor measures 6.5cm and then you view if from that many feet away, in my case 6.5feet from the monitor.  Gives a good repeatable viewing that isn't dependent on room lighting conditions (windows, etc) like with a paper chart on a wall.

With this computer displayed eye chart, right now I can read the 20/30 line uncorrected with my right eye, and the next lower one is the 20/20 line, and I can read most of that line with a -0.25D eyeglass lens.

I see you can buy the standard Snellen eye chart (viewable from 20feet away) at amazon and ebay for under $10. Just do a search for "Snellen eye chart" there.

There is also some smaller versions of the chart available for sale as well, viewable from a closer distance like 6feet or less. But for a good distance vision test I would think you wouldn't want too small of a one since then you might be more testing intermediate distance.

On a side note, I'm also noticing my right eye is also giving better uncorrected computer distance vision today, at about 2.5feet away from the monitor. I'm using my old computer vision eyeglasses with the right lens removed, so the left eye is doing most of the work, but the right eye vision is now actually useable at that distance whereas previous weeks its been more blurry at that distance.

Awfully rainy here today- first time driving at night in rain - not too bad - better than I anticipated.

Moderator.  What words should I use to google that eye chart.  Sounds like a good one.

That should find the website with computer monitor viewable eye chart with instructions.