PanOptix blue light filter concerns
Posted , 17 users are following.
I'm scheduled for surgery this friday, and had decided on Symfony IOL's until last week when my doctor called to tell me about PanOptix. He doesn't have much information on them, much less has he seen a lot of patients who've received them. As a professional photographer, and noticing enough of a color variation while wearing blue light filtering glasses to warrant not wearing them while editing photos, I'm wondering what PanOptix vision is like in regard to computer screen and in real life. Seems the general consensus is that the IOL's are a great option, but I have yet. to hear anyone really get into the details of visual acuity specific to colors and/or screens.
Also, I have a bit of concern about having blue light filtered for the rest of my life. Sure, when in LED artifical form, it's supposed to be bad for us. But for circadian rhythm, it's also supposed to be a key component in natural. light exposure. I haven't found a single iota of information about potential longterm affects of blue light filtering IOL's, or just how much the PanOptix IOL's filter out(it'd be great to have a percentage number).
Thanks in advance for any and all information. It's a last-second scramble of a decision to say the least - I'm supposed to call the doc first thing in the morning to order whichever IOL I decide on...
0 likes, 77 replies
soks 303z
Posted
i cannot answer any of your questions. the symfony for japan market is filtered for blue light. it is called optiblue. new technis synergy is also filtered for blue light. these lenses have a yellow tint to it.
W-H 303z
Posted
I think it is bit of a marketing gimmick. I guess if you have same IOL in both eyes then you probably won't notice it.
As a professional photographer or anyone in visual field, you should be looking at quality monofocal IOLs in my opinion. No loss of contrast and cleanest vision possible.
The fact that the surgeon wanted to install Symfony IOL in your eyes (assuming you told him your profession) is slightly worrying.
Google search shows a thread on DP review from 2017 with similar question.
W-H
Posted
Some people do complain of yellow tint (not talking specifically of any particular lens).
Regarding the thread on DP review, I am not allowed to link here but copy pasted some of relevant posts...
303z W-H
Posted
Thanks for sharing that, I was able to find the DP post. I was unaware that there was that much of a difference between monofocal and multifocal IOL;s with distance VA. Do you speak from experience?
It sounds like most of the recommendations on that DP question are coming from older photographers who either shoot studio or in very controlled environments. I'm a photojournalist, specializing in the cycling industry, though I do shoot snowsports on occasion, too. I can't imagine adding glasses to shooting in the field with all the other equipment and environmental challenges I deal with on a regular basis, which is a big part of the reason I'm interested in a "premium" lens.
W-H 303z
Posted
Only on going experience with my wife's cataract. She has one eye that has been done, the next eye OP is in 4 days time!!!!! She is 2 years younger than you and VERY active person. She was living perfectly normal glass free life, then suddenly 4 months ago, she saw blurry and rest is history. All changed and her cataract became very dense in that short period.
.
If everything goes according to plan then she won't be needing glasses for general everyday use.
.
Since the first OP she has worked 2-3 weeks at office without needing any glasses.
.
We had choice of all the latest IOLs here in Europe and $ was not an issue.
4 surgeons directly did not recommend multifocals.
5th one I don't know directly but his patient told me that he did not recommend them either, he said 25% of his patients were very unsatisfied with them. If you happen to be in the 75% then might be OK.
.
There is definite loss of contrast when using multifocals, it is basic physics (I was not good at physics though lol)
.
Surgeon No. 3, also highly experienced told us he would not recommend them for young people! I know one would think that it would be best for young people. With hindsight I think I understand what he meant. He just wanted best quality vision for my wife.
.
Surgeon No. 4, the one we went with is highly experienced with multifocals and monofocals and EDOF. We took his recommendation of mini-monovision (not same as full monovison).
.
NOTE- With monofocals you can still use multifocal contact lenses or even get add on lens surgery if required.
.
Wife did this-
Left eye: Has already been done and landed at -1.5 (Target picked was -1.25)
Right far eye -0.25 will be the target.
I am not against multifocals. Just sharing our thought process and why we went with Zeiss Asphina 509 monofocal.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Wish you an excellent outcome.
Sue.An2 303z
Posted
You don't mention but are you having this surgery due to cataracts?
303z Sue.An2
Posted
Yes, I have cataracts in both eyes.
Sue.An 303z
Posted
So sorry you have to deal with them at this age. I developed cataracts at 53 and felt cheated so can inly imagine your anguish given your profession.
I didn't go conservative route due to my job on spreadsheets and computer - my hobbies and love of travel. I went with Symfony lenses and judging by comments on forums my results are better than usual. See well from 11 inches to good distance. o not wear glasses on daily basis - don't even carry a pair with me although I did get +1.25 prescription readers which I use occasionally if reading a novel or in dim light situations. If making the decision today I would go for trifocals (live in Canada and they were not an option for me at the time). All to say I did want to be as glasses independent as possible - knowing it may not work out that way.
Please don't substitute my or anyone's experience for your own or consult of a surgeon you trust. We can offer support as you go through this and maybe point you in a direction or provide good line of questioning as you consult with your surgeon.
Given your age the one thing that is not as evident or easy to predict is how much your pupil could dilate beyond IOL as that leads to far more visual disturbances. All IOLs basically 6mm in diameter so there is not a selection of IOLs accommodating for that.
But I wish you the best in your journey to regain vision.
ara21947 Sue.An
Posted
That is the best advice Sue.An - not to substitute anyones experience for your own or your surgeons. EVERYONE was telling me to choose distant vision over near since readers are so cheap etc. My surgeon didnt think that was a great idea for me since my first thought had been preserving my near. Ultimately thats what I did. My visual world isnt turned on its head and I dont seem to need reading glasses because my unoperated eye is still myopic. My near vision in operated eye isnt there but hopefully will get better; I dont know. What I do know is, no way would I have felt comfortable switching around my vision. Everyone is different. Read the opinions but dont let anyone influence you or guilt you into spending more money because "your eyes are worth it" Your eyes are worth doing exactly what you feel most comfortable doing in agreement with a specialist.
Sue.An ara21947
Posted
Agree whole heartedly with your thoughts. When I contemplated what I would do over 2 years ago no one mentioned monofocals could be targeted for intermediate - thought they were for distance only. I had failed vision test for driving (Canada where you need 20/40 minimum). So I never questioned monofocals being targeted for anything except distance. That led me to inquire about other lens options and ultimately decided on edof Symfony IOLs. Was frightened to lose near vision having worn glasses just for distance since age of 12.
First I heard of targeting monofocals for intermediate distance was BellaD who came on forums about a year after me. She has interesting threads in her selection.
Glad you went for what you wanted and found a listening surgeon. Best of luck and care to you Ara. God bless.
john56935 303z
Posted
I wouldn't be rushed into this if you can help it, especially on which lens to pick. I am a photographer too so i think the yellow tint does change the colors just as it does with my eyeglasses or switching to the blue filter on my laptop and i see the marked difference between my yellow cataract eye and symfony eye. For me, the drawback with the symfony is the nighttime issues, but when they are dialed in, my vision is razor sharp, like HD, plus they also adjust for chromic aberration. I would agree that monofocals are a less risky way to go as long as you don't mind wearing glasses potentially or can deal with monovision. I think the symfony is like a Ferrari, performance can be impressive under the right conditions but they can be touchy whereas a monofocal is like a Camry, reliable and gets the job done and fewer headaches--there are pros and cons for both.
303z john56935
Posted
When you say "when they are dialed", do you mean the Symfony IOL? Other than nighttime issues - I'm assuming halos? - are you happy with the quality of vision with your Symfony? I've heard different opinions of the clarity of Symfony lenses, and part of me is still tempted to try them over the PanOptix.
It's an odd situation to feel somewhat rushed on this important decision. I'm 45, and up until the last year or so have had excellent vision in all ranges. My cataracts has grown at a rate where I can tell the difference in my vision in the last month, and am to the point where I don't feel comfortable driving, riding my bike, etc. The idea of delaying surgery for even another week is something that makes me feel ill, as my lifestyle has flipped a full 180 in the last few months, with the light of a beautiful fall day causing enough discomfort and disorientation to retreat back into my home with the curtains drawn.
Photography is important to me, but I'm also one of those lifestyle mountain bikers, verses somoene who rides on occasion or seasonally. 90% of my photography is in cycling, and opposed to studio style shooting, I ride with a camera bag, stop multiple times and try to set up shots as quickly as possible in order to move on to the next location or make it back to the trailhead in time. So, the idea of suddenly needing to add a pair of glasses to the mix of sunglasses, helmet, gloves, camera pack, lens changes, etc. sounds horrible. Then there's simply the idea of having to carry readers to the grocery store, or to read a GPS at stops on motorcycle trips, or a ski map, etc. etc. If I weren't lucky enough to have had a glasses-free life up to this point, I'd be willing to look at monofocal lenses. But I feel like it's worth the potential risks to go with multifocals.
W-H 303z
Posted
1-2 weeks vs rest of your life!
Google "MedHelp Dangers with Multifocal Lenses". I was reading it only last night. I think 2 surgeons posted on it too.
You can still go with trifocal but go with eyes wide open though. Lot of people rush in and then regret.
Sue.An john56935
Posted
i like your description John - lol. My experience is like this.
Sue.An W-H
Posted
As true as that may be the opposite can be true as well. When I was waffling back and forth between lens selection Symfony vs monofocal there was a colleague whose sister (also in her 50s) who wasn't considering anything but a monofocal after reading about those dangers and concerns. My colleague said she wasn't at all worried like I was about making a decision. Unfortunately one of my colleague's sister's surgeries did not turn out so well. First surgery we t perfectly and 2nd something went wrong and IOL had to be stitched in to place. She sees very poorly out of that eye. My colleague says she regrets not looking into it more although personally I think it can go sideways whether you do research or not.
But always best to take your time (this is not life threatening and has many impacts on life afterwards) and a younger patient has a longer time he or she has to live with this and vastly different needs than a 70 or 80 year old and that too may vary from person to person.
Technology will bring better and better lens options and whether they are for everyone or not can't say but I won't say they ate a dangerous or reckless choice. Often people only post negative results not the positive and I believe there are many happy people with premium lenses. They are where the future is headed.
Word of caution about premium lenses: more research by patient required on finding right surgeon. Surgeons have a wheelhouse of lenses they use and are comfortable with. If interested in a particular lens find a surgeon with good reputation with that lens.
Many people now opting for clear lens exchanges (I am not a fan) to correct vision. Some of these surgeons are profit driven and do not have best interest of patient in mind and often because CLE is cosmetic surgery their clientele have the funds. Deal with a surgeon mainly doing cataract surgery. Different mentally - in my opinion.
Sorry worried - many of these comments directed to OP and just my opinions on premium vs standard lenses.
Sue.An 303z
Posted
My cataracts advanced so rapidly - but due to Canadian medicare system gad a 3 month wait just to have a consult with surgeon. After my consult had many additional questions after looking into the surgery on-line. So made another appointment that delayed surgery another month.
Worried Husband is so right on - what is that time vs rest of your life and regrets you may live with because you didn't take the time.
Seek out more than one doctor's opinion for your sake. It may mean a halt to what you love for a short while but so worth it.
I ran marathons and had to give that up for awhile (too disorientated due to cataracts). Could read a road sign till I was almost on top of it. Had a daughter in high level soccer and from bleachers could not read jersey numbers or distinguish one player from another. I was so miserable. But making right decision for me was important - more important than things I loved to do as it is temporary compared to the future.
303z Sue.An
Posted
Reading your reply triggers a 'misery loves company' feeling, so thank you for sharing as the rapid onset and description of your impaired vision sounds all too familiar.
Part of the issue is that I actually have two doctors involved. Both went to a talk a couple of weeks ago, and both discussed Panoptix being a good option for me at the talk. One doc called and said I should look into it, as well as discuss it with the other doc who works with the surgeon(my surgeon has an excellent reputation, but is basically a glorified mechanic as he doesn't have any patient care/contact outside of surgery). The other doc is less sold on PanOptix, and thinks maybe with my outdoor profession and lifestyle, that Symfony lenses might have better contrast than PanOptix. I understand her theory of more light being distributed through 3 focal points verses 2, but it seems like studies show no difference in contrast between the two, or even sometimes state that PanOptix provide a slight advantage over Symfony.
I'm hoping to talk to at least one of the docs today, as today is the absolute last-second window to order a lens for the first surgery scheduled for this friday. I'll discuss the option of delaying surgery, but really I'm not sure what I'd do other than stay up all night reading and re-reading the same info scattered throughout the internet that only gives me the same result - a slight want of the PanOptix over Symfony.
At this point, my vision is so bad, and has been for at least a year, that I'm hoping any IOL will be a big enough improvement to put me at ease. The halos/starbursts don't exactly sound fun, but for how much of a kaleidescope nighttime vision is for me currently, it's hard to imagine it being worse or even the same with an IOL.
W-H Sue.An
Posted
Sue, yes there is a big element of LUCK involved !!!! Research does not automatically = good result. I agree.
Sue.An 303z
Posted
Your comments bring me back to when I felt that way myself. I had no comfort even up to day of surgery despite my delaying it (my surgeon was experienced - top one hear where I live - smaller Canadian province) nor would he push me to one lens over another.
I had 6 weeks between surgeries. Had my worse eye done first - vision was 20/60 in that eye and 20/50 in other. As far as contrast sensitivity goes I only notice it in dim light conditions. Like low lit restaurants - even with cararact in other eye I could read menu but needed flashlight on iphone to read with Symfony eye. In outside or normal lighting at home or office I did not see a difference between eyes during that 6 week period. That was for near vision. In dim lighting like walking with street lights or driving with just one operated eye Symfony could see better than cataract eye - the greys and shadows whereas cataract eye all was a blurr. I don't believe in situations where biking in and out of canopy areas (unless it is very dim - picture those high end romantic restaurants where light is very low) - you will note a big contrast liss. If I had to put a % on it would say 10 to 15% max.
If considering Symfony I found a very helpful surgeon in Singapore who has an online blog about his experience with this lens and he has a Q&A with people - you can ask questions and he replies. Search All things eye Dr Por Yong Ming.
Again I know trifocals are available in Canada so if choosing today I would be waffling between Symfony and those. And I have rely good vision today - zero regrets . Wore glasses all my life and now snorkelling is a joy. Used to watch back the video from GoPro on computer afterwards - but to see everything and no glasses live as it occurs - spectacular!
My surgeon who would not recommend a lens - after 24hrs following 2nd surgery when I read J1 at 14 inches for first time said to me he was my age and if he had to choose a lens it would be Symfony. Perhaps said this to reassure me after all went well - likely would say nothing if it all went sideways I bet.
I won't try and convince you as I know you will be better off than you ate now no matter what you choose. 95% of cataract patients are very happy with outcome.
Keep us posted - we will send you our good thoughts and help you get through this.
john56935 303z
Posted
By dialed in, I mean the symfony, and i can't say exactly say why, but i assume at that time i had an optimal tear film and perfectly centered lens with the right power. I was 51 when i trusted a doctor who scheduled me for surgery after one meeting for a cataract that was barely impacting my vision--boy, have I learned a lot since then! The thinking was i am younger and active so a symfony that just got FDA approval was the was to go and I felt lucky with my timing. So after surgery, i gained more near vision and had the yellow tint removed (as compared to my other natural eye) but i swore I will not give up my other good eye so easily! I am a perfectionist by nature and notice any flaw in my vision, so you can image it is been a HUGE psychological adjust to just accept the side effects that I now have. Doctors are supposed to steer A-type patients away from premium lens for this reason as "easy-going" people seem to adapt better so just beware of that. The doctors have all told me i have fast growning post-subcapsular cataracts but here i am 3 years later and while the cataract is progressing, it is still tolerable, so don't feel like you have to rush. My situation is not optimal to have one natural eye that still focuses by changing the shape of the lens while the other symfony eye has to learn where to look on the retina to get the sharpest image, so that does attest to the power and time required for neuro-adaptation. At least i have good results daytime but the price I pay are the nighttime issues. I can put another symfony in and hopefully have great daytime vision from near to far but it may make my nighttime issues worse. OR go with a monofocal that should give me great vision from 5 feet and beyond (closer if I am lucky) that mitigates nighttime issues but may require me to wear glasses for extended close vision. OR go with another type of multifocal--OR wait to one of these new lenses is available in the US--YOU CAN GO CRAZY trying to make the best decisions. Get a couple of opinions first and maybe plan on doing one eye first and based on the result it should help you decide what to do with the other eye--hope this helps.
seeherenow49806 W-H
Posted
Hi No Worries:)
Since you don't have personal experience, it might be best if you don't spread hearsay from online articles. Many of us have great success with Symfony IOLs.
Just sayin' 😃
W-H seeherenow49806
Posted
Most of it is what surgeons told me directly about EDOF lenses and Symfony is an EDOF lens.
I will pass on your message to the surgeons though as they don't have IOL in their own eyes hence no personal looking through IOL cataract experience, they should bloody quit 😃
Just because you had good experience with Symfony does not mean anything to someone who had bad experience with Symfony.
Nor does it count out that potentially you could have had even better quality vision with Monofocals or Trifocals 😃
Sue.An W-H
Posted
Just to diffuse things a bit. Even surgeons have their bias and do a lot of patient profiling. They don't want the headaches of a picky demanding questioning patient. One article I read on this said the surgeon's worse case scenario is a patient who is an engineer by trade, has astronomy as their hobby wants to see the gnat on back of a theatre wall and has a Jewish brother that's a lawyer.
When a surgeon sees you have a list of questions (written no less? and have a lot of expectations they may steer you to monofocals. No doubt in today's market better crisp vision with least amount of halos. But for some people the trade off of more halos to be less glasses independent is very appealing.
All to say Worried surgeons and online stuff can provide some info and some of it like seeherenow is saying does not = a patient's experience. Unless we are flukes of nature to gain quality eyesight from EDOF lenses? I am now trying to find andi's old posts where she was able to see all distances with monofocals targeted for plano! Perhaps that is a fluke too.
But online commentary likely has a marketing element. Even clinical studies and trials by their patient selection process can be bias and funded by manufacturer of the lens!
We all gave a bias. But reality is that this surgery has a high success rate and many patients are choosing different options (so thankful this is 2019 and not when my grandmother had cataract surgery and wore coke bottles for glasses). So many choose differently and come to same level of satisfaction! No one way is the Way.
Each comes to their own conclusion and despite our best research and consultations with doctors for 5% of people this is s nightmare. Maybe surgeon's error, maybe unique eye eye situation and sometimes a young patient's bad luck to experience cataracts too young and their pupil dilates beyond the IOL (any IOL monofocsl bigocdl trifocsl EDOF). For them it is a 100% - they do not feel great a out a 95% success rate. My dad is ill right now but I always recall his comment on tragedies : When your neighbor is out of a job it's a recession, when you lose your job it's a depression. Stats don't matter.
And unfortunately most people do not give back - and make no comments on forums such as these about their good experience. Very few do research ahead of surgeries and ones that do are here commenting for the other 92% of people that had no fore thought of surgery and are just plain pleased with outcome. I would bank that most of those that come here after diagnosis for info and support and are now on the other side of cataract surgery are happy with results. Most come here after a surgery gone wrong and post. So results here in my opinion not balanced.
I apologize for the rant but really felt strongly about putting some things into perspective. I totally mean no disrespect to anyone.
W-H Sue.An
Posted
No need to apologize. I love a good discussion but please hear me out too 😃
.
Yes surgeons have bias. Their bias can be based on their real world experience of using various types of IOLs or sometimes even on their lack of willingness to learn, adapt and incorporate new IOL technologies.
We saw 4 surgeons and none of them knew our preference because with all of them we intentionally played dumb about the subject. Also with each surgeon we did not mention what other surgeon recommended. Whatever questions we asked were asked after they had given us their best recommendation.
.
If anything, we were pro EDOF with the first 3 surgeons as wife was open to EDOF and Mini-Monovison, she was mainly scared of Trifocals and even that she was open to towards the end.
.
The whole reason we went to Dr Zeiss if you remember was because the first 3 were anti EDOF and he was known as pro EDOF around here.
.
.
Fully understand and agree that people should take that trade off if glass independence is the highest priority. That said not everyone with multifocal ends up glasses free, but most should.
.
I tend to differentiate between anecdotes and science backed information. Neither me or even Viking ever said that people can't or don't gain good vision with EDOF! This is your personal bias coming to the front. Same reason why Seeherenow got defensive as he/she uses EDOF. Did I ever say that you or Seeherenow don't see good or even excellent? 😃
.
Let me expand. Every cataract surgery has a risk involved with it, irrespective of the IOL used, correct? As you mentioned, pupil size, surgeon's experience, IOL material, glare, IOL power calculation errors etc etc...
.
For argument sake let us say that figure is 5%. So 5% will have bad results with any IOL they use (Monofocal, EDOF...Trifocal...whatever).
.
What I am talking about is the ADDITIONAL/EXTRA layer of visual risk that is placed on top when using multifocal IOLs. This is not based on online anecdotes, biased studies, surgeon bias or my bias.
.
1- Multifocals the type we are discussing have multiple rings to bend the light.
These don't exist on monofocals. So there is something definitely visually in the way of your vision. Some can handle it and block it out and some can't or not as well - FACT?
.
2- Our brain/visual cortex/eye the whole package has evolved over many thousands of years to take ONE SINGLE image from each eye/retina to form a combined single image. In case of mulifocals more than one image is being projected on each retina.
As a result some struggle, what % I don't know - FACT?
.
3- The light coming in is being divided which results in lower contrast and vision quality at night time compared to Monofocals- FACT?
.
4- More glare and haloes with multiofcals due to the above mentioned points (mulifocal specific glare and halo I am talking about)- FACT?
Now the above 4 points clearly don't apply to Monofocals- FACT or NOT?
Now even if someone goes with Monofocals and ends up having bad result or someone goes with EDOF and ends up with excellent results, it still won't change those facts that on the whole monofocals are less risky from visual artefacts point of view compared to monofocals?
.
Which is why in my view data is more important than personal anecdotes.
.
I actually don't have a bias towards Monofocals. It is just that cataract surgery is already a bit like playing Russian roulette. Multifocal adds an extra bullet chamber in the revolver but maybe with greater reward potential.
.
I hope I made my case clear 😃 No hard feelings towards anyone 😃
Guest Sue.An
Posted
Sue - no need to apologize, we all love you anyway 😃
W-H
Posted
Typo correction-
"It still won't change those facts that on the whole monofocals are less risky from visual artefacts point of view compared to multifocals?"
lol
soks Sue.An
Posted
i think i am the patient u describe. as soon as i started complaining about the the arcs my surgeon asked me if i am an engineer. i had a printed list of questions and that grows after i learn something new. Safran's assistant also asked me if i was an engineer. this time i asked why. she said because u are very descriptive of what is going on. finally i was here from before my surgery and i think i have a bad result. i have no way to know whether it is 5% or not. i though i was having a good result for 5 days after the surgery but since then it has been downhill rather than any adjusting or adaptation.
Sue.An W-H
Posted
No offense taken Worried. No hard feelings at all. We should all be encouraged to debate ad long as there is respect for the other person. Something that is sadly lacking in NA in favor of Political Correctness. Debating actually helps is all come to better decisions because we may see something we wouldn't on our own.
seeherenow as well as a few others still here (soks, night hawk, derek) were all here over 2 years ago grappling with our diagnosis and lens choices. I recall a201s recommendations about mixing a monofocal for best corrected distance with a Symfony targeted for .50 diopter nearer. a201 was one of the early ones have a symfony here on forums after having had a monofocal implanted 18 yrs prior. He started a huge thread here on the concentric circles that symfony produced as there was no literature or anything mentioned by Technis on this unusual effect. seeherenow is the first to go with that recommendation and spent a long time investigating and interviewing surgeons who would do such a mix and match. So perhaps your comments to seeherenow seemed (and maybe wrongly interpreted by myself) dismissive of EDOF lenses as a valid option.
Yes fact monofocals (and I will qualify that by saying both eyes targeted for same distance) are less risky than premium lenses. That is the safe choice. no argument.
Your Point 2 is definitely valid if comparing premium lenses to monofocals targeted the same (say best corrected distance for argument sake). However in a monovision strategy the patient’s brain has to ignore the blurred image in the nearsighted eye ie if they are focusing the other eye on a distant target. And vice versa when focusing on something close. The brain must constantly struggle to process the different info that it receives from both eyes. Not everyone’s brain can do that. Another con to monovision is loss of depth perception - especially as one gets older. And even younger patients who may need a high level of stereo acuity (police officers, pilots) monovision would be problematic - as well as people who
like golf, tennis etc. depth perception is important.
And yes surgeons can try and make that gap closer (mini or micro vision) so that constant struggle for the brain to adapt is minimized. But that isn’t an exact science especially when surgeons for the most part do these surgeries 1 week apart. IOL settling etc can create a larger gap than anticipated. Doesn’t that add “an additional/extra layer of visual risk too?”
There are definite pros and cons to our lens choices and risks to both.
I would never push anyone to select a premium lens based on my experience. Truth is we all make decisions based on both fact and experiences and gut feelings. You too with going through facts interjected your own experience with the consults with different docs.. We all do and it is normal. Hunans are complex otherwise we’d just feed in the facts to our brains and come to same conclusion. I would be out of a job if people made financial decisions based on facts alone! And we all take calculated risks too for a better pay off/reward. Otherwise everyone would stick to GIC rates vs Mfunds and stocks.
I get the safer choice path with monofocal lenses I really do. And for some people it is the perfect choice. But for others the risk/reward payoff is valid. Stats say 85% of people choosing premium lenses would choose them again. There are a number of blogs/articles by surgeons who answer the question what they would choose for themselves. Interesting read and all over the map in their selections - just like us patients!
I will end with if one is pleased and content with their outcome then that was right choice for them.
Sue.An soks
Posted
Hey if it is any comfort I had my list with me st initial consult. I hadn't yet found the forums! Questions were from my own research and internet searches. I knew about lens types but no clue what that meant. If I hadn't asked I would have had monofocals. I don't think they are openly discussed. I was with same group post 24 post op with surgeon for check-in (this group was in waiting area with me all getting RE cataract surgery. Like cattle we are led into OR one at a time. Anyways at post op we all are called to front of room (everyone can see and hear) the assistant do the eye chart on wall test. I was only one also handed a card to read so when I rejoined the group they asked me why I was asked to read and how was it possible I could. They knew nothing about IOLs and types. One poor soul said she didn't know her natural lens was removed.
I bet my surgeon was nervous when I chose EDOF and thought here comes the picky engineer!
Don't know of you are part of that 5%. I still think it is unfortunate circumstances that IOLs ate a certain diameter. Your better vision years may likely still be ahead. Either a new IOL comes along or your pupil naturally shrinks and at least those disturbances go away.
Question when you apply the pupil constricting drops is your overall vision good? And then just have the concentric circles at night?
soks Sue.An
Posted
the vision used to be great after constricting drops. although near vision was always at 22-24 inches. and there was low contrast. now the vision quality is lower due to pco. i dont see concentric circles probably because they are smudged due to pco making it somewhat of natural halo.
Sue.An soks
Posted
The pco is likely not something you want to deal with until you decide whether to exchange Symfony
ara21947 303z
Posted
The one plus about cataract coming on quickly and vision being bad is you can at least acknowledge after that it had to be done Im still waiting 55 hours post op to see if ive maintained my near vision which so far isnt available. I see distance and intermediate clearer with the toric lens but basically use my glasses as before Glad i didnt do left eye yet and dont know if I'll wait longer for that since it isnt quite the
emergency of the right .
Sue.An ara21947
Posted
Ara what type of lens you opt for? If standard monofocals toric you won't see all distances.. imIf seeing distance and intermediate then doing very well. If you want to have some near vision discuss a bit of monovision. Surgety on next eye could target for closer. Likely still need glasses for fine print as you would not want too hog of a distance between your eyes.
If just 2 days you are doing well to see clearly. IOL will take a few weeks to settle so you'll know for sure where you wind up.