PanOptix experience
Posted , 89 users are following.
(apologies for starting a new thread, but my last one was more a question about PanOptix before I chose that route. Seems like it'd make more sense if someone was searching for info/testimonials that a new thread specific to my experience with the lenses. )
I'm 45, very active/athletic(competitive mountain bike racer, motocross rider, skier/snowboarder), and have been fortunate enough to have had 20/15 vision up until a few years ago. Not wanting to adapt to readers or other prescription glasses that accompany monofocals, I opted for PanOptix over Symfony partially due to the loose recommendation of my doctor, and mostly because once I was aware of their existence, the clinical studies I was able to find online seemed to show that PanOptix tested at least as good as Symfony in all manners, showed some level of reduced night artifact/glare/halos, and promised near-vision, in addition to midrange and distance vision.
I'm 4 days post-op of a PanOptix in my right eye, with the sole motivation of surgery to treat my rather severe cataracts. That eye was the worst of the pair, and now that I have what was considered my "good" eye as a baseline to compare the new lens to an old one, it's definitely a mixed bag.
Like basically anyone who's had IOL's implanted, the newfound vibrance in colors is phenomenal. There was a yellow wall that my old eye perceived as being gray the other day, if that's any indication of the difference. The day after surgery, my vision tested at 20/25 in the new lens, as opposed to 20/60 before surgery. I didn't have any eye issues that required glasses before surgery; it was simply the cataracts that was causing such poor vision. So, compared to my vision a couple of years ago, 20/25 is still technically a degredation for me.
Near vision is another positive with PanOptix, but it's admittedly a bit finicky with exact distance. Roughly 12-inches is the sweet spot where text is clearest. A few inches past or closer than that, and things begin to soften up. Text doesn't get too terribly blurry, and doesn't seem to progress into being completely illegible as distance away from the sweet spot increases, but there's an absolute sweet spot of near focus for sure. Midrange is somewhat disappointing for the claims and studies on PanOptix, as sitting at my desktop computer approximately 24-inches from the screen results in less-than-sharp focus. I have to get right up to within 12-inches of the screen to get the crispest focus, which is where the near vision focus is. Seems like these are almost bifocals and not trifocals.
Nighttime vision overall in the PanOptix eye is good. I don't notice a reduction in contrast like my doctor thought might be the case with the division of light to three points. It definitely didn't improve my night vision by any means, but it didn't seem to reduce it. My cataracts is very central in my original lens, so I actually see best at night when my pupil is dilated big enough to see around it.
Halos around all lights are very apparent, not only at night but during the day as well, and the halos even have that little spiderweb effect. One or two lights at a time, and it seems manageable. But, I just drove on the highway tonight and realized how much I was relying on my natural lens to see. With that eye closed, the PanOptix eye was creating such drastic halo that it seemed like it was keeping that eye from finding focus on anything. Truly blurred vision if there's more than a few lights, which was both scary and perplexing on what to do for my other eye as I can't imagine getting through the rest of my life without the ability to operate a car, walk through the city, etc. at night.
From the first day of surgery, I've also had a flicker in the PanOptix eye. The followup doctor(who I'd never met, and won't see again) said that's normal and should go away, but it hasn't really subsided in 4 days. I notice it gets much worse when there's light shining in from my peripheral.
Distance vision is worse with the PanOptix eye than my natural eye, which is disappointing. This discrepancy is amplified at night, especially if it involves reading street signs or things like neon lights.
I see my optometrist on Friday, and will share what he says about the debilitating night vision, flickering, and lack of midrange focus. Oh, I also noticed today that if the sun is directly in front of my vision and I have sunglasses on, that a reflection of the PanOptix IOL shows up in my sunglass lens. That wasn't expected, not sure if anyone else has had the same or similar experience with any other lens?
3 likes, 162 replies
liam54007 303z
Posted
I am searching for anyone who may fall in the same category. I am a 48-year male who received Panoptix lens replacement in my right eye two weeks ago after the recommendation of an eye surgeon who specializes in cataract surgery who said I had the beginning stages of a cataract. I had Lasik surgery during 1998 because I had terrible long distance vision. It lasted 22 years without any issues. Long distance only in my right eye became worse last year. I had no issues reading close up. Now after the surgery two weeks ago everything is blurry, and I am told to be patient. I am frustrated and told it is part of the healing process. Has anyone else had the same the same issues? I really regret having the surgery because I would have never had the surgery if I was told my close, mid range and long distance would all be bad for a unknown time before it gets better. I couldn't read a credit card receipt yesterday. Needless to say I am pretty unhappy and would never recommend the procedure to anyone with my pervious symptoms of only deteriorating long distance vision in one eye only. Similar issues or thoughts? This is by far the best forum I have read but I am looking for someone who had Lasik in the late 1990's and now PanOptix. THANKS!!
Lilyangel 303z
Posted
so I had surgery on 26 January for cataracts it’s been more than 15 days now and I’m still having problems with the panoptic lens the doctor said I had swelling on retina so he order some drops week later I go back and he still the same so he order another set of drops which I’m still doing but after a while my eye feels kind of funny like if it was dirty or had some bubble air bubble in it , this used happen when I used to wear contacts . I hope it gets better as time goes by
soks Lilyangel
Posted
how is your vision besides the discomfort.
staticring 303z
Posted
i am at almost 3 wks post op. Started with a very cloudy right eye for first procedure (56 yrs old) 1st day colors and reading vision were great. then noticed the circles around lights and realized my distance vision is actually worse. Everything beyond a few feet is blurry, like really blurry. grateful my left eye is handling the burden. Thought i did my research but had no idea.
alberta516 303z
Edited
I had the PanOptix lens implants in both eyes -- the right one about 7 weeks ago and the left one about 5 weeks ago. They are not yet state of the art. I had the most skilled eye surgeon in the NY tri-state area IMO and assume the results are the best that anyone can get. I was interested in patient reviews on this site as I would like reassurance that an undesirable side effect, flickering, will subside over time -- I'm optimistic it will. Like the other poster, I was one of the freaks who lived most of my adult life without glasses of any kind, but with the sudden onset of aggressive cataracts, I was no longer able to drive at night or get around that well during the day in unfamiliar areas for that matter. So, implants are a huge improvement over my recent vision. My distance vision is now a perfect 20-20 and my mid range vision is an astounding 20-12.5 (although it is disconcerting to see every speck on my computer screen). I really only have two issues with the lenses. The first is my near vision. I can read without glasses, but only if I hold the book out at arm's length which is not a comfortable position to be in for more than a minute. I can read perfectly with 1.0 reading glasses, but again, I was always able to focus close up in the past. I was prepared for night glare when driving, but it is minimal and doesn't bother me in the slightest. What does bother me is the flickering which I did not notice until after the second eye was done. It seems to start when I am staring/focusing on an object, like working a puzzle, and it was bad when I was taking a strength training class this week. The literature I have from my doctor's office said that flickering is normal and should go away over a couple of months. I'm wondering about others here -- has anyone been bothered by the flickering and did it resolve? I'm dedicated to trying to ignore it for the moment and actually, fingers crossed, it might be lessening a bit. So, downsides for me are reading distance and flickering. From my research online, any lens can cause a flickering effect but it is probably more pronounced with the multi/trifocal lenses and acrylic lenses. Ironically, at least two more companies will be coming out with trifocal lenses soon and are in the approval process -- so a couple of years down the road it will probably be a different world as far as lens implants.
Sue.An2 alberta516
Posted
I had flickering for several weeks after 2nd eye surgery (Symfony lenses). It did go away. Was told it was light catching edge of IOL. Didn't happen after first surgery though. Square edge vs round edge IOLs have more of a chance of flickering. But square edge have less chance of pco.
Give it time - hopefully goes away.
laurie93842 alberta516
Posted
I have flickering. My near vision is great. My distance sucks worse than before. My eyes feel irritated 90% of the time. They don't tell you all these things before collecting money. I am seriously regretting this surgery.
laurie93842 303z
Posted
How are your eyes now. I am 3 weeks out with the right eye and 2 weeks out with the left. I am also regretting this surgery on some level. I paid the extra for the panoptix, so I could see at all 3 ranges. Especially, distance. I too am a cyclist. Being able to ride without contacts or glasses would be a dream. I can read small print now that I couldn't before. Labels and menus are a breeze, but my distance vision sucks. Right now it worse than before the surgery. I have the flickering almost non-stop. My eyes are constantly dry and irritated. They weren't like this before the surgery. I think the eye surgeons must get a kick back for selling these things. I don't know. It is miserable to have my eyes hurt on the daily and vision wonky.
andrea02021 303z
Posted
Hello. Happy to have read this.
Had a Pan Optix placed in my right eye on 6/29/21. I am 67. This lens was chosen because of my severe astigmatism and desire to be as free of glasses as possible after wearing them since age 7. Indication for surgery was bilateral cataracts
One day post op experienced flashes of light seemingly coming from the outer edge of the lens that was facing the window. The optometrist who returns calls advised that if this did not happen in the dark to not worry.
There are 2 other issues; you mention colors; are the colors you are seeing accurate? i note that I am seeing an increase in magenta; pinks have a purple tinge; the blue flame from the burners on my gas stove is almost purple; foliage is more blue. I am a serious hobbyist photographer. I will be unable to edit accurately if this is permanent, or pick a paint color or item of clothing accurately. Is this what you are noticing?
Even more troubling is the difference in the size of objects between eyes. Everything appears larger in the eye with the implant. And wider. I am a petite/average size woman; looked in the mirror and looked as if i had added 30 lbs. overnight. Have you noticed this?
I gave not been out at night so can't comment on halos, but i expect to have them. As a 50 year hard/gas permeable contact lens wearer, I have dealt with that for much of that time. This might be worse.
Scheduled to have my left eye done in 3 weeks. Not sure of my options yet. Seeing the surgeon next week for follow up. interested in your continued experiences.
RonAKA andrea02021
Posted
I believe the PanOptix uses the standard Alcon blue light filtering. The lenses are a light yellow colour. If anything this should give you a slightly warmer tint to the vision, not cooler. However, if you have a cataract in your non operated eye, it is most likely giving a much more significant tint as the cataract is not clear. In my non operated eye which has a mild cataract the colours I see are significantly warmer than what I see with my Alcon blue light filtering IOL eye. The whites are bright white with my IOL eye, and quite yellowish and warm with my catarct eye. Alcon designs their blue light filtering to give you the colour vision of a young person, so in theory that should give you the most accurate colour. But, the cataract eye could be way off normal for colour.
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I notice a difference in the size of objects between my IOI eye and cataract eye when I use glasses to correct the cataract eye. However, when I use a contact in my cataract eye, that size difference seems to go away. I suspect when you get your second eye done, the difference may also go away.
andrea02021 RonAKA
Posted
i want to thank you for your response, as i had no idea how active this forum is .
have always had a problem with things being distorted with glasses that fully corrected my vision, so i wore a weaker prescription and just used them for the few hours when my contacts weren't in. contacts did not cause the issue that being said, i hope you are correct that the second lens will fix it . i can live with the flashes and the halos if they don't interfere with driving i am an active retired person and am out at night on a regular basis trying to talk myself into accepting the color changes But the magnification issue will be a killer for me.
i guess i first need to see how my vision is at different distances. only 3 days out i have some distance vision, but after 1 1/2 years in old glasses i can't tell you what good vision is. close is fuzzy and not at all clear at this point. not sure about mid vision yet so far distance seems the best, but i don't know.
thank you again
karla41669 303z
Edited
I am a very active 71 year old female who rides/camps with my horses, bike rides, clears horse trails with a chain saw and plays Pickleball three days a week.
I had a toric PanOptix lens implanted February 15, 2021 in my right eye to correct the stigmatizm. I had blurriness/soreness following the surgery and the stigmatizm was not fully corrected. The only good thing was that I could read amazingly well but my distance vision was not good at all. The second surgery on left eye was scheduled for March 1st. My surgeon encouraged me to have the second surgery as I had a cataract starting and that my "brain" would work better having both implants so I proceeded with surgery using a regular PanOptix lens. I was assured my distance vision, which was excellent, would not be affected but I was still very concerned. Immediately after and the days following surgery I had blurriness/soreness very much like the right eye but not quite as bad. I was unable to pull my living quarters horse trailer to go camping due to the blurriness/soreness and resulting inability to read road signs until I was on top of them. I found it very hard to play Pickleball as it was hard to follow the ball and advertising banners in the gym were blurry. Also my eyes made me very tired forcing me to take naps. Red/green lights had huge spider webs around them at night, car lights had rings of halos and florescent lighting in grocery stores bothered me tremendously. After several months, the vision improved slightly but was overall still blurry/sore. I went to two other surgeon's for a second opinion. One suggested lasix surgery for my right eye to correct the remaining stigmatizm. My original doctor and two others all agreed the toric lens was in the correct position.
I was at my wits end when a friend recommended Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. I did research and found Dr. Robert S. Bailey who did high risk surgeries and also did IOL exchange. He operated at Philadelphia location but performed most of his surgeries at Plymouth Meeting, PA facility. It took me six weeks to get an appointment with Dr. Bailey and for testing to see if removal of these implants was possible. At the same time I scheduled surgery dates. I met with him on June 18th in Plymouth Meeting and had successful IOL exchange on June 24th and July 8th.
I had the toric lens removed from my right eye and a AcrySof toric lens implanted for "distance." Within an hour of removing the bandage I was overjoyed to see perfectly! The PanOptix toric lens had been a "little off" which contributed to my vision problems for that eye. I just had the left eye IOL exchange done yesterday and have the same results...20/20 distance vision. I can also read messages on my phone without readers. Because of the "ring" design on the PanOptix lens, they irrated my eyes. I would strongly warn others not to get those type of implants. I will be able to resume my life within a week and am elated! If you want the best, go to Wills Eye Surgical Center and Dr. Bailey! He's not only a world renown surgeon but very kind and personable. You won't be sorry. If you have questions feel free to contact me on my cell 607-422-1924
Sue.An2 karla41669
Posted
So very happy for you. I am sure this is a major relief.
Eye-so-sad karla41669
Posted
I'm so glad that things worked well for you. To be honest, your post made me cry. My second opinion appointment isn't until early August. It has been so stressful for so long it is hard to have hope. Maybe I will be lucky like you. All the best!
rita81395 karla41669
Posted
It takes courage to explant and change lenses. i tried to call you just now from London as may have my trifocal lenses explanted after 6 months. How are you doing now? Please give us updates. was the procedure more painful and recovery longer than first time around?
Admire you!
assia99778 rita81395
Posted
Hello Rita,
which lenses do you have and what are your problems? I wonder what they said to you in London about explantation, risks, alternative IOL and possible outcome. Do you have explantation specialistes in U.K.?
assia99778 karla41669
Posted
That's great news Karla! Thank your for sharing your experience. I'm happy that everything went well in your case and you can get back to normal life. Mine is out of order since implantion of two toric trifocal IOLs (ZEISS LISA) which are similiar to PanOptix ( 12 diffractive rings). I'm suffering from huge spiderwebs/concentric rings around every point light source. Night driving is a nightmare. In addition, both lenses are off-axis (residual astigmatism), I need several glasses now. Have to put one on top of the other to manage computer and desktop work because intermediate is blurry. Was told to wait at least one year for neuroadaptation. After 9 months without reduction of this terrible dysphotopsia I wonder if this neuroadaption will take place. Thinking of wintertime scares me: darkness at 4.30 pm,
Was your surgery done using general anesthesia or have you been fully conscious (local anesthesia with drops)? What did they tell about the risks and plan B in case of capsular rupture? There must be a second pair of customized lenses at hand in this case which are fixed at the iris). How strong is your astigmatism?
Good wishes for the recovery! I'm sure you're looking forward to the next pickleball match.
karla41669 assia99778
Posted
Hi...I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to reply...I couldn't find the link to this post. In answer to your questions: I had general anesthesia nut was conscious especially during second procedure. I didn't ask what the risks were because I was beyond desperate to have the ex-plants done so didn't care. My astigmatism was not fully corrected but much better than it was with the PanOptix. I play Pickleball four times a week and am enjoying it. My eyes are very dry and I may have plugs put in order to keep them hydrated better.
soks karla41669
Posted
what tests did Wills eye do to check if explant was possible?