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
blind54 303z
Edited
For me, it was the worst decision I ever made. I had the PanOptix lenses inserted in the summer of 2021 and have had nothing but problems ever since. Huge gray floaters, unsuccessfully treated with YAG laser in autumn 2021. Numerous eye infections, uveitis, episcleritis. Am now awaiting a vitrectomy on my left eye, scheduled 10/5/22, to get rid of the floaters--as I have been unable to drive at night. On daily prednisone drops for continued inflammation in my right eye. I don't know of anyone who has had these issues. My 4 siblings all had cataracts with traditional IOL inserted (I chose PanOptix lenses after my surgeon recommended them-stating I'd never need glasses--felt I deserved it, had saved my money...) I continue to have 'halos' around lights -not present preoperatively. I can't tolerate fluorescent lights in stores or gyms--I know the light intolerance won't improve with the vitrectomy, but I am hopeful once the floaters are gone, I can drive at night and have some resumption of a normal life.
I wish I could find some answers as to why this has happened, but no one has been able to help, other than to say I am an outlier.
303z
Posted
Well, it's been two years of frustration with Panoptix. My vision is not only 20/40, but the way the lenses work, I'm unable to use readers for up-close vision. Needing readers defeats a huge part of the reason I went with the premium lenses too.
It's been a two-year saga of the surgeon's office saying that I need to cure a bad case of blepharitis before they can do anything to correct my vision, and not being able to find any cure for said condition. The surgeon says that the blepharitis - new to me as of surgery - is causing inconsistent vision testing, and that they want to see consistent results before moving forward. Makes sense, but now that it's been two years of this, I've lost hope. Currently talking to another doctor about the options of replacing these IOL's with a different IOL, but am half expecting to be told that it's been too long to do that.
Not only is vision blurry up close and at midrange, but halos around lights and shiny objects during day and night are frustrating at best. I'm unable to focus on just about anything in most artificial light - places like grocery stores drive me crazy as I have to get within an almost exact range of roughly 8-inches to read any shelf label. I can't read computer screens clearly, and haven't been able to find a prescription to help with this from the optometrist. My distant vision is okay but not great. I do have a prescription for glasses that noticeably improve night vision, but they don't allow me to read the dash while driving. The glasses also give me a headache if worn for more than an hour or two.
rap109 303z
Edited
I'm 68 and for years have been using one pair of bifocals for daily living and another pair of computer bifocals that allowed me to read the screen at arm's length away, and also see the keyboard clearly. I had no idea I had cataracts at my visit to my eye doctor in the spring and was referred to see one of the top ophthalmologists in our immediate area (Norfolk, 2 1/2 hours away) for an evaluation.
I was told at the eval I was the perfect candidate to be glasses free with PanOptix IOL implants, and that was all I needed to hear as I never liked wearing glasses, and the constant switching back and forth throughout the day from computer glasses to "regular" glasses was tiresome. Now I long for those days.
I'm at eight weeks with "ok" vision near, intermediate, and distance. None of those are sharp. Apparently I have yet to "adjust." Distance is the fuzziest. I can read fine - about 16", but I experience the ghosts/shadows on text that others describe here, along with the same shadow image of most things viewed close. I use Photoshop and would describe it as items having about a 10% Outer Glow...
November 30 is my second follow up appointment with ophthalmologist, marking three months post-op. Unless I am told otherwise I do not intend to do anything until at least six months, except to get a second opinion at Duke University.
I would not recommend PanOptix for anyone doing precise work, and/or someone making their living doing computer graphics work. I currently have no idea if an online image is sharp or not. Browsing IG on my iPhone used to be inspiring, now it's depressing.
007Bond rap109
Posted
Well rap109 my story is younger as in just a few weeks post op but I like your description “outer glow” I agree 100% everything has it. Sad to read that you are 8 weeks out and still have this I can only say I wish you the best. You can read my full story in my thread if you are interested it’s not fair for me to repost it all here. “To Panoptix or not to Panoptix that is the question?”
I have some theories about why we see the outer glow I was calling it ghosting since it looks like Casper is hiding behind every letter or object.
But agreed we must give it time. I found a post not here that it took the person a whole year and still they were not 100% where they had hoped to be visually.
I do know we sometimes see what we want to see so I am very much trying to mentally focus on what I want to see and tune out what I don’t want to see. Easier said than done…but seem to be a mandatory requirement with the lens we now have.
RonAKA 007Bond
Posted
I think the outer glow is just an out of focus image caused by the MF IOL. The hope is that one learns to ignore it.
rap109 RonAKA
Edited
I can only guess that this was created correctly to depict one issue
rap109 RonAKA
Edited
RonAKA rap109
Posted
Yes, that is what I would expect from a MF lens. I have a similar but different effect from astigmatism. I get what I call the drop shadow effect, but not as a halo all around the sharp image, but as a fuzzy image to the right and a little lower of the sharp image. Putting eyeglasses with astigmatism correction pretty much eliminates the drop shadow.
rap109 RonAKA
Posted
I had no idea I might expect this, but then I did little research, relying on what I was told. I think I was too excited after hearing from "the top surgeon" I would be glasses free, what else did I need to know? Let's get on with it! That was my mistake.
Maybe time will change my symptoms and that is what I hope for as I do not want to have any more surgeries on my eyes after this. I've lost faith in the surgeon since not being told about all potential side effects, and allowing me to make the decision if it was worth the risk. The surgeon made the decision. I thought it was unethical, but someone at the American Academy of Ophthalmology did not appear to share that opinion.
joanne3040 303z
Posted
11.14.22 - Panoptix lenses ( both eyes) installed 2 months ago Mid September 2022.
Pros - The good news I can see my phone, cook and watch TV with out glasses. Would not say things are crystal clear but manageable. I am a lap swimmer and everything looks really good underwater.
Cons-
Driving is bearable on the back roads with little traffic. First time I entered a village with lots of lights ( last week) it was terribly blurry ! Felt like I was looking thru cellophane - actually quite disturbing / frightening. Will not drive at night beyond the back roads. Definitely no driving in dark in conditions of rain, fog or snow!
I have dual 27 inch monitors that sit 32 inches from my face and it is very blurry and not getting better ! Constantly increasing the font, adjusting the monitor lighting and contrast. Have to take many breaks and eye drops. I have lots of windows in my office and when it is sunny out I must close all the blinds to work on my PC. So much for my nice view. The one thing I was hoping form this surgery was not to wear glasses with my monitors - very disappointed.
I am very active outside walking, gardening etc. On a bright day after spending hours outside - I find it difficult to adjust when I come inside - Blurred vision.
I use to like the lights dim in my house in the evening - now I like them bright. And yet ,the bright sunlight outside is difficult to deal with. Had to buy new wrap around sunglasses.
My long distance vision does not have clarity during daylight.
I had a floater in my left eye before surgery and is worse since my surgery. Have a new floater in my right eye adding to the blurriness. This may be the source of all my blurriness
I am looking to see if anyone else has issue with their monitors and can recommend a screen to put over the monitors - I have been researching anti glare, blue light ... no luck most reviews show these types of screen makes vision blurry.
I am an amateur photographer and questioning the colors that other folks see in my photos.
Have follow up with eye doc next week.
RonAKA joanne3040
Posted
You may want to experiment with a few different weak powers of dollar store reading glasses to see if that helps with your computer monitor vision.
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Most Alcon lenses like the PanOptix use blue light filtering. They give a much closer match to the colour spectrum of younger natural lens eyes than the typically clear J&J lenses. They should not be the reason for questioning your colour judgement. Do you use a colour monitor calibration tool like the Spyder? Often monitor colour accuracy can be a cause of producing off colour photos.
007Bond joanne3040
Edited
Pros - The good news I can see my phone, cook and watch TV with out glasses. Would not say things are crystal clear but manageable.
I generally agree you can read my story at https://patient.info/forums/discuss/to-panoptix-or-not-to-panoptix-that-is-the-question--791385 for more details.
Cons-
Driving is bearable on the back roads with little traffic.
This has improved a lot for me you may be ok in time.
Will not drive at night beyond the back roads. Definitely no driving in dark in conditions of rain, fog or snow!
Don’t give up I was thinking this just last week but with some eye training I am ok so don’t give up.
I* have dual 27 inch monitors that sit 32 inches from my face and it is very blurry and not getting better! Constantly increasing the font, adjusting the monitor lighting and contrast. Have to take many breaks and eye drops. I have lots of windows in my office and when it is sunny out I must close all the blinds to work on my PC. So much for my nice view. The one thing I was hoping form this surgery was not to wear glasses with my monitors - very disappointed.*
I was in this same spot don’t give up it does get better. If your monitor has any contrast or translucent options work for more black on white.
I am very active outside walking, gardening etc. On a bright day after spending hours outside - I find it difficult to adjust when I come inside - Blurred vision.
I only had this for the first week I think it will improve.
I use to like the lights dim in my house in the evening - now I like them bright. And yet ,the bright sunlight outside is difficult to deal with. Had to buy new wrap around sunglasses.
This is one of the trade offs with this lens the light is split so you have less light going in for each task. So to make things look good you will have to accept the fact that you now need more light.
My long distance vision does not have clarity during daylight.
This just mostly cleared up for me a week after stopping the drops and doing more artificial tears. The sunlight thing went away in a week. But depending on how bad your cataracts were it may be more sunlight they you have seen in a while. You should get use to it don't worry.
I am looking to see if anyone else has issue with their monitors and can recommend a screen to put over the monitors - I have been researching anti glare, blue light ... no luck most reviews show these types of screen makes vision blurry.
Like I was saying if you have a mac you will have several options to make it better on my work windows laptop a lot less options but I did get it dialed in.
I am an amateur photographer and questioning the colors that other folks see in my photos.
I still have my natural lens in my right eye. I can tell you 100% white is much more pure white with the Panoptix and more yellow with my natural eye. Darker colors do not have any issue but any color like light tan, skin, things like that will be a bit diff Panoptix vs natural. I actually like how I see out of the Panoptix eye for colors they all look much more vibrant. I am not a photographer so my preference only has to make me happy not my customers. But I think in some time you will get use to it and you will be ok.
I think some take more time than others. Also what helped me is focus on what is clear not what is odd or different. Try to look at the screens as a whole focus on what you like and try to ignore the things you don't like. You are retraining your brain to see what you want to see. If you keep focusing on what you don't like that takes the front seat. I think being happy with the Panoptix is really a big mind game, play to win.
007Bond joanne3040
Edited
If you have a mac this setting on phone and laptop helps a lot.
lisa50682 joanne3040
Posted
sad story
thx for reporting
hope it gets better
lisa50682 303z
Posted
thx for unpacking these details