PanOptix not what I hoped for, now what?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I'm 50 years old and had worn progressive glasses for nearly a year(readers for 10 years). +2.0 near and add +1.75 on top of that for distance(left eye is similar) provided me great vision. Actually, I didn't realize how great I could actually see with the progressives.... until I had a PanOptix implanted in my right eye(dominate eye).
The Decision:
I was cataract free but consulted an eye clinic (with a VERY good reputation) in Jun 2022 to check into Lasik. My hope was to become glasses free. Dr recommended PanOptix when I seemed let down that he would not be able to make me completely independent from glasses through Lasik. Lens exchange wasn't something that I had even considered. Of course, with no cataracts the procedure would be $7k/eye. But after thinking about things and researching for over two months I decided to proceed with the PanOptix in order to get "amazing" vision without glasses. Dr did warn me about halos that would get better with time. He also warned me that more light would be needed to see clearly. I read about and saw plenty of videos where folks discussed both of these side effects.
Right eye Oct 3:
The procedure was done with an IV so it was nice to "ride the wave" as Dr worked on my eye. It went well and next day post op showed the PanOptix Clareon (+26.5/+2.17 add/+3.25 add) gave me 20/20 and 20/25 while being severely dilated. I was optimistic and I went back to work on Oct 5th. It was tough going from my crystal clear vision(with progressives) to what I now have. I was scheduled to have my left eye(non-dominate eye) done with PanOptix on Oct 10 but I cancelled that appointment due to not being happy with the first PanOptix. I went to see Dr on Oct 7 and he gave me a +2.5 contact to use in my left eye to help me gain some intermediate and distance vision. Pressure in eye is good and everything looks good to him.
Current(20 days post op):
So, for the past two weeks I have gotten by pretty well with the +2.5 contact in left eye and the PanOptix in right eye. I'm still experiencing halos at night and sometime during the day. Currently my vision from 10" to 22" is pretty good with the PanOptix but beyond that its honestly not very impressive. I don't seem to have the clarity with the PanOptix eye that I have with my non-dominate eye with the +2.5 contact lens. I do feel like I originally had better intermediate and distance clarity but it's not as good now for some reason. I still have some occasional flickering but it's getting better. I will say that the PanOptix is better than my left eye with the contact is removed, LOL.
Vivity prospect in left eye:
Not sure where to go from here. I've read that PanOptix in both eyes will work better but I'm concerned about not having decent enough intermediate vision. I've considered the Vivity in my left eye to help with the intermediate vision. My Dr says " a Vivtiy in the left eye is a great option, we do this for patients that only qualify for the Panoptix Lens in one eye and they do well. The overall goal is to let the eyes work together to give you the best quality vision, training your mind not to compare each eye to the other." So at least it sounds like I'm a candidate for the Vivity.
No IOL in left eye:
I've also considered asking about Lasik in my left eye instead of an IOL. Of course I can keep using the contact lens and change them out every two weeks but even every two weeks is a challenge. Hopefully it will get easier because it's quite a struggle right now.
I will be contacting Dr to let them know that clarity with the PanOptix seems to be not as good as it was. I suppose I will be making the trip to eye Dr this week.
0 likes, 7 replies
007Bond rybern
Posted
Hey rybern. I hear you I got one eye done with the Panoptix 13 days ago. I have a long post here maybe you seen it where I go into a lot of details. But it is safe to say as of today we are not where I had hoped to be with vision. I only have my left non dominate eye done at this point since it had the worst cataract. Right eye has a very beginning cataract and there is no rush to get it done at this time. Even if there was, I would have canceled for now until things are resolved with the left Panoptix.
I have to say knowing what I know today I would never opt for IOL replacement unless I had a cataract. At least my doctor was very clear that having an iol installed is only a good option for someone with a cataract otherwise you should explore other options and I totally agree with him. He was very upfront in telling me that this is a serious procedure and even though my right eye has a cataract I should probably just wait until it's necessary before having the operation. It's also worth noting that new technologies come out all the time and waiting even a year can give you a completely different and better option that wasn't available previously.
For me the next day I was not like you having great vision I really could barely see it took several days for things to really improve. I would say as of today still nothing is clear and crisp at any distance. I have times where things look clearer than others I've gone into pretty good detail on my thread. I think there is a large learning curve for many people with this lens. I also have the occasional flickering and I do see something off to the left edge it's much worse when there's a light source to my left especially if it's sunlight from a window or I'm outside. Some days this is much worse than others I think possibly overall it's improved over the past almost two weeks. But again, it's not as bad in dark or cloudy days like it is today.
I notice that the quality of the vision seems to vary greatly with what I am viewing you can give it a try. Black on white text white on black text viewing the same text on a printed piece of paper versus a laptop screen. For me there is a difference I could take a letter put that up on my screen print that letter and compare the paper side by side to my computer screen clearly the printed piece of paper is much clearer even though the text is exactly the same including size. I think the multiple rings create a ghost image and this image is amplified by any device that is illuminated like a computer monitor. You can take that same piece of paper and view it in a room that's brightly lit and if you have a dimmer, if you don’t move the piece of paper but slowly dim the light and you will notice that the text slowly becomes less clear.
I've also read that putting another panoptix in the other eye gives you the best quality, but I'm not convinced of that. I think mixing it with an extended depth of focus is probably a better combination or possibly just a single vision lens set for distance.
But I can tell you from my experience and what I've learned is that you’re really not going to know what your vision is going to be in the long run until at least five or six weeks out.
There's something to be said about the eyes working together for better clarity. My right eye really can't see anything clear intermediate or close only distance. My right eye typically needs plus 2.75 readers but I've been going without glasses since the panoptics. I'm trying to get them to work together since my goal was no glasses and to utilize my right eye which is currently good for distance in more of a monovision setup. The point of what I'm saying is when I have both eyes open in general my overall vision is noticeably clearer than if I cover my right eye. So right now, in front of this computer monitor overall reading your post with both eyes open no glasses it's reasonably clear. Is it what I expected, is it what I hoped for, no it's nothing like the clarity you get from a good pair of glasses that have the proper prescription. But I can certainly get by with it and when I cover my right eye the text gets significantly more out of focus. So somehow even though my right eye sees this text completely blurry and illegible if I cover my left eye, when it's combined it somehow looks sharper. I think it has a lot to do with the multiple rings of the panoptix somehow the right eye though the text is blurry aids my brain and focusing on the more clear image of the left eye helping it filter out the other Halos ghost images. Anyway, for me I'm not where I want to be and I'm still very much in the experimental phase of testing my vision in a variety of different conditions and finding quite a variation in different scenarios.
I wish you the best.
rybern 007Bond
Posted
I appreciate your response. I'm sorry to read through your issues with this lens. I've read through several threads on here so I'm sure I've come across your issue with this lens(along with a few others). Actually, from day one I haven't been impressed either. But my eyes were still dilated and my vision did improve as the dilation wore off.
I did experience the ghosting you describe in the beginning but I don't notice it any more. If I look for ghosting then I notice it with white letters on a black background but this isn't something that really bothers me. I'm not looking for things to not like about the PanOptix and I really would like to make it work.
I think you may be right about our non-PanOptix eyes aiding in how well our PanOptix eyes see. I haven't had my +2.5 contact lens in my left eye in over 24 hours and I can tell that my vision is considerably worse than when its in. I look forward to getting it back in there.
RonAKA rybern
Posted
I would not do anything until you hit the 6 week mark and get your eyes examined and refracted for an eyeglass prescription. That way you will know where you stand with the PanOptix eye. I think it would be best to just use a contact in your other eye until you have had some time to consider whether or not to get your good natural lens removed. There is no going back.
.
I have found there are significant differences between contact lenses. Of the Daily disposable type, I found the silicone hydrogel ones like the CooperVision MyDay (Kirkland Daily), Alcon Total1, and J&J Oasys much easier to handle than the hydrogel ones like the Acuvue Moist. I would suggest doing a trial with different lenses if you have trouble handling them.
rybern RonAKA
Posted
I appreciate your response. I suspect your right about waiting 3 more weeks before making any decisions. The Contact lens I'm using is a AcuVue Oasys and my Dr's office said I could wear it for two weeks at a time and that has been great without issue.... until I swap it for a new one. I wore it for two weeks and didn't even know it was in there. I've been without it for more than a day and I'm ready to get it back in. I will say that the PanOptix is better than my uncorrected eye, LOL.
Sue.An2 rybern
Posted
First off so sorry to hear you were suggested these IOLs without having cataracts. As said free procedure if you have cataracts but costly without. I wish it were illegal without cataracts to implant these.
That being said please do not proceed with the other eye and wait full 6 weeks and then have your regular optometrist (not this surgeon) do a refraction test to see where you wound up.
Wishing you well
rybern Sue.An2
Posted
Thank you Sue. I'm definitely waiting 6 weeks(or longer) to decide what to do. I'm actually going to see my regular optometrist this week to bring him into the equation but may go back at the 6 weeks point to do the refraction. I didn't do enough research before PanOptix and hope to not repeat the same mistake.
rybern
Posted
I went to see my regular optometrist to see what he thought. He said the implant looks good and sees no issues with the procedure. He didn't bother testing my close up vision because I was explaining how good I can see up close but for distance, I could easily see 20/20 and got 3 out of 5 on 20/15. He recommended me give it some time and see if the side effects get better and if I adapt to seeing more clearly.
I'll be 4 weeks post op this coming Monday and I'll be done with the drops. I've read that the drops can cause clarity issue so I'm hoping that I'll become more content with my midrange and distance vision after quitting the drops.