Restor 2.5D Review and Comments
Posted , 16 users are following.
First, thank you very much to Sue.An and everyone else on this forum for the extremely helpful insight during this very difficult process. I’m going to apologize, in advance, for the length of this post.
I’m writing this because I had not found a single review of the newer, Restor 2.5D lenses online, just one or two complaints but the issues didn't seem to be related to the choice of IOL itself. This lens is a lower-add and re-designed (center-distance) version of the older Restor lenses. There are many older Restor posts online but many of these are quite old and, unfortunately, most patients don’t indicate which of the various Restor lenses they had. I had many questions about this lens such as the loss of contrast, nighttime halos, dip in vision between focal points, and similar and other than the company sponsored research and studies there was very little out there. Contrast this with Symfony where there are hundreds of personal reviews and comments. It’s an oddity as there are many, many Restor 2.5D’s being installed. I decided to write my in-depth thoughts and comments on this lens. My left is still unaffected by its cataract, so I think I can do a decent job of comparing the two eyes (which wouldn’t be possible otherwise). Hopefully this will help someone else in the future
BACKGROUND
I am a healthy male (just turned 51). I have cataracts in both eyes which were diagnosed about 2 years ago. There was nothing in my family history (or in my own) which would have put me at risk for early cataracts. At the time, a surgeon told me that it would probably be about 4-5 years before I’d need surgery. That turned out not to be the case although my right eye progressed much more rapidly than my left. I am near sighted and, until recently, have been wearing Acuvue Oasys weekly disposable contacts for ~20 years (-4.5L, -3.25R, although the right was the same as the left before cataracts developed). I have a very mild astigmatism in my right eye (approx 0.25D) which was uncorrected with lenses (and also not corrected during cataract surgery). With the lenses (and before the cataracts progressed), I could see about 20/13 in my left eye and 20/15 in my right eye. At the time of surgery, the vision in my right eye was down to about 20/50 to 20/40 (under perfect lighting conditions) and essentially nothing under other lighting conditions. My left eye is still at 20/13 (so the cataract is not yet an issue in this eye).
I have been using +1.25 readers for computers and +2.00 readers for extended cell phone/tablet use for the past 3+ years. My goal was to get back computer, tablet, and some cell phone reading without glasses. I was totally fine with continued use of readers for close-up work and extended cell phone use. I should mention that I am an engineer and electrical contractor and work extensively on the computer. I have a relatively large set-up with a 34” 21:9 and (2) 27” 16:9 monitors (all at 1440P). I sit between 24” and 30” from the monitors which makes text pretty small (and means I need pretty sharp vision). My office is the lowest level of my house, so if I may refer to home and office somewhat interchangeably.
One of the biggest problems with presbyopia correcting IOL’s is nighttime halos and other problems. Since the cataract is not yet causing problem in my left eye, I wanted to try to simulate these effects before surgery and I opted to test out some multifocal contact lenses. Ultimately, I was unable to find a lens that could duplicate the nighttime halos of a multifocal IOL. However, after two completely failed attempts, the third multifocal contact I tried (Cooper Proclear 1-Day Multifocal) was a complete success. I was able to achieve 20/13 distance and pretty good intermediate vision. Unfortunately, the cataract in my right eye was too strong and even with this lens in my left eye, I still needed reading glasses. The right eye just caused too much distortion to make extended reading/computer use possible. I tired a patch over the right eye but didn’t adjust to that either.
After much research, I chose to go with multifocal Restor 2.5D lenses. I was also considering monofocal IOL’s (set for distance) and Symfony. My surgeon uses both Restor and Symfony although he does 4X as many Restor lenses. Due to my personality, I ruled out any form of monovision. I know that quite a few patients are able to read with monofocal IOL’s set for distance but there are many factors in how well this works. In my case, with contacts set at perfect distance (and some accommodation left), near and intermediate vision are absolutely horrible. I can’t imagine that a monofocal with zero accommodation would suddenly give me great intermediate vision, so I ultimately decided that I would try one of the Presbyopia correcting lenses. Mainly due to this forum, I decided to trade off the extended focus range and lower incidence of nighttime halos with Symfony for the lack of concentric rings (which seem to affect almost everyone). Also, my surgeon’s familiarity with the lenses and the fact that he has not had a single explant ultimately led me to this decision.
Although these terms get somewhat interchanged, I’m going to use the term “Halo” to refer to one or more circular/rectangular rings centered around a light source, “Glare” to refer to a more diffuse “blob” of light around an object and “Starburst” to refer to fewer but long, spokes or vertical lines of light radiating away from the central source. When I’m mentioning Halos, I’m talking about artifacts specifically related to the design of the lens while I think most starbursts are artifacts caused by the capsule, scarring or similar and are mostly independent of the choice of IOL.
Day 1 (Thursday 2/8/18) – Surgery was at 10:30 AM. Femtolaser room was first, with no sedation, only numbing drops in the eye. I was nervous about this, but it did not hurt and it was over quickly (less than 1 minute). The machine has a suction-like device which helps greatly as you just have to stay “reasonably” still.
Once the femtolaser is done, they immediately started IV Sedation and wheeled me to the surgery room. I was pretty much out of it but did get some direction from the surgeon. There was no pain and I was on my way home by noon. My surgeon puts a dressing and shield over the eye for the first night (most surgeons seem to just use a clear shield), so I went home like this and had no idea if I could see at all. There was really no pain, but the bandage over my eye did itch and occasionally I would open my eye below the bandages and it would sting. The gauze itched my eyelid and the sides of my eyes. I would say that dealing with the bandage the first afternoon/evening was far worse than the surgery but it really wasn’t that bad.
Day 2 (Friday) – Doctor’s office at 9:30 AM.
My bandage was removed and the overall feeling was …underwhelming. I have read many comments on peoples’ first impressions about how everything was so clear and the colors so vibrant and I didn’t feel any of that. The cloudy “veil” was removed but colors looked pretty much the same as before and pretty much exactly like my left eye. This was likely due to the type of cataract I had which was a posterior subcapsular cataract. The surgeon also told me today that I would definitely need YAG within 3 months. He had told me ahead of time that YAG was likely going to be required but now it’s a certainty. I am hoping to see the benefits of the near focal point before we get to that point. At this time, I don’t feel my intermediate vision is good at all. We’ll see how this changes over time, though.
Day 2 (Friday) – Back home around 11:30 AM.
My vision is not very sharp but it is not horrible either, certainly much better than before the surgery. At distance, I am about 20/50 (I have a chart in my office set at the correct distance). At 6 ft, about 20/70 and at 21 inches (the near focus point for the Restor 2.5D) I am about 20/100 (14-pt font). For near testing, I am using a chart meant to be held at 31cm (which has conversions into metric and feet), but I am holding it close to the 53 cm (21 in) point for the Restor. This means that my actual vision would be a little better than 20/100 (because I am holding the chart further out). Nevertheless, I think it’s a fair measure to see what happens over time and I’ll be doing the same thing as I progress to see if it gets better or worse over time.
I tried small distance add glasses (-0.5D and -1.0D) as well as reading glasses (+0.75 and +1.25) and neither of these seemed to make any improvement which I’m hoping is a positive sign that I’m just feeling effects of the surgery itself and not a miss in the target. I am also seeing flashes of light which appear to be emanating from the outside edge of my viewing. They are not constant and the relatively large QTY of floaters I had prior to surgery seems about the same so the surgeon doesn’t believe that I have a retinal detachment.
Day 2 (Friday) – Mid-Afternoon
I wanted to take the day off, but I had to try to do some work. I got on the computer and forced myself to NOT use my normal +1.25 computer reading glasses. It took about 15-20 minutes but then my vision settled down and seemed to get better and better over the next few hours. I actually worked close to 4 hours without reading glasses for the first time in 2+ years! After this, I went outside to the back yard (it’s been over 70 deg F for the past week here in San Francisco) and lied down by my fire pit with my tablet for more than 2 hours. No reading glasses. I can also use my cell phone now without reading glasses. What I found is that the moderate improvement to my right eye from the new IOL coupled with the multifocal contact in the left eye creates some really impressive combined vision. I am really excited and happy about this.
Day 3 (Saturday) – Pretty much exactly 48 hours post-surgery
This morning, my distance vision has improved to 20/30 and my near (using the same procedure as yesterday) is up to 20/50 (8-pt font). With both eyes together, it is 20/13 distance and 20/25 near (4-pt font). However, I am noticing significant flickering at the right edge of my vision while my eyes are moving (mostly during reading). There is a very good (and long) thread on this forum regarding this symptom. With +2.0 reading glasses I was able to look into the mirror and see the implant itself move and kind of flicker while this happened. I’m hopeful that this condition will lessen as the lens gets held more firmly. Already, I can say that my brain is somewhat tuning them out as I don’t notice them all the time. I also see occasional flashes from an off-angle light source, although this is not frequent.
I walked around quite a bit last night and definitely see Halos around most light sources of differing intensity (depending on the light source). I am seeing pretty much exactly what is drawn by David Taylor’s son (Search for, “David Taylor my intraocular lens experience”) in his Restor ere image but WITHOUT the long starburst “spoke” lines (I just see the circles). They are very noticeable but also quite small relative to the size of the light source. The same sources through my left eye appear as slightly smaller and uniform, fuzzy “balls of glare” (probably the only visual evidence of my cataract in that eye). One difference is that with the Restor eye I can make out the actual shape of the light source clearly in the center. For example, a square LED light fixture across the street looks square and more sharp inside 3 or 4larger halo rings (with Restor) where it’s more of a single, diffuse blob with my left eye (and maybe a little smaller overall). Due to my research, this is exactly what I expected to see and while this effect should lessen over time, due to the relatively small size I don’t feel it will cause much of a problem in terms of driving. I may be wrong about this, so we’ll have to try it in a few days.
I also tried to see how much of a loss of contrast there is with this lens alternating back and forth between my two eyes. It was pretty hard to see much of a difference. However, in a very dark room I can detect a subtly better image through my left eye. Looking at my bedroom door, for example, I can just make out the hinge and door handle with my left eye but not with my right. I can also see some added detail looking at a power receptacle about 12 feet away whereas I can only see the outline with the Restor eye. It’s really a subtle difference however but I will make note of any differences I see in other situations.
I watched a movie and some TV last night in a completely dark room. I wanted to see if I’d notice halos around credits or other objects on the screen. This was a concern of mine as I like to play compute/console games and watch movies. I did not notice any artifacts from the Restor eye, but I will continue to do the left/right eye test on this over the next few weeks.
I also wanted to comment on the dropoff in vision that should be there between the two focal points (maybe around the 6 ft, 2m point). At this stage, I cannot notice this, but my vision isn’t sharp enough yet, so I will revisit this late on. This is another area where the Symfony should be superior.
Overall Summary and a Quandary
At this point my visual results (numerically) seem to not be optimal but they are improving and hopefully this will continue. However, my overall vision has improved so much over my pre-surgery condition that I am already very happy at this point while still expecting additional improvement. Had I done an RLE (clear lens exchange), I would probably feel completely different. With my two eyes together (RESTOR 2.5D + Multifocal Contact) my vision is now quite good. I can read my cell in to about 12”(with its default font size) and it’s the Restor providing most of the clarity at this distance. I’ve been able to use a tablet or computer for several hours without glasses. I have regained my depth perception and watching TV just seemed so much more clear and sharp.
The problem is that multifocal IOL’s supposedly work much better if implanted bilaterally and I am scheduled to have my left eye surgery in less than 3 weeks. I don’t know if I’m going to go through with it or delay it for a while. The surgery on my right eye was an easy choice – my vision was already poor – but that’s not yet the case with the left. I don’t know if I have another 2-3 months of clear vision or 2-3 years. Also, since I have a multifocal contact paired with a multifocal IOL, does this improve the performance of the IOL (relative to a standard contact lens) or does it mean the Restor side doesn’t improve to its full potential? I haven’t found a single comment or study about this as it’s probably an uncommon situation. I see the surgeon again on Wednesday and I am going to push for a delay on the other eye but I will report back either way. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Finally, in case any contact lens wearers considering an RLE happen upon this post in the future I want to encourage you to exhaust every possible presbyopia curing contact lens option before getting an IOL implant. In my case, the first two multifocal contacts I tried didn’t work at all. I did get good intermediate vision, but my distance vision dropped below 20/40. With one lens, I could get the distance up to 20/20 only if I turned my head sideways and look back at a very sharp angle. On paper, the design of the lens that worked is very similar to the lenses that didn’t worked, but boy did lens #3 work for me. Just find an optometrist that will give you multiple trials of different lenses until you’ve exhausted every option. No matter how good your surgeon replacing doing an RLE will come with some sacrifices. Unfortunately, the contacts will only work for me for a limited time but they feel like magic to me.
3 likes, 85 replies
jantje32476 derek40125
Posted
Hi derek40125, your right eye was implanted with Restor 2.5D some time in 2018 February (?).
julielyn's surgery dates were 12/21/2017 and 12/28/2017.
Just came across this. "Class 1 Device Recall ReSTOR IOL"
Date Initiated by Firm: April 15, 2015
Recall Status1: Terminated 3 on June 30, 2017
Product: Alcon ReSTOR intraocular lens and ReSTOR Toric intraocular lens
Code Information: Model Numbers: SN6AD1, SN6AD3, SV25T0, MN6AD1,SND1T3, SND1T4, SND1T5 and SND1T6 and all lot numbers.
Manufacturer Reason for Recall: There are reports of post - operative inflammation and/or toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) after cataract surgery.
julielyn jantje32476
Posted
julielyn jantje32476
Posted
julielyn
Posted
derek40125 julielyn
Posted
There was never any expansion to other markets so I figured that it was unique to those lenses. In an odd way, knowing that there was an extensive recall in 2015 actually made me more comfortable with doing the surgery in 2018. A recall like that on a medically implanted device costs the mfg a lot of money so I think that they have a huge incentive to identify and fix the problem.
jantje32476 julielyn
Posted
If you google "Class 1 Device Recall ReSTOR IOL", it should come up. But I'm msg you the link.
jantje32476 julielyn
Posted
Yes, the FDA site did specify that "the lenses subject to this correction are manufactured specifically for Japan."
The recall status terminated on June 30, 2017 (2 years after the recall was initiated).
jantje32476 derek40125
Posted
If only more cataract patients are well informed like you and many others here.
Agree that medical manufacturers "have a huge incentive to identify and fix the problem." The chances of getting a mislabeled IOL is minimal.
Tecnis multifocals, Model No. ZKB00, ZLB00, had a Class 2 Device Recall (initiated on 2016 August 26, terminated on 2016 December 23). Reason for recall being that "they were not being checked prior to release and this may result in the release of mislabeled IOLs."
charly338 derek40125
Posted
Hi Derek,
Thank you for writing this review. You are right that there is no information about the Restore 2.5 lens from a patient's view.
I did a lot of research and thought that the Symfony EDOF would be the lens I wanted. I read too many accounts of unhappy patients with the Restore Multifocal (3D), especially regarding the night artifacts.
I had a lot of astigmatism and then cataracts on top of that. Hard to know which was making my vision worse. I could still see fine with glasses, but it was becoming less so these last 2 yrs. Night driving was becoming a challenge with the halos, starbursts etc. I couldn't see the road if a car was coming the opposite direction.
So I wanted to be able to see again to drive at night.
Because I have astigmatism and needed a toric lens, plus the fact I wanted better night vision,my surgeon recommended the Restore 2.5 toric which I did not know about. He said that the Symfony lens can rotate after placement and has more night artifacts than the Restore.
I had the right eye done 2 weeks ago and like you, I was underwhelmed. My vision after surgery was blurry which is apparently normal. Mine lasted longer than usual, so I post-poned the second eye to give this one more time to heal. It's been very slow. I have ghosting/double vision around all print and for a week and a half everything seemed slightly out of focus but now at 2 weeks things are much sharper and clear except for the ghosting. I can now drive without my corrective lens on the left eye, watch TV without the glasses as well.
I do believe now that everyone heals differently. One thing my surgeon mentioned is that the cataract he removed was kind of thick and the new lens is very thin so it takes time for the capsular bag to shrink around the new lens. This can account for some of the jumpy print i see.
I hope you will keep us updated as to your progress and if you have the Yag.
derek40125 charly338
Posted
Thanks, Charly. Please update again after more time has elapsed and particularly a few weeks after you've stopped all the eye drops. That was when my vision fully stabilzed. I will agree that while text can be very sharp and clear with the Restor there is often a halo or corona effect around the letters and it differs based on the colors (black text on a white background vs white text on a black background). I only notice this when I'm closing my other eye though. You also need good lighting in order to read, but that's not an issue with a phone, tablet, or computer, of course.
I haven't had YAG yet and despite what my surgeon predicted, I haven't noticed any issues with my vision, so maybe I won't need it after all (or at least not soon).
I think it's a good idea that you are waiting on your second eye. However, the Restor definitely works best at the near focus point if both eyes are see in that distance range.They'll suggest bilateral implantation, maybe a Restor 3.0 in one eye or 2.5 in both. It doesn't have to be (2) Restor IOL's though. You could have Symfony in the other eye if you wanted. Personally, when my other eye needs the surgery, I would not consider the 3.0 Restor. I'll either get a second 2.5D or an EDOF or, if they released an even lower-add Restor, like a 2.0D, I'd opt for that one.
In my case, the cataract in my other eye isn't yet affecting my vision. That eye, with a multifocal contact plus the other eye with the Restor 2.5D gives me great reading/computer vision for hours at a time. However, if I use a regular contact lens (for distance) I can still read (using only the Restor eye) but I tire quickly and my range isn't as good. If I use a low power reading lens (over the Restor eye) coupled with the multifocal contact, it's similar. I can read but not for hours at a time. It's the combination of both eyes corrected to a similar range, working together, which is allowing me to function on my computer for the entire day.
charly338 derek40125
Posted
Thanks, Derek. I will update after I'm off the drops. Anxious to see if the ghosting will get better. I was curious how much "left over" astigmatism I have and it measures .75. Prior to surgery it was at least -2.75 if not more.
But I'm still healing so I hope that changes. I would not consider the Restor 3D either as I have quite good near vision with the 2.5 and as of today am seeing 20/20. I like that this lens has fewer night time artifacts.
john96574 derek40125
Posted
Derek,
Thank you for such a detailed case history. Four days ago, I underwent cataract surgery (Femtolaser) on my right eye and had the Restor 2.5D implanted. Your description of the procedure was almost exactly what I experienced, so I won't repeat that. As a quick background, here is my situation. I am 56 and up until my mid-40s enjoyed 20/10 vision. After that, started to use reading glasses. I noticed a fogging around night lighting at around age 47 and suspect that was the start of my cataracts. About 18 months ago, the cataract in my right eye started impacting my vision during the day and it progressed to the point that in high glare situations or hazy afternoons, I could only make out shapes with that eye. My left eye also has a cataract, but is not as advanced and only results in some fogging in some lighting situations.
Four days ago, the cataract in the right eye was removed and replaced with the Restor 2.5D. On the follow-up the next day, my eye was bloodshot, somewhat scratchy, and blurry. But, I could walk with some unsteadiness. Colors and lighting was noticeably brighter than in the untreated eye. Also, I noticed a fluttering of light in the outside periphery of my treated eye.
Each day since the surgery, the scratchiness of my treated eye has lessened, and vision has cleared slightly. I still have that "funny feeling" while walking, as my brain is still making the adjustment to the new lens. The fluttering in my periphery is still very evident, especially in situations where there is an isolated light source (reading light, overhead lamp, open window). However, I can watch TV and walk around outside with no noticeable "fluttering" of light. Reading is a bit aggravating with the flutter of light at this point.
Last night, I drove to the corner store to test out the night vision. There were relatively small halos around street light and on oncoming headlights, but I was still able to see the road markings and things were not all fogged out as before when there was an oncoming light. So, it was an improvement already, but not as my vision was 15 or 20 years ago. But, I did not expect it to be so. So far (after 4 days), my treated eye is still slightly blurry at all distances.
My main concern is this fluttering of light in the outside periphery of the treated eye. I understand it is from the edge effects of the lens and am interested in knowing if it will lessen over time. My feeling right now is that if I had undergone cataract surgery on both eyes, that fluttering on both sides might have been too much to deal with. Under certain lighting conditions, there is a noticeable flutter with each small eye movement. I am scheduled to have the other eye done in a month, so am interested to know what I may be getting myself into. Thanks.
Sue.An john96574
Posted
Thanks for sharing your experience- I am sure Derek will reply. As he is several months past his surgery I am sure he give you some explanations of what to expect along the road to healing and beyond.
If memory serves Me from Derek’s experience it does take time for the Restor 2.5 to provide optimal outcome. And some people react to the steroid drops and don’t experience clear vision until those weeks have passed.
For most people that flickering on the periphery does diminish as the brain adapts. Also for younger cataract patients our pupils dilate more and this can cause some interesting artifacts as well.
I wish you well in your recovery.
derek40125 john96574
Posted
Hello John:
It sounds like you are recovering pretty well.
You mention a couple of issues that sounds similar to mine but I'm not completely sure if you are experienced one or both of these as they are somewhat similar but cause by different things.
I noticed a "fluttering" which was most pronounced when reading close up where I had to move my eyes side to side (especially rapidly). Using a phone (where the movement was minimal) it wasn't that noticeable, using a 10" tablet where there was much more side to side eye movement, it was more of an issue. I can tell you that within about 3-4 weeks, that issue subsided and it's almost unnoticeable now. I still notice this once in a while, mostly early in the morning. If I look into the mirror in my bathroom and shine a light towards my eye I can see a slight jiggle. It's the actually part of the eye itself moving which is less of a concern as there are some videos on Youtube where someone's IOL actually moves. In my case it's more like a muscle twitch and this has definitely decreased over time.
Another issue was light striking my eye from the side. I initially described it as flashing but in reality it only appeared as a flashing light because my head or eyes were in motion. I found that if I kept my head and eyes perfectly still when this happened that the light no longer flashed or moved, it was basically a stationary but false light. For example, I'd see a light reflecting off my desk just out of the corner of my eye but if I looked that way it was gone. I initially thought this was due to the the design of the Restor but now I'm more inclined to think it's just the relationship between the IOL and my pupil size (as the same issue has been reported by many people with monofocal IOL's). This hasn't gone away but it's definitely much less bothersome. I tend to make accommodations, like late in the afternoon when the sun is more directly shining into my eyes at my desk I will close the blinds. It's still a periodic annoyance but as a tradeoff for very good vision it's really trivial.
I also had some issues with focus coming and going early on and I will suggest not judging your final outcome until your are at least 2 weeks or so past the end of your eye drop regiment. Personally, I'd hold off on the second eye as long as possible as well. Get this eye totally healed and become comfortable with it.
It sounds like your other eye is still pretty functional. If that is true and you are considering a different target for the second eye, you 'll have a great opportunity to wear contacts or glasses with one lens removed to get a feel for the blended vision.
charly338 john96574
Posted
I had the same lens, same surgery 5 weeks ago. I do have that fluttering light at the periphery as well as an occasional sensation of a shadow and, like you, thought it would be very annoying to have it in both eyes. I cancelled surgery for my left eye for now.
The fluttering has diminished although it has not gone away yet.
I have other issues - ghosting around letters and images ( very faint but it is there and compromises my vision in subtle ways.
At 3 weeks I tested 20/20 with very minor astigmatism (.25) so I'm not sure why the ghosting and waiting to see if it clears up on it's own.
My vision was blurry at all distances early on. I'd say it was 2 weeks until it started to clear. Now it's clear outside but not so great inside commercial buildings with artificial light.
I often wonder how so many of my friends who have had cataract surgery can say it was so fabulous that they wish they had done it sooner. Not my view yet!
I also had long horizontal light rays though every light for 48 hours after surgery, then they went away but now they are back. I've no idea why that is either. Sigh. Hard enough to get used to the concentric circles around the lights, and now this.
Doesn't sound like you have this problem so your flickers should get better over time. It's hard waiting for things to change but hang in there and try to ignore them!
Sue.An charly338
Posted
john96574 Sue.An
Posted
Thank you, Sue.An. It has given me a lot of positive energy to hear people's case histories.
john96574 derek40125
Posted
Derek,
Thank you for your detailed posts. It is too bad we can't "test drive" different lenses and see how our bodies and minds react. In any case, I am very thankful to be able to see again.
I have a slight reduction in my peripheral field of view. However, I accept that and will get used to that. Right now, at Day 5, I see a gray arc on the periphery of my treated eye's view, very minimal, what you might experience if eyelashes top and bottom linked. No big deal. The fluttering of light, my main concern, only occurs when I move my eye across the field of view. Stationary, no flutter. So, it must be due to the edge of the IOL. Now that I understand that, I can accept it. At the grocery store yesterday, I had to concentrate on my walking and take care looking around, as my eyes are not in sync yet and the fluttering felt like a mini-strobe. But, I don't live or work in the grocery store, so no big deal. If it diminishes with time, that will be welcome.
On the positive side, I am seeing much more clearly and things are brighter. I had a lot of large floaters in the eye that had surgery, but now do not notice them at all. It is like they were swept away. Right now, I am typing without any glasses. My vision is only a bit blurry at Day 5!
Thanks for the information that vision may not normalize until weeks after the drops stop. That helps. And, I am seriously considering putting off surgery on my other eye for a bit. I have a follow-up appointment in two days and will voice my concerns to the doctor. Prior to my surgery, he said there would be no harm in waiting on the second eye, as it was not too bad.
Keep the updates on your condition coming. It really helps to understand what may be up ahead from someone who has had the surgery. Thanks.
john96574 charly338
Posted
Charly,
I am very sorry to hear about the ghosting and concentric circles. Which lens did you get? I got the AcrySof Restor 2.5D multifocal.
Currently, my "flickers" are very significant, but I am trying to ignore them. They were the strongest in the grocery store yesterday with overhead lighting. I suspect it may make me an even quicker shopper. Best of luck to you. Keep the posts coming. They have helped me and I hope to help others going through this.
derek40125 charly338
Posted
Charly:
When you are mentioning ghosting around letters and images, is this happening to you only while using your near focus point (reading) or both near and far? I definitely notice some ghosting around letters while reading through the Restor eye. It varies based on the text and background colors (sometimes very noticeable sometime not). I think this is the opposite of the halo's we see around object at night and normal for this IOL. You can see the same thing as a bit of fuzziness around letters on Alcon's website under the simulated images section. The letters themselves are perfectly sharp and clear but there is a slight fuzziness in the background.
I do not see this at all while using the distant focal point. I also only notice it when I close my left eye (pre-surgery) as once blended it disappears completely.
derek40125 john96574
Posted
John:
I too had a feeling of my eyes being "out of sync" for maybe a week. It would typically occur when I was moving and the lighting around me was changing (such as walking through a store like you mentioned or in and out of a building. I think this was just my brain adjusting to the new IOL. This completely disappeared within 2 weeks though. I think you issues will too.
charly338 Sue.An
Posted
My brother has multifocal lenses that he is happy with and never had any issues. He doesn't know what brand they are. He didn't have to have the toric version. Other friends have the monofocal lenses and some have multifocal. One friend has the Crystalens and loves it.
I wanted the Symfony EDOF lens but my surgeon said that the toric version of that lens can move off axis and cause a problem. Well this one doesn't seem to be spot on either! :-)
This is the only site I found with a discussion of the Restor 2.5 lens.
charly338 derek40125
Posted
I see it both near and far, but depending on the colors, it is more or less noticeable. What happens is that when the type face letters are close together, the ghosting in between makes the letters kind of run together and then it's hard to read them.. This is particularly a problem with street signs. I hope it's not normal for this lens because then I won't want this in my other eye!
Right now my biggest concern is the horizontal light rays. I did a search and it seems that it can be caused by a wrinkle in the capsular bag. People who have had it and got Yag to treat it, say their vision was worse after. if you have Yag, then it's much more difficult to do a lens exchange.
Yikes. I will just wait another couple of weeks and see what happens. I'm at 5 weeks now.
Like you, when both eyes are open, I can read without noticing the ghosting. That really makes me wonder what to do about my left eye.
charly338 john96574
Posted
I have the same lens you do but mine is a toric lens which corrects astigmatism when having cataract surgery. The power is 21D - I have no idea what that means or how they decide what power to use. :-)
I don't have the flickers at the grocery store - it's just at the grocery store where my vision isn't quite as sharp under all the commercial light.
I hope your flickers will diminish soon. I'm noticing it less often now.
Sue.An charly338
Posted
derek40125 charly338
Posted
Thanks for the update. I notice no ghosting whatsoever when looking at a distant object or sign, only while using the near focal point (reading or computer). That lens is really geared towards giving you essentially perfect distance vision with the added bonus of functional reading vision. The tradeoff is the small halos at night and some reduced contrast sensitivity which I can barely notice.
Due to its design, some ghosting while using the near focus point can happen under some circumstances, in which case, the solution would be to wear reading glasses while you are doing that task.
Based on your description it sounds like you may have something else going on such as the capsular bag issue, a reaction to the steroid drops, or something off with the power of the lens. The good news is that any of these conditions should be solvable over time. A decent surgeon should be able to determine this pretty accurately once your eyes have healed but don't be afraid to get a second opinion especially if the suggestion requires surgery. If it's a power or astigmatism adjusment, preview first with glasses/contacts (I'm actually doing this exact thing now).
There are people on this board who have had YAG only to learn afterwards that their problem wasn't what was expected and as you noted, it's much harder to replace an IOL after YAG. My surgeon told me last week that he's thinking it's now 50/50 whether the scarring he sees will require YAG. Post-op he thought it was nearly 100% so unless you have something unusual like a retina tear, there isn't any harm in waiting and seeing how your body heals and your brain adjusts over time.
john96574 derek40125
Posted
Derek,
I am one month beyond surgery (Restor multifocal, 2.5) on my right eye and one day beyond surgery (Restor multifocal, 2.5) on my left eye. Here is what is going on with both eyes:
Right: The peripheral flickering has lessened, either by actually lessening or from my brain filtering them out. In any case, I am living with it and it is not bad, as it is only noticeable in certain lighting situations. My daughter suggested I get some computer glasses, and I may once both eyes equilibrate. I do notice a slight loss of peripheral sight, but it is very minimal. I do see a dark curved edge of a shadow in my periphery. Otherwise, things are brighter and clearer. I need reading glasses currently and some middle distances are sometimes not clear, but I am hoping that will fix itself in time. I am happy with the result and there are no other complications.
Left: I had surgery yesterday and my eye is still dilated. However, I can see enough to work with reading glasses. The flickering I experienced with my right eye is very noticeable and bold with my left eye, but I know it will lessen with time, so I am not as bothered by it. My depth perception is not quite right yet, but that should fix up soon too. For now, I am concentrating on where I step while walking. No big deal. For the first time in a decade, I have no fog obstructing my vision, even in glaring light.
I hope this helps anyone else planning cataract surgery and with the Restor lens. I will post again with an update later. Thanks.
derek40125 john96574
Posted
John:
Sounds like you are doing well. The next few weeks will probably be a bit challenging since your surgeries were pretty close together but I think that your depth perception will come back within a few days at most. Please update once your eyes stabilize. Hopefully you'll get some reading vision eventually.
julielyn john96574
Posted
Recovery may be a long road for me, so I happy to hear others achieving much better results with the same lens
john96574 derek40125
Posted
Just got back from the doctor. They say I have 20/20 vision right now, only one day past my second surgery, and even with the blurriness at various distances. I do have tremendous flickering in my left eye (most recent surgery), but it does not bother me since the same effect has lessened in my right eye several weeks after surgery. I still notice the flickering in my right eye, but it is less than it was and I am ignoring it without much thought. The doctor said my closer vision should improve in the next several days. I am without glasses right now, but am about 2.5 ft away from the monitor. On a very unexpected note, prior to cataract surgery, I had a multitude of floaters in both eyes. Some of them were large and long. One looked like a grape vine missing the grapes. After the surgeries in both eyes, I don't see the floaters. They seem to be gone. I will update again as I heal up. Thanks for your support and information and all the information I got from other posts. Initially, I was kind of in a panic without knowing what was going on and with no hope for improvement. Though everything has not normalized yet, I am seeing improvement and have hope. Thanks!
john96574
Posted
Ok, just to provide an update after 4 months. My daytime vision is excellent (20/15) and I do not notice the slight loss of peripheral vision (shadow) as I initially did. There is no veil of haze as there was when I looked into a view with glare or on a gray, overcast day. Vision is crisp and clear during the day. I still have flickering, but it has lessened and my brain tunes out the rest. So, it does not bother me. At night, I see halos around all lights, but am able to drive on two lane roads again. The halos are not huge balls of fog as they were with the cataracts. They are reasonable and I can still see the lines in the road and colors. So, I can drive at night. Unpleasant, but doable. Generally, my night vision is bad walking around. But, it was before. It may be slightly worse, so I take extra care. When I look at the moon, there is a ghost image around it. I can live with that if that is as bad as it gets. My close-in vision requires 1.0 power readers for computer work and reading. But, I can see well enough to be able to read labels and tie knots without glasses if necessary. A big change from before. I have my next checkup in two weeks.