Should I be the first patient for Synergy IOL?
Posted , 9 users are following.
My doctor works in high volume practice. He does Panoptix all day long, but I would be first patient for Synergy. How concerned should I be? He uses the fermtosecond laser. Not sure if there is an "art" to exchanging the lens, or is it just inserting per J&Js instruction and the lens itself is solely responsible for the performance.
Ideally i would find a doctor that participated in the US study in the NY area, but not sure how to track down that info.
0 likes, 20 replies
RonAKA Barn1231
Edited
My thoughts are that it is best to have the surgeon "practice" on somebody else first, ideally a few hundred. I suspect the technique for the Synergy could be quite different from the PanOptix. When you say "exchanging the lens" do you mean removing an existing IOL and putting a new one in? That is even more specialized.
Barn1231 RonAKA
Posted
Thanks! I don't have cataracts, i just want to never wear contacts again. I'm a -8 and a -7.5, so pretty much useless without contacts.
kevin77191 Barn1231
Edited
I would strongly suggest you do not get surgery unless you have cataracts.
rwbil Barn1231
Posted
I did not realize you did not have cataracts. My entire advice changes.
***** DO NOT REMOVE YOUR NATURAL LENS FOR A MAN MADE LENS ****
That is in capitals for a reason. I would give anything not to have had cataracts and to be able to go back to wearing my contacts over cataract surgery.
As I have stated before any Opthmalogist doing clear lens exchange, except for some rare condition, should be sued for malpractice. No man made piece of plastic lens can do what your natural lens does.
People doing this, like my self, have cataracts and have no other choice.
I suggestion you take more time and read all the horry stories here and then decide is it really worth it to not have to put in contacts. There are people having to have there IOL dug out (and yes that is what explant is) because of problems with the IOL. It is not just the IOL itself, but everything else including did the surgeon get the placement right or did the IOL move due to capsule bag shrinkage. Are you aware you might get PCO, retina detachment and / or floater after cataract surgery. I got floaters after surgery. I still swat at non-existent flies. Not to mention I have dysphotopsias as IMHO everyone with a defractive IOL gets, I also see worst in dim light and I get lightening strikes when I turn my head fast at night. Doctor has no idea, but says the everything looks fine. I think it is an IOL edge thing, but who knows. Yes all these side effects are better than my ps poor best corrected vision was with cataracts, which is why I am getting Synergy for my other eye that has a cataract and ps poor corrected vision.
I am telling you when you watch a video showing someone that is happy after cataract surgery it is because they had p**s poor vision due to cataracts before surgery. Show me a video of a person doing a clear lens exchange saying it was the best decision of their life and I will show you a video of big foot!
Take it from someone who wore contacts for 40 years and who has had IOL surgery on one eye, "Accept wearing Contacts".
My advice and I hope you take it is get an IOL when you have cataracts and there is no other option. And maybe by that time they invent an IOL that truly is adaptive and compares to the functionality of the natural lens. Plus there are other improvement / inventions in process that are just as important as the IOL itself. One of those improvement is a modular base that keeps the Capsule Bag open and makes it possible to do a lens exchange with just minor very low risk surgery.
Barn1231 rwbil
Posted
Thank you for your heartfelt reply. Deep down I know you are probably right about waiting, more potential downside than upside by doing it now. You asked to show you a video of someone just doing lens exchange without cataracts. The video you recommended seems to fit the bill. patient seemed very happy. Would be ideal to see more videos for that patient because was only day after for the initial video.
rwbil Barn1231
Edited
IMHO way to many risk due to not wanting to wear contacts.
Barn1231 rwbil
Posted
RWBIL - what is your research telling you on timing for the modular base you mentioned? thx
rwbil Barn1231
Posted
I know there are other Modular systems like Harmoni (which might be available in Europe), but the one I have read the most about is Juvene. When will it be available, your guess is as good as mine. I have read some same 2023, but I am guessing that it will be available almost everywhere before it is FDA approved and available in the US.
But even if available in 2023, are you that much of an early adapter? This would be a completely new design and even though it looks great on paper, real-world does not always work like theory on paper or like the results of a small clinical trial done over a short period. No one knows the long term unpredicted results until they are Known.
Personally I would want this IOL system out for years and tested on thousands and reports produced before I would go for it.
You don't have cataract and have are in a position to wait years.
I have voiced my opinion and the decision is yours to make. I wish you the best and hope if you go through the surgery you have great results. Just be fully aware of the risk and know all the right questions to ask that surgeon. There is no do over once your natural lens is removed.
RonAKA Barn1231
Posted
I don't think I would remove a clear natural lens to put in an IOL. However, if you are, I would stick to a monofocal lens, or monofocal monovision.
rwbil Barn1231
Edited
I posted a New Discussion on the Synergy, but it went to moderation and still has not been approved. Hmm, who exactly are these moderators?
I did not even include a link, but did include some photos from the webinar I mentioned.
But since that time there is even a more exciting Youtube video by Shannon Wong. Now that the IOL is commercially available in the US I am seeing new articles and videos almost everyday. If I lived near TX I would go to Dr. Wong in a hear beat. Search for:
Early experience with Synergy lens implant. Better than PanOptix? Shannon Wong, MD
Also it will be hard to find a Synergy trial doctor, as most are not in the US. But you are in luck, if you live in NY look up Dr. Eric D. Donnenfeld. He has written about the lens.
Also I think you would be pretty safe with a doctor who has lots of experience with the Tecnis Symfony.
I am right behind you as I have procrastinated for a better IOL to come along and can not continue to wait for the Juvene or other adaptive IOL. I will admit I really which I could hold out for a modular base, that is a game changer IMHO. That to me would be as big a breakthrough as the Light Adjusting Lens (LAL).
What I liked about the video I mentioned in my yet to be approved discussion was there was a pro Synergy Doctor and a pro Eyhance Doctor and the Eyhance doctor showed constrast loss and dysphotopsias. It is important you are aware and prepared for both of these trade-offs to gain close vision. For that video search:
WebCliniX- My First Choice in Cataract Surgery
kevin77191 rwbil
Posted
It's a bit ridiculous. I posted a surgeons name with no link to someone who was in need and they deleted my reply.
Barn1231 rwbil
Posted
This is awesome. Will watch the video. On paper, seems synergy is better than panoptix, but I understand risks from starbust, halos, glare with both IOLs.. Fact that some have stopped driving at night is scary.
Barn1231
Posted
Just watched the video. Wow, Shannon Wong just (essentially) pronounced the death of Panoptix. I really respect the guy based on his super informative videos. If i lived in Austin, I would get the surgery tomorrow with Dr. Wong!
catherine67046 rwbil
Posted
I'm in Michigan and met with a surgeon two weeks ago who said I'd be an excellent candidate for Synergy. At that moment, I had NO idea it was so new in the U.S. From the sounds of this discussion it's not even readily available. I have a call with this doctor tomorrow, but would appreciate any input on things I should ask.
Also, rwbil, your answer "Personally I would want this IOL system out for years and tested on thousands and reports produced before I would go for it." contradicts your answer to me in the Synergy article post. You chided me for being nervous, saying where would we be if Columbus hadn't taken a chance. Which is it?
rwbil catherine67046
Edited
"Personally I would want this IOL system out for years and tested on thousands and reports produced before I would go for it."
I was referring to the revolutionary Juvene IOL, not the Synergy when I made that statement.
Synergy has just recently been FDA approved and even more recently commercially available.
Synergy is not some new revolutionary IOL like the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL). It has been readily available in Europe and in some other countries. Also it is based on the existing and well established platform of other Tecnis Defractive IOLs, such as Symfony and Tecnis MF. My guess it is probably almost the same as Symfony with an MF add component.
So IMHO is it a bit higher risk, sure as it is just becoming available in the US and it if you have time it would be nice to see some follow-up reports as they come out. But is it a super early adaptor IOL risky like LAL was at the beginning, NO!
As they say put your money where your mouth is. I plan on getting it before the year end. But I am pretty much out of time.