Symfony already implanted (dominant eye), I chose to implant Synergy in the other eye.
Posted , 7 users are following.
For those who followed my previous post "Symfony already implanted (dominant eye). Which one to choose for the other eye, Synergy or PanOptix?" and wait for an update. And also for those who might be interested in my experience...
Since 12/06/2021 I have a Symfony lens implanted in my left eye (dominant) and yesterday, 03/30/2022, a Synergy lens was implanted in my right eye (non-dominant). Both lenses were calculated for emmetropia. I got a good result with Symfony, and I hope to get a good result with Synergy too. As today is only the second day after the surgery, I will keep updating when something new happens...
Regarding the surgery, everything happened in the same way as in the first one, when Symfony was implanted. I was prepared in surgical clothes, taken to an operating room where my eye doctor, an anesthesiologist and a nurse were. I had the chance to say hello to my doctor, he asked me to lie down on the surgical bed and I did, he asked if I was comfortable and I said yes, so the anesthetist introduced himself and explained to me, in detail, everything he would do (I remember very little of what he said) and stuck a needle in my arm, then my doctor asked me to open my eye and dripped a drop saying it was the anesthetic, moments later (at least for me...), he said everything went well well in the surgery and that I could get up. The advantage of deep sedation is that I don't remember anything about the surgery itself, and the disadvantage is that I don't have much to tell.
Right after the surgery, my vision of the operated eye was very blurry, cloudy and very dark. As far as I can remember my first surgery (Symfony), I feel that my vision is a little better than it was at the first moment with Symfony, except for the dark vision which, even in a well-lit environment, seems to have half the brightness it should have. . This worried me a lot!. To give you an idea, last night in my room, with all the lights off, my Symfony eye can still see the shapes of the bed, chair, closets, the lights in the cracks in the doors and windows, in addition to the LED's indicators of electronic equipment. , etc. But closing the Symfony eye, and trying to see only with the Synergy eye, it's TOTAL DARKNESS! It's like I DON'T have my right eye anymore! A terrifying sensation!
Today, when I woke up, I noticed that it improved a little, less blurring and less turbidity, however, floaters appeared, the interesting thing is that yesterday I didn't see them, maybe they became visible due to the little improvement. But that didn't worry me, since it had also happened in the first surgery (Symfony), and after some time, they "disappeared" (or I stopped seeing them). As for dark vision, it continued to worry me. I returned to the hospital for the post-op consultation and saw my ophthalmologist. He examined me in the slit lamp and said everything is fine, the lens is well centered, but the cornea is still swollen. When I asked about the dark vision and my concern about it, he smiled for a while and said that I didn't need to worry, because it was the effect of a myoptic eye drops that he applied to my eye at the end of the surgery, exactly to promote the contraction of the pupil, and that it will be contracted for a few days, so in low light I wouldn't see well at all. He even asked me for feedback on how long this effect will last in my case. I asked if he had used these drops when he implanted Symfony and he said yes, but I'm not really sure about that. I didn't know what to think!? At the same time that I felt some relief, I was in doubt if it is normal to use this myoptic eye drops after cataract surgery, because in my first surgery I did not have this effect, in fact it was the opposite, I even had to wear sunglasses , how bright was my vision?!
I have not had the luck of some, who can see very well the day after the surgery (in none of my eyes), but I continue with the eye drops hoping to get the desired result.
Any significant changes I update.
Thanks.
0 likes, 46 replies
RonAKA valerio01538
Edited
I am pretty sure I did not get any drops to constrict my pupil after surgery. On both eyes the morning after surgery I was very sensitive to lights, and especially brake lights and street lights on the drive to my post surgery appointment, despite wearing very dark glasses. I think the pain was being caused by my pupil constricting in response to bright lights. Drops that keep the pupil constricted may avoid that pain. Perhaps that is another reason for doing it.
valerio01538 RonAKA
Posted
"Drops that keep the pupil constricted can prevent this pain. Maybe that's another reason to do it."
I'm not sure if that's the reason, but honestly, I prefer all the light to reach my retina, so I can better compare my experience with the first surgery. This "imbalance" of vision in low light has me worried. I don't know if it's the drops or if it's the IOL...
valerio01538
Posted
My doctor didn't recommend it, but I've been driving since the day of the surgery, including at night. I was curious about the dysphotopsias I would see with the Synergy, however, perhaps because of the blurring and the lack of vision in low light due to the contraction of my pupil (miotic eye drops), I noticed that while driving for the last two days, my Synergy eye did not had dysphotopsias, they were unique to my Symfony eye (haloes, starbursts and spider webs). But while driving tonight, I noticed that something has changed. The vision of the Synergy eye has improved a little, and in this current condition, in addition to continuing to show none of the expected dysphotopsias, binocularly, it is eliminating most of the dysphotopsias caused by Symfony. Closing the Synergy eye, the dysphotopsias in the Symfony eye explode, and opening it again, the dysphotopsias with both eyes almost disappear (no halos, no cobwebs), just small bursts of stars and only in some lights. I believe that, as my Synergy eye heals, this effect will wear off and Synergy's dysphotopsias will be worse than Symfony's, but this is an interesting experience...
rwbil valerio01538
Posted
I don't remember getting any eye drops to cause contraction of the pupil, but it did take awhile for my Synergy vision to get "Good". I am not sure what causes this. I would not worry until your eye heals and more time passes.
As far as darkness, Synergy has the near add so there might be more light splitting and Elongation than with Symfony, so it might be darker at night. I have 2 diffractive IOLs and I can not make out shapes in my bedroom at night. I have to walk around the bed at night to get to my side, which is always a challenge, but gotten pretty use to it now. If you can see the shape of your bed in the dark you are doing a lot better than me.
As for dysphotopsias my experience is Synergy is worse as IMHO a result of getting such a strong close add. I also get the same bilateral effect, except it is my Tecnis MF that clamps down on the Synergy large halos and starburst.
It will be interesting to read your progress.
soks rwbil
Posted
how good is the close add? u font need magnifying mirror for shaving? u can thread a needle? see iphone video in HD?
valerio01538 rwbil
Posted
I searched and found your post "My Synergy IOL Experience So Far" to re-read and I can safely say that it did much better than me, at least so far...
rwbil soks
Posted
I have a beard and I just use the vanity mirror to trim, so don’t use close vision for that. I have not needed to thread a needle since getting the IOL, but I did get a splinter and I used a magnifying light station I have. I could probably have gotten the splinter out without it, but much easier with it.
I watch videos on my Android all the time and I have no problem in that area.
Here is how I would describe my close vision and that is I get functional close. I have said the same thing about my Tecnis MF IOL, but Synergy provides stronger close vision. So what do I mean by that. It means for my life style I rarely to never need readers. Also, I will add I don’t have an issue using readers, but even though I had a 100 of them, I never had one when I need it, which drove me crazy.
Some examples, I can go to a restaurant and see the menu, I can read instructions even when small print and I can read the labels at the grocery. The latter one was a big issue to me as I am a bit of a health buff and when I buy a can of tomatoe sauce I read the label to make sure there is not sugar or some ingredient’s name I cannot pronounce. I just want it to list tomatoes, carrots, celery and the like (and preferable organic).
Again one ‘s life style is important. I am on the go constantly so I am a big audio book person. And for newspapers like the WSJ, which I subscribe to, I read it online on my computer or phone and can zoom as needed and have no problem.
I will add lighting is a BIG factor. The smaller the print the bigger the need for Good lighting.
But let’s say I was physical book reader; a person that reads a book before going to bed every night either in a recliner or the bed itself. Could I read it without readers, probably. But if I want the clearest reading possible I would get a good standing light and use a pair of readers and that would be fine as everything would be preset up and not have to search for readers.
rwbil valerio01538
Posted
I know it is scary, but everyone is different in recovery. Compared to my first cataract surgery, my second surgery with Synergy took much longer to recover and I was worried. During the follow up the doctor said everything looked great, but my vision was not Great.
Be patient and give your eyes a chance to heel before jumping to conclusions.
We are all wishing you the best.
Keep us updated on your progress.
valerio01538
Posted
It's only been 4 days since the surgery and I notice that the healing process has been slow. Vision is still blurry and I still see floaters. The lack of vision in low light has improved a bit and in good lighting environments closing one eye and the other I still notice a small difference between them, but with the lights off it is still total darkness in the Synergy eye. I'm starting to get worried that Synergy has a lot more light loss than Symfony. I just printed a Snellen plot and I can barely see 20/40. I also printed a Jager plot, but I can't read beyond J7 at any distance. It's frustrating, but I cling to the idea that with Synergy the vision really takes time...
RonAKA valerio01538
Posted
4 days is early. At that point on my last eye, I was still seeing floaters. I'm now at nearly 6 weeks and the floaters are gone. Your eye is still likely swollen from the surgery trauma. By 3 weeks you should get a much better idea what final vision is going to be like.
sandra04210 valerio01538
Posted
Hi,
I am due to have lens replacement with Synergy, both eyes at the same time in 3 weeks. I am increasingly becoming doubtful, not least because it is hard to find anyone to talk to who has had it done who didn't have cataracts and had tri focal lenses. Do you regret doing it? I am 57, and just want to get rid of my glasses, but am concerned by the prospect of side effects, it is such a big decision.
valerio01538 sandra04210
Posted
Hi sandra04210,
I don't remember for sure, but I believe my cataract started at the same age you are now. Today I am 63 years old and I only operated on my first eye on 12/06/2021. I put it off as long as it was possible to correct my vision with glasses. I feel like it was the best choice I could have made. When I operated on my first eye, I had already consulted 3 optometrists and none of them could correct my vision with glasses anymore, so surgery was the only option. My thinking and that of many is that no intraocular lens replaces our natural lenses. Other than that, if you can put it off, you're more likely to have time to research better and wait for something more advanced in the future that will give you better results. I am happy with the lenses I have chosen, although it is too early to know the result of my second eye, but you must consider that I had no other option. With the Symfony lens, I have good distance and mid-range vision, but I lack near vision, I need to see my cell phone at 20". With the Synergy that I've just implanted, if my doctor got the power of the lens right and if everything else it was as expected, I hope to have vision from 13". You have to understand that IOLs give you vision at fixed distances and within a narrow and pre-defined range, your brain has to do the work of choosing which is the best image, unlike your natural lens that moved by the ciliary muscles adjusts to focus on what you want to see, that's the advantage of natural lenses. You also need to consider that, to do what it does, the IOL uses some of the light that would hit the retina, so there's always a loss of light and contrast. In the case of diffractive lenses (Symfony, Synergy, PanOptix and others), due to the construction of the lenses, visual effects known as dysphotopsias occur, which are greater or lesser from person to person and tolerated by some, but hated by others. I knew about them when I picked them and maybe that's why I'm happy with them, they didn't cause me much trouble, but that's me...
sandra04210 valerio01538
Posted
Thanks so much for replying. Yes, I am beginning to think maybe I should wait, or at the very least try contact lenses first. I have heard such great things about lens replacement, but they are all people with cataracts who have the mono lens so less likely to experience the side effects with tri focals. I also wonder why they are now doing them both at the same time
valerio01538 sandra04210
Posted
Yes, there are lenses that cause very little or no dysphotopsia, but each lens and each arrangement that is made with them has its advantages and disadvantages, there is always a trade-off. Cataract surgery has advanced a lot and, I believe that, due to access to more modern machines, more predictable calculations, technologies that allow post-operative touch-ups and, obviously driven by the sales of premium lenses, cataract surgery is becoming more and more frequent. both eyes in a short period of time. Some time ago, the first eye was operated on and only after knowing the result obtained, would it proceed to the second eye strategy. There are still conservative doctors who continue in this practice.
valerio01538
Edited
It's 8 days after the surgery and luckily the news is good. Despite still waking up every morning with a little blurry vision and still with floaters, 3 days ago, at dusk, the near vision came as if by magic. I was working on my laptop and I suddenly realized I was working normally 12" from the screen. It was as if a switch had been flipped and my vision turned on. Everything was very clear and sharp at various distances, I looked at my cell phone and also I could see very well at 12", I even tried to read the fine print on the eye drops bottles and I could too. It was a moment of great joy and relief, as I thought my doctor had missed the mark. In the various simulations that I had been doing since the surgery, trying to anticipate the result, I was comparing Symfony with Synergy, and I was wrongly convinced that Symfony's near vision was better, I even tried to correct Synergy's eye with some glasses lenses that I had saved, and with them the Synergy's near vision improved almost like that of Symfony using a 1D lens and, even better, using a 1.5D lens. This made me believe for a while that the target was off by more than 1D. As they say, anxious people like me end up suffering in advance. But my joy didn't last long, the next day in the morning, I woke up again with blurred vision and the close vision of the end of the previous day was gone. But again it got better during the day and in the afternoon, everything became very clear and sharp again. Today the same thing happened. I don't really understand how this works, if this is the result of the drops instilled during the day, or if it's the force of gravity acting on the lens and putting it in place, but in these 3 days my vision only gets good at the end of the day. afternoon. As for the low light vision, it has improved a lot, it is no longer total darkness when the lights are off. I just don't know if it will get better because, for now, the Symfony eye continues to have perceptibly the highest brightness and best contrast. The letters, numbers and outlines look darker and more defined in Synergy, but when you see images with very similar colors or tones side by side, in Symfony they are more prominent compared to Synergy. I don't know if I could explain?! As for the dysphotopsias, now with the vision improvement, and having driven these last 3 nights, I can say that, as expected, the dysphotopsias are actually bigger than the Symfony ones, I would say that certain lights the starbursts are 3 times bigger, but binocularly, Symfony greatly mitigates these effects. The taillights and brake lights don't bother me at all, I barely notice them, just a few car headlights and a few streetlights. Even so, I tolerate them with no problems. I think I drove for so long with bad eyesight and even worse dysphotopsias from cataracts that I can honestly live with them. I just hope this intermittent vision stabilizes soon...
rwbil valerio01538
Posted
Patients is King.
Sounds like you are experiencing some of the same results I have; better close vision but at the cost of greater dysphotopsias. And as I have said it is not just a little bigger halos and starburst, but much bigger.
valerio01538 rwbil
Posted
Yes, I already expected that, or maybe I didn't expect that much! But these dysphotopsias are still better than my cataract vision: dark, multiple, and blurry. The only thing I just don't understand is this "on" and "off", because it's not always that Synergy's vision is clear, there are times it seems like it "off" and the near vision goes away. You might think it's comical, but I made a model by rolling up a sheet of A4 paper, which is 11.7 inches long, and when I notice that my vision has become clear, I'm looking for objects and small text to read and test how much I can see clearly. at that distance. Also in these moments of clear vision, I move to the outside area of my company and I observe buildings and structures in the distance, especially the antennas that are at the top, thus testing my distant vision. As an electronics engineer, I know these antennas up close and can better appreciate the richness of detail I can identify from a distance. I must confess that, for now, Symfony's vision is much better, even though, Synergy is already giving me 20/20 on Snellen and J1 on Jaeger. But there are times when everything gets blurry again, especially in the morning...
rwbil valerio01538
Posted
I had some of that at the beginning and it was tied to dry eyes. Have you tried eye lubricant to see if that makes a difference.
As I have said everyone heal time is different and you are probable still on drops.
My best guess is this will go away in time as long as eyes are being properly lubricated.