Symfony lens 5 days post surgery, distance vision

Thanks for the reply. I couldn't find anywhere on the interwebs where it was recommended to keep both eyes closed for first 48 hrs, but this is what my Doc recommends. I did as well as I could, living alone with my dog and bird. Truth is I slept a lot. Day of surgery and next day was totally wiped out. Was given valium for surgery and it really hit me. Very happy with my near vision right now, but like I said disappointed in the loss of crispness for distance, I hope it does settle in a little better. Was nearsighted my whole life since 3rd grade, glasses, contacts and finally lasik. Maybe it's triggering early memories of when my vision started declining when I was a child. Trying not to obsess over it. I go for a second post op appt. on Thursday. My right eye is scheduled for Sept. 10 (3 weeks after first eye). I am experiencing night halos, spiderweb effect and ghosting? around bright lights indoors (LED clock numbers, dining room light fixture, reflected highway signs etc.) I expect that will settle down eventually. Actually the halos are similar to what I see in my un operated eye just brighter and maybe and effect of the cataract and lasik I had almost 20 years ago ( which also gave me starbursts on headlights. Guess time will tell. Will keep updated as I've started a daily log.

Hello Komiko,

i had cataract surgery on my right eye on August 13, and had a Symfony Lens implanted. I left the Surgery Center with my eye closed and covered with a protective shield and bandage covering it. My doctor removed it the following day in his office. I am scheduled to have my second surgery on my left eye on August 30. I will have a Symfony Toric Lens implanted in the left eye. I also had LASIK surgery about 12 years ago. I am happy with the results of my right eye so far. I can see well at all distances. However I have not tested my actual vision numbers yet. 

I’m glad your surgery went well and that you are happy with your results. Do you have halos around light sources? I went for a little drive on Wednesday night to check out the lights effect and the halos were worse than the spiderweb effect especially from street lights, again I expect that to get better over time. I wanted to see how it will be driving at night having read so many horror stories.

No, I have not seen halos, however I have seen a more defined version of what I was seeing before the surgery. I would describe it like a simple drawing of the sun with lines going away from the circle. It is not bothersome, since before the surgery the lights were just one big enhanced blur. I’m thinking what I am seeing may deminish as my eyes continue to heal. ITT is certainly nothing like the nightmare that some people were describing. I am looking forward to having the surgery on my other eye on Thursday.

Day 8. Trying not to be discouraged but today I feel it is a setback. Yesterday distance close to 20/20, today 20/40. Lots of halo/glare even in daylight, street signs have ghost image around them, even the pole that holds up the sign has this image. I can't read street names until I'm right up on them. I'm getting flickering in the corner of my eye which I've had since the beginning but it's especially annoying today. I went for a walk last night and the halos & starburst effect on street lights is really bad. All lights (even little landscape lights) are distorted with halos. Not seeing much spider web effect, only on one light on my neighbor's house.

I went to my ophthalmologist office today to swap out my prescription sunglass lenses for the original sunglass lenses. I sat and talked to the tech there (he does all the glasses adjustment, measurements for new glasses etc.) asked him about their patients who have had these iols. He really didn't know too much but did go and ask the Doctor about halos etc. Doc said it usually takes at least 6 months before his patients notice improvement. He works with the surgeon I saw and does the follow up appointments for his patients. My follow up with the surgeon is Thursday.

On the bright side, my near vision is a solid J1. Even went grocery shopping without my glasses, could read box ingredients etc. So YAY for that. 

Don’t get discouraged - a number of people see improvements before 6 mi this.  Often the steroid drops cause these issues too.  So after 5 or 6 weeks once the drop regiment is over you may notice a remarked improvement.  I was fortunate the drops didn’t seem to bother me - however many people find they cause blurred vision.  

Focus on the good news - being able to read is fantastic !   

Keep us updated on your progress.

Duh, I went to my optometrist office, not ophthalmologist yesterday. And the tech, John, who I chatted with is an optician. One of these days I'll get these terms right. 

Yes, my doctor wouldn't do the surgery on me without ORA because of my previous lasik surgery. I had to travel to a special surgery center where they had the machine, instead of having it done at my local hospital where he also does surgery. It also cost me $400 more.

Interestingly this AM I can read most of the 20/20 line on my distance chart. Also, looking in the mirror and closing my eye, it appears swollen compared to my other eye, it definitely seem to bulge out more against my eyelid. I'm having no pain or pressure feeling.

Now if you can read 20/20 distance and also read fine print near that would be awesome.

yes, that's what I'm hoping for, wish distance would settle in and stop fluctuating. The other issue of halo/glare is troubling. What I'm experiencing during the day is kind of like when your eyes are dilated and how there is a glow around images. That is what I experienced yesterday driving.

After cataract when my eyes are dilated I see a rainbow circle around them. It's quite beautiful. 

Wills Eye Doctor told me the halos are disturbing when you are left myopic. That might be the case plus you are still early for the halo to settle in. 

I know you don’t want to delay second surgery but you are just 9 days out from first surgery.  It takes 6 weeks for complete healing and in a lot of provinces here in Canada there is a minimum wait of 4 weeks between cataract surgeries.  Your eye will change during that time and to have best possible outcome and allow for any adjustments to 2nd eye to compensate for first eye outcome it’s best for you (although frustrating) to wait.  You can get a contact lens for the unoperated eye if you need to (I popped out the lens from my glasses).

I was told reading is better with 2 Symfony lenses but the distance view will take months to settle.  Some find they cannot tolerate the halos evennwith time. So difficult to advise you to go ahead with another Symfony or suggest you mix and match and do a monofocal for the other eye (targeted for best distance) that will compensate.

I recall those early weeks how difficult it was for me.  It took 6 weeks before the strong glare and starbursts to subside.  Now lights from cars ahead are slightly fuzzy but I see the cars clearly.  Whenever they break I see the concentric circles.   For me I have found this to be acceptable (again everyone is different).

The results also depend on the residual astigmatism.  The more you have the more glare and starbursts will be present.  Some even havevthat effect on inside lighting (I have no issues with inside lights.  All the issues for me are outside and start at dusk and the light has to be about half a football field away for circles to appear.  IE as I approach a red traffic light circles get smaller and disappear.). 

are you able to read well with just your Symfony eye?   If yes maybe you’ll want to play it safe and get a monofocal for the other eye.  If not that 2nd Symfony will help with reading at closer distances.

But if you want want to get a better understanding to how your eyes will react I suggest waiting till 6 weeks before going ahead with 2nd surgery.  What is 6 weeks compared to lifetime of vision ahead?   At 5 and 6 weeks is where I noticed a significant decline in glare and starbursts.  In fact early weeks I had such strong glare I didn’t see any concentric circles and thought I was lucky to escape them (if you read my early posts from July and August 2017 you can confirm that).  As the glare subsided I started to see the circles.  These are much lighter so stands to reason glare just hid them.

Wish you all the best and do hope you’ll give yourself the time to make best decision for you.

Back from my appointment. Apparently I have a fold in the capsular bag, he says that is probably why I'm seeing ghosting during daytime, and it could contribute to some of the other effects I'm having (starburst, some glare) we are going to wait on the second eye to see how this one heals and if the fold resolves itself. He said if it doesn't he could do Yag, but agreed with me it would make lens exchange more difficult if it came down to that. He discussed possibility of monofocal in right eye set for distance, if night symptoms do not clear up as my left eye has pretty much taken over for near vision. He was pleased with my refraction numbers, around 20/25, 20/20. We talked about my distance vision and the difficulty I'm having, he thinks it may be dry eye because better in the morning, although today so far has been a good day. My next appointment with him will be October 18, 7 weeks post op. So basically just give it more time. I hope this will also give me more time to neuroadapt and reset my brain. 

Thanks for the encouragement you have given me.

Yes good advice from your doctor rather than going ahead with 2nd surgery.  

Dry eye is very common and does impact vision.  If you haven’t already - but some over the counter artificial tears.  I like the Systane Ultra but there are many brands available.  I also take a flaxseed oil capsule every day - I find it does help with dry eye.  Omega 3 capsules would be good too and they have other health benefits.

While on the prescription eye drops it is not uncommon to experience blurry or fluctuations in vision.  Once those are done eyesight will be more stable.

This will give you time to think about next steps and what you want.  Take care komiko - hoping all works out.

Day 15. Distance vision still fluctuating slightly. Mostly seems 20/20, reading street signs vastly improved. I'm experiencing a lot of glare today. Still seeing ghosting around reflective sources, white mailboxes, poles, white lettering on dark background (tv), white shirts where they meet suits (watching supreme court hearing). Night vision about the same. Some lights, especially a street light across from my house has fuzzy big halo, with starbursts emanating from it, concentric circles (spider web effect) is dulled with this kind of light because of the glare/halo. Other lights are either halo/starburst, starburst/spiderweb, or just spider web. Depends on the kind of light. Big difference in visual acuity at night, definitely can't see in the dark as well as with my right eye.

Near vision is still very good and am happy with it, although for real close work I need my glasses because my right eye can't see as well. Gave me a headache, sigh.

Still hoping things continue to settle in and the glare and halos subside. Working 1/2 shift tonight and will drive home in the dark, will see if improvement over driving last week.

Any tricks or exercises that will help with neuroadaptation? I'm feeling pretty determined to make this lens work.

30 days. It's been real hectic this past week. Had to evacuate due to Hurricane Florence and just got back home last night. Stopped the drop regimen Monday. Had a follow up appointment with my optometrist today. He said the fold in the capsular bag is mostly gone. We discussed my issues with distance vision, he feels it will continue to get better, as some days it is better than other days, and is much better in bright light vs. low light and better when I blink (slight dry eye) and the drops could have an effect (especially the antibiotic). I was able to read the eye chart better after blinking and focusing on it. He did say that the surgeon left me slightly myopic in this (my non-dominant) eye. He had me look through a .5 correction lens and it did make an improvement. He said he could prescribe driving glasses with this kind of prescription, He also said that some people are night myopic and does prescribe this slight correction for law enforcement and others that need real sharp vision at night.

We discussed my experiences of glare, haloes, starbursts and ghosting. He feels strongly that these will subside. And actually this past week I did notice the glare but it didn't bother me as much (guess I had too much other stuff on my mind). He feels that my eyes are somewhat fighting each other right now. We discussed my other eye and lenses and he feels the Symfony would be the best choice, and that the effects I'm noticing would be reduced with Symfony in both eyes. He has had many Symfony patients in the last 2 years and said that every one of his patients has been able to adapt to the lenses. He said it usually takes 3-6 months. I addressed my night driving concerns and he would prescribe me drops to constrict my pupils during the adaptation period if I felt I need it.

I see the surgeon on Oct. 18 for another follow up.

I have always been more myopic at night then during the day.  -0.5D refraction error on the non-dominant eye is a good result.  It will give you better reading.  Light glasses while driving will help with the light distortions too.  Glad your doing well.

If the capsular bag fold had remained you would have had to get YAG.  So its great that it is going away by itself.

Komiko - must have been a stressful week for you - so sorry for you and others that are living through the effects of Hurricane Florence.  I have seen the news footage and devastation.  My thoughts and prayers to NC and SC right now. 

I am glad things are working out for that fold in the capsular bag and vision had been improving.  It’s also true many people don’t start to see improvements until the drops are over.  They seem to affect a lot of people.  Being slightly myopic by .50 is not a bad result.  You’ll get better reading vision that way and find that you’ll not need glasses except driving and possibly TV and the movies.  

Will your surgeon aim for a plano result to compensate in the other eye?

Wish you all the best - stay safe.

Yes I am very happy that the fold is resolving by itself, I did not want to get YAG. After seeing him I feel much better having more explained to me. I really like this Doc., I've been seeing him for the last 6 years and have confidence in what he tells me.

The past week was an experience I never want to repeat. The evacuation order was given on Monday evening when Florence was still a CAT 3/4 and we were in the direct path of landfall. I work at the local hospital, weekend night shift. Monday was a day of 3hr sleep, frantically packing up only the items I could never live without in the car. My 86yo mom lives a few blocks away, had to help board up her house and get her stuff together. My sister & BIL live in the next development. They have a handicapped daughter who needs electricity, and an adopted daughter who is also handicapped. So we packed up the 3 cats, 1 dog, 1 parrot and everything we could fit in 3 vehicles and drove down to my daughters in Florida. A normal 10 hr drive turned into a 14hr drive. But we got there safely. Many people I know lost everything, not from the winds, but from the flooding. Fortunately for us, our homes were spared and I've been cleaning up tons of branches and debris from my yard.

I don't know what the surgeon will aim for with the other eye, but plano is what I want, the left is doing all the reading right now, and I'm happy with that.

I had already planned vacation to Florida for next week, and left my dog and the bird with my daughter so I can work extra because I missed when everyone was locked down in the hospital, to give people relief. I plan on driving down again next Tuesday and my appointment with the surgeon is for the week after I get back.

What an experience to live through.  Glad you and your family are all OK and your home spared the flooding.  Devastating to lose those memories and have to rebuild.  Sounds like you need a break!  I have a trip to Florida myself for February- can’t wait.  Our winters are too long!   

Hoping for a good outcome for your 2nd surgery!   Keep us posted.