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Tecnis Symfony Anyone?

Posted , 5 users are following.

nancy528
nancy528

i just had a Tecnis Symfony implant today.  I am curios if anyone has this lens in their dominant eye without correcting the other eye as yet.    My goal was to eliminate my 1.5 readers and keep my excellent distance vision .   Thinking I may have made a mistake in not going with the Tecnis Multi focal first since it supposedly can give sharper near and far vision.   Just wondering if anyone can tell me how their near vision is with just this one lens.

 

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • norma57698
    norma57698 nancy528

    Posted

    I am looking forward to hearing the feedback here as I have yet to have my surgery.
  • dennis39810
    dennis39810 nancy528

    Posted

    Nancy... why did you choose the Symfony over the Multi focal if the multi focal "supposedly can give sharper near and far vision"?

    • nancy528
      nancy528 dennis39810

      Posted

      Well....I thought the Symfony was rated equal or better than Multi focal for all points of sight based on the website info Abbott provided.  I also was influenced by the less risk of halo and starburst issues as well.  When I consulted with my surgeon, I asked if I was a good candidate for Symfony and also said I wanted to be free of readers,  his response was yes for the Symfony but recommended the second eye be done as well with a Multi focal.  I was counting on being able to postpone the second eye based on my husband's experience being able to read without readers with one multi focal,and one mono for distance.   I really wasn't comparing apple to apples so I am concerned I will need to go ahead with the second eye as recommended.  I should have asked a few more questions!

    • nancy528
      nancy528

      Posted

      i should also note that I do not have cataracts and this was a purely elective procedure to improve my near vision.   My distance is 20/20 in both eyes.

      i have no idea what my end result will be for some time so just trying to remain positive I made the right decision,

  • bruce56873
    bruce56873 nancy528

    Posted

    Will be interesting to compare notes as we go along.  I thought i was getting the Symfony but surgeon placed Tecnis multifocal instead in my left eye.  Although it has been two weeks my vision is NOT SHARP compared to my right eye with progressive lens.  Canceled surgery yesterday for right eye till i get this all sorted out.  Due back June 30 to see what vision is like after time to totally heal.  Then decide where to go from there.  May do a blend and put the Symfony in right eye at that time.  Not happy at this point for mixup as I do see hallows at night, Symfony was susposed to have less hallow effect and needed less light for good image.  So do not be worried about your choice at this time.  My vision with the multi focal the first 5 days was very blury, did improve after a week, and a tad better end of 2nd week, susposedly 20/25 but stuggle and guess at eye chart, just not sharp close up even in the sweet spot of 14-18 inches.
    • nancy528
      nancy528 bruce56873

      Posted

      My husband has a Multi focal and one mono for distance and is,very happy with his results.  He did,have halos for awhile but that eventually subsided and has no trouble with night driving.  He also had tomback for a quick laser procedure to clear up the membrane that became fuzzy and effected his vision.  After that he has been great.  I thought going with the latest and greatest was the way to go.  Symfony was not available in US when he had his procedure.

      i am just seven hours post op and vision is crazy right now.  Lots of flashes and waves but no pain.  When I went back for my post op check up today the technician said I would probably need readers for near vision with Symfony!  When I started expressing my disappointment and discussion with the surgeon she backed off and said I should talk with the doctor!   So I am hoping for the best and see what the next few weeks brings me.

  • at201
    at201 nancy528

    Posted

    Yes. I have had a Symfony lens in my dominant eye for about 6 months. I use it in combination with a monofocal lens in my left (non-dominant) eye (had that one done about 18 years back). With this combination, I have good day vision at all distances beyond 16 inches. However, I wish that my night vision were better, the main issue being the seeing of multiple concentric circles or halos around lights at night time due to the Symfony lens.

    Any way, getting back to your question regarding the reading capability with the Symfony lens in the right (dominant) eye, it is not good at all. My left eye does all the work at the reading distances. I am essentially using monovision, which I was using with contact lenses for the last 25-30 years (for me, the adjustment to monovision took less than 5 minutes, but some people do have a little harder time adjusting to that).

    Regarding your situation at this time, I think that you made the right decision in prefering the Symfony lens over the multifocal lens. You do get better reading capability with the multifocal lens than with Symfony, but overall there seem to be more vision issues with them.

    For you at this stage, in order for you to be able to read without any glasses, you have 2 good choices;

    1. Have a monofocal lens with the best focus set for 16-18 inches for the non-dominant eye. This will be the same arrangement, which I have.

    2. Have a Symfony lens set for the best focus at about 32 inches for the non-dominant eye. This also will enable you to read without glasses. This requires less of a monovision adjustment and thus may be easier to adjust to.

    If you are used to wearing contact lenses, you may want to try working with monovision before making a choice for the IOL focus distance.

    In any case, you should let the vision in your dominant eye become stable over the next 3-4 weeks, before you make a choice for the non-dominant eye.

    • nancy528
      nancy528 at201

      Posted

      Thank you for sharing your experience and suggestions.  I have never worn contact lenses and just used 1.5 readers for the last 5 years.  I will definitely give this time before making my next decision.  This was a purely elective procedure as I did not have cataracts at age 63 and decided to improve my near vision now rather than waiting for cataract development down the road. 
    • Sue.An
      Sue.An nancy528

      Posted

      You're very brave Nancy for opting to proceed with lens replacement as an elective procedure. I am 53 and have to have this due to cataracts. Wishing I didn't have to. It will be interesting done the road to see what options there are to choose from.

    • nancy528
      nancy528 Sue.An

      Posted

      Hi Sue.  I guess I just weighed the pros and cons and just decided to opt for better near vision now"...or at least I hope that will be the outcome.   

      Good luck to you and I am sure you will be fine!

    • at201
      at201 nancy528

      Posted

      Even if you want to have better near vision now, lens replacement is not the best option. A much better option will be to have a  LASIK to get the vision with the Symfony lens adjusted so that your best focus distance is at about 32 to 40 inches. You will be able to read fine with that change. And you will be a lot happier with that than you will probably be with a multifocal lens.

      Having LASIK will also correct any astigmatism you may have developed as a result of the cataract surgery. Replacing with another lens will not fix that.

      However, please discuss this with a LASIK specialist and not just a cataract surgeom before you make up your mind.

      If you are going for LASIK, you should wait for at least 4 weeks or so for the vision to stabilize before you have any LASIK enhancement done. Depending on how your eye stabilizes, you may not even need much of an enhancement.

    • nancy528
      nancy528 at201

      Posted

      How is,the Symfony lens adjusted?  Does it require removal and replacement?  If I understand you correctly, you recommend a LASIK  on my other eye for near correction?   I am 63 and would hesitate getting a laser procedure that would probably have to be repeated as my eye continues to age.   

      Are you a physician?

    • at201
      at201 nancy528

      Posted

      I was actually suggesting having the LASIK done in your dominant eye in which you had the cataract surgery done and the Symfony lens installed.

      The LASIK procedure does not do anything to your lens. It simply reshapes your cornea slightly to provide the desired change in the focus distance (along with correcting any astigmatism). It is a painless procedure which takes less than 5 minutes.

      I had LASIK done on my eye with the Symfony lens to correct the slight spherical error in the lens power and the astigmatism due to the toric lens rotation. The LASIK changed my distance vision from 20/30 to 20/15. This is a very straightforward procedure, which my surgeon offers free of charge as part of the fee for the cataract surgery with premium lens.

      Earlier, couple of years back, I had LASIK procedure done on my left eye (which had the cataract surgery 18 years back) to correct the astigmatism and change the best focus distance from intermediate to near for me to be able to read well with that eye, with excellent results. Motivation for that was to stop having to wear a contact lens in that eye for reading (I use monovision with the left eye used for reading and the right eye used for intermediate and far distances).

      Now that you have a new lens installed in the dominant eye, it is not going to change with age like the biological lens. The only changes in that eye power are going to be over the next couple of months, while your eye heals from the cataract surgery. So, the benefits of the LASIK procedure will not change in the future.

      In answer to your final question, I am not a physician: I am just a somewhat informed patient.

    • nancy528
      nancy528 at201

      Posted

      Thanks for the excellent clarification and suggestion!  I will keep,this in mind as I heal and see what I end up with in the end.  Glad to know I have this option and I am sure my surgeon could do this if I pressed the point.  

      I did not have any astigmatism going in but can you get this from the surgery?

    • at201
      at201 nancy528

      Posted

      Glad to have been of some help.

      You should talk about the LASIK option with your surgeon. If he does not do LASIK, you should definitely consult with a LASIK specialist.

      The cataract surgery can introduce a slight amount of astigmatism as part of the cornea healing process.

       

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