Vivity lenses implant real world contrast sensitivity results
Posted , 11 users are following.
I thought of giving something back to this small community as I received so much from it. I’m done with both eyes now, so for me is game-over, there’s nothing I can change now but I hope the information here will help others.
I had my first eye done on November 3, 2021, about 7 weeks ago now and my right eye (dominant one) on November 22, 2021, a month ago.
Left eye was targeted for -0.5D mini-monovision and the right eye for plano.
I took a contrast sensitivity test on VCS com on November 14 and another one yesterday, December 22.
Here are some details about the tests.
First test:
The left eye was two weeks after the surgery and the right eye was before its surgery.
To be able to test my right eye I had to wear reading glasses otherwise I would not have been able to properly see the screen.
Second test:
I took the test 7 weeks after the first surgery and 4 weeks after the second surgery, so my right eye had double the time to recover than my left eye, when I took the test.
Results summary
First test:
Left eye total score; 38/45 (84%)
Right eye total score: 43/45 (96%)
Second test:
Left eye total score: 42/45 (93%)
Right eye total score: 40/45 (89%)
This two things jump right at me:
- the left eye improved greatly from week 3 to week 8
- the right eye was better than the left eye at the time of testing (89% vs 84%).
What I learned from this is that healing time matters a lot.
There you have it, you got the numbers. Based on what I actually see now, I can’t say I notice the contrast loss (before and after), if there is any.
The only thing that bothers me is Christmas lights at night, Not all of them, just the ones more than let’s say, 15-20m away and especially the blue ones.
God, I hate those now, they actually almost make me dizzy.
Other than that, during the day I’m 100% happy with my vision (distance, intermediate and near).
Here are the screenshots for my contrast sensitivity tests results:
0 likes, 54 replies
RonAKA NeluG
Edited
How well can you read without glasses? At what distance does reading ability start to fail? Any issues when the light gets dimmer?
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Edit: Oh, and I had one more question. Have you had eyeglasses refraction tests done to see where you really ended up compared to your target of plano and -0.5 D?
soks RonAKA
Posted
how well can you read near is a great question.
vivity and pan optix or monofocal and panoptix might be a great combination.
RonAKA soks
Posted
Yes, the standard criticism is that Vivity lenses have a significant reduction in contract sensitivity. If you look at the MTF graph in the Vivity package insert that is true at their plano distance focal point. However, as you move to closer distances the Vivity MTF drops off more gradually than the sudden drop of the monofocal AcrySof lens. And, if you under correct the Vivity then closer vision contrast sensitivity gets better still.
NeluG RonAKA
Posted
Hi,
I can read up to 16 inch but it goes south immediately from there.
Of course it's harder when the light gets dimmer but that's mostly for printed text, not so much for backlit text, like a smartphone.
I'll have my eight week checkup on January 5, 2021 so I haven't done a full refraction test yet but I had a partial one.
By partial I mean it was just for the right eye and just to confirm I reached 20/20 with that eye.
Both technicians results were identical and they confirmed the plano target has been reached for my right eye.
My left eye seems to be even better for distance vision, but I can't be sure until I'll have the full refraction test done, maybe in January or February.
john20510 NeluG
Posted
How do you find the contrast level for distance vision when you are outdoors, for example does it seem dim on overcast days. Does your contrast level seem worse then before you had cataracts when your vision was normal or pity much the same
NeluG john20510
Edited
Hi John,
First I have to say I did not have cataracts at all. I went through the surgery just to get rid of glasses and I achieved my goal.
If one had cataracts more than sure the contrast sensitivity with the Vivity lenses would be better, no doubt about that.
For me, there is a slight decrease in contrast sensitivity and the numbers I posted are pretty accurate. I'd say, maybe around 15% at most.
It doesn't bother me at all during the day and during the night but I can sense it at dawn and dusk. Nothing to be concerned about though...
Pascal111 NeluG
Posted
This sounds very good. So you are very satisfied!?
Your variant (-0.5D + Plano with Vivity) is also my preferred variant for my upcoming surgery.
Like RonAka, I would also be interested in:
NeluG Pascal111
Posted
Hello Pascal,
Please see my reply to Ron regarding your first two questions.
The answer to the third one is a big YES! My eyes work great together and my vision is very natural, without any interruptions or drop-off's, from near to far distance.
I don't feel it any different from when I was younger and needed no glasses.
As I pointed out in several occasions my only issue is with halos (no glare, no starbursts) at night, in special conditions:
the distance to the light source has to be between let's say, 100 m to 250-300m. Anything closer or further away is fine.
Yes, they are annoying but I can't say they're disturbing.
john20510 NeluG
Edited
Glad to hear its a success. l am thinking about going with a premium rather then standard mono focal so l wont need glasses but seems like a bit of a gamble as some people are happy with them and others say they regret going with it
NeluG john20510
Posted
Hello John,
I agree with you.
It can be a gamble and things can go haywire really easily so it's a big decision.
So far I think I was lucky but choosing between the Vivity lenses and the monofocal ones is not an easy decision.
On the other hand, happy people don't really post here, do they? 😃
Good luck with whatever you decide!
rwbil NeluG
Posted
OK, I tried the test and Gee that was depressing. I have diffractive IOLs which are known to have less CS. Assuming I calibrated everything properly I only scored 60%. So you are seeing great compared to me.
soks rwbil
Posted
setting vivity for -1 and -0.5 might be a great combination. vivity is able to achieve better range than symfony without rings per shannon wong's latest video.
rwbil
Posted
I think my testing results were not 100% accurate, due to the fact that at that distance I would need to wear reader's to get my best vision.
So I need to get some reader's and retest when I get a chance.
RonAKA rwbil
Posted
Readers will of course change your optimum point of focus +2.5 better or so and will of course improve your contrast sensitivity. I believe the standard way of determining contrast sensitivity is with the IOL only, with no other corrective lenses overlaid.
rwbil RonAKA
Edited
I guess one could do a corrected and uncorrected CS test, but being this computer test is conducted somewhere between close and intermittent distance, I am not sure how meaningful a uncorrected CS test results is.
After all, lets say you got the Eyhance IOL, how would you even be able to do a close CS test.
The poster stated, "to be able to test my right eye I had to wear reading glasses otherwise I would not have been able to properly see the screen"
I could be off, but I would think to get meaningful results it would best be done using your best corrected vision.
OK, I tried the test again and this time picked up a pair of 1.5 readers I had around. I scored in the 70s, so better but not great.
Also noticed it made a big difference on the brightness setting, so not sure how accurate this test actually is.
RonAKA rwbil
Posted
I guess it depends on what you are trying to measure. If you want to know your corrected contrast sensitivity (with glasses) you would wear the glasses. If you wanted to know your eyeglass free contrast sensitivity you would have to do it without glasses. I think when manufacturers do the testing to measure how good their IOL is, they would have to do it without eyeglasses.
NeluG rwbil
Posted
Hello,
Yes, you have to wear your glasses in order to be able to properly see the screen. This information is available to you before you take the test.
If I recall well, you're supposed to be better than 20/40 for the test distance or wear glasses.
NeluG RonAKA
Posted
Hi Ron,
That is true for people that already have the IOL implanted but for someone that wants to take the test before the surgery, like I did, glasses are required, otherwise you don't see anything on the screen.
Guest NeluG
Posted
This is cool but as others have pointed out, if you were wearing glasses the test results are testing the peak contrast, not the unaided reading distance contrast. The FDA info on Vivity shows both MTF and Clinical test results. Ideally you'd find out how the Clinical tests (i.e. tests with real people in a room, not a lab test done on a bench) were done and replicate that. You'd likely get similar results.
RonAKA Guest
Edited
MTF for the multifocal and EDOF IOLs tends to be all over the map at various defocus positions. Vivity seems to get all the attention because it has a relatively low value (about 0.25 if I recall correctly) at the 0.0 defocus position. But it improves as you get closer. Same with other lenses. See this graph below for a comparison of some lenses. The PanOptix for example hits essentially zero at -1.25 D. I am not convinced that contrast sensitivity is as big a factor as some make it out to be. And the issue can be effectively managed by using a monofocal lens in the dominant eye set for distance, and only use the Vivity in the non dominant close eye. That way the high monofocal contrast sensitivity makes up for the lower Vivity at 0.0 Defocus, while the Vivity makes up for the low MTF of the monofocal at close distances. Alcon does not mention this option, as I suspect they would rather sell you a Vivity for both eyes!
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Guest RonAKA
Posted
One would expect MTF 50 to be all over the map with multifocals of course because by definition they have multiple distinct peak focus zones... distance, intermediate and near. EDOF's are smoother and yes, flatter than a monofocal. Again as one would expect. But a monofocal is meant to be used with glasses to shift that peak to the distance you need it at (i.e. near) so it has one large peak that will of course be much lower than Vivity at say, a -2D defocus.