Crystalens or Restor as a Multifocal IOL After Cataract Surgery?
April 1, 2010
I am 40 yrs old and in need of cataract surgery. I have taken prednisone and inhaled steroids for asthma, which may have contributed to the formation of cataracts.
I knew nothing of monofocal or multifocal IOL’s when I started to suffer degraded vision in my left eye. I received opinions from 2 optometrists. One was for Restor and one for Crystalens. It may have just been the $3000 extra per eye over a monofocal IOL, but my initial impression was that the multifocal lenses were some sort of shady up-sell.
Now after thinking about it, I really do not want to have to rely on 2-3 pair of glasses and feel the extra $$$ might be worth it. I have worn glasses or contacts since grade school and am a pretty active guy. I set my mind on getting a multifocal lense after my second opinion (better bedside manner). This second optometrist recommended Restor, while the first optometrist had recommended Crystalens.
I am all bet set to get this done next month, but I am second guessing now. Can you recommend some impartial reading on the subject? My right eye is supposedly about a year behind in needing surgery.
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Comments
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There is some interesting discussion on the MedHelp website which helped a lot to formulate an opinion for me.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/Ashperic-Restor-vs-Monofocal-for-33-year-old-eye/show/328372
I am a 51 year old male in the UK and had cataract surgery on my non-dominant left eye last Friday. My prescription was -8.00 in my right eye, -6.50 in my left, with about +1.5 of presbyopia. I was advised by my surgeon not to go for multifocal implants given my short-sightedness, as they would most likely cause unacceptable glare and halos, which is well known as their achilles heel due to design. I decided to go for monovision using monofocals – with the non-dominant set for near, and dominant right-eye set for distance. I am happy with the results so far but it will take several weeks to fully adapt.
I would advise reading up as much as possible before surgery. Unfortunately, you will find there is no perfect solution for your vision. Just aim for the best compromise depending on your lifestyle.
restor is much better for close reading than crystalens. crytalens and restor may be about the same for intermediate (arm’s length). restor has higher risk of halos/sunburst, esp during night driving- crystalens has almost zero risk. i think restor is much more popular than crystalens at this time. from what i hear from experts who do alot of these implants, restor is better overall. there is some controversy about crystalens- whether it really works at all (it works by being pushed forward by your natural focusing muscles, but some studies suggest it doesn’t move at all. the restor doesnt move- it has like a bullseye pattern of circles that create multiple images simultaneously, and your brain kinda automatically focuses on the clear one at any given time depending if you are looking far or near).
if you do a lot of night driving, be very careful about the restor.
monovision happens to be a very good option, and there is no extra charge. a well-known surgeon (his name escapes me) advocates it strongly over multifocals. he shoots for about -1.50 in the non-dominant eye, and his patients are very pleased.
btw, multifocal’s side effects are unrelated to how near-sighted you are.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both types. Monovision is good for range and quality of vision, but depth perception is reduced because your eyes are working independently to each other and a minority of people do not adapt. In my case, I had contact lenses previously set to monovision with +1.00 in my left eye about 2 years ago, to help with reading without glasses. It took about a week for me to adapt and worked well for a year, but presbyopia got worse and I needed reading glasses in the 2nd year. I think that +1.50 in your non-dominant is a good target to aim for, I have seen various research supporting this view, and this is what I went for.
I am pleased that I didn’t go for multifocals in the end – not sure how I would have got on with the possibility of glare/halos/starburst, reduced contrast sensitivity at night, weak intermediate vision with diffractive lenses etc. I have none of these problems with my monofocal at the moment and don’t expect to. There appear to be more cases of explants with multifocals as opposed to monofocals and is not something you would want to go through in my opinion.
mick- your reasoning is excellent. you touch on all the legitimate concerns about multifocals. patients need to be very motivated to be spectacle-independent in order to be happy with these lenses and to tolerate the side effects. if one picks the right patient population, the satisfaction rates are very high- 95% or so.
monovision happens to be a very good option, and there is no extra charge. a well-known surgeon (his name escapes me) advocates it strongly over multifocals. he shoots for about -1.50 in the non-dominant eye, and his patients are very pleased.
btw, multifocal’s side effects are unrelated to how near-sighted you are.
I started this string asking for help. Thanks for the responses. I am still on the fence. I just read an article about NanoFLEX IOL which is considered an FDA approved standard IOL that has shown more focusing ability than other standard IOLs, showing near and intermediate vision comparable to premium lenses. Currently they are seeking approval as an accommodating lens, until then, Medicare reimburses full cost. Has anyone heard anything on this lens?
Thanks-
Please note that none of the previous respondents mentioned Fuchs’ as one of their issues. We have a large group of over 2200 Fuchs’ Dystrophy patients on line and we have noticed two major issues with multifocal lenses of any type.
Neither Medicare, Medicare Advantage (private insurance that ‘replaces’ Medicare) nor non Medicare patients’ major medical insurance covers any lens other than the standard lens. Multifocal lenses seem to run over $3000 each and that’s a whopper of non covered cost for patients.
Of possibly 30 of our members or more who have had a multifocal lens installed have had strong complaints about glare and other issues. For many the problem was intolerable and they paid to have them removed. Removal is problematic because the natural lens capsule tends to grow around the plastic centering/retaining springs which can break during removal and pierce the lens capsule and fall into the main eye globe where they may cause damage to the retina or other parts.
The number 30 is approximate but the complaints were from all but one individual.
We are in constant contact with a large number of surgeons who specialize in Fuchs’ Corneal Dystrophy all of whom discourage their patients and our members from having multifocal lenses installed.
Robert Bellizzi, Executive Director
The Corneal Dystrophy Foundation
When I was 68 years old and an active private pilot, my doctor in Florida recommended that I go for the Crystalens. He placed the lens in my left eye (price $1500.00 over medicare) and a few weeks later he placed a ReStor lens in my right eye, (I thought he was putting in a Crystalens.) and it was also $1500.00.
When I came back to Maryland, the right eye (with the ReStor lens) was blurred, so I went back to Florida and told the Doctor that something was wrong, at first, he told me to take some drops, and I said can you just remove the ReStor lens and put in the Crystalens, and he replied, well o.k. if I can get it out. Now the vision in my right eye was almost destroyed and went back had he walked in and said well, you have glaucoma, it’s like a thief in the night and that is what happened to your right eye. I went to six different eye doctors after that and they all just put me off like they did not know what happened, I could not even wear glasses because none worked. It became a nightmare scenario. After four years of trying new doctors and new glasses, I finally had one of them tell me. Tom, he broke the capsule. I did not know what he was talking about. He explained that in rare cases, the doctor breaks the capsule. So, after four years and numerous doctors and glasses, I finally found out what happened. Now it is too late to do anything about it and I have to live with this “messed up” vision the rest of my life, and to add insult to injury, I found out that he had replaced the ReStor lens with a regular lens and never refunded the $1500.00 dollars that I paid for the ReStor lens.
yeesh. when i have a patient who comes for a second opinion, i always tell them exactly what i find. usually, the surgeon is not at fault, and i explain that, too. if the surgeon is at fault, then i am honest about that as well. breaking the capsule happens to every excellent surgeon, esp. in tricky cases like replacing an implant. breaking the capsule can cause cme- fluid builds up in the back of the eye and blurs the vision. i dont know what the story is with glaucoma in your case. that should be something that should be detected prior to surgery unless the cataract is very advanced and the view of the optic nerve is difficult. damage to the vision from glaucoma takes many many years to occur- it makes no sense to me that no glaucoma was suspected prior to surgery, yet somehow you lost vision to glaucoma after the surgery.
re: not getting a refund on the second implant–that’s a tough one. the surgeon cannot get a refund for that lens from the company. when you paid for that lens, i think it should have been explained to you that if it doesn’t work out, you dont get a refund. thats what i do with my patients. if the capsule did not break, the surgeon would probably had given you a crystalens free of charge as a courtesy. since you did not get that crystalens, maybe the doctor would be willing to negotiate a partial refund. maybe you can call alcon (they make the restor lens) and tell them your story. maybe they will give you a refund? i am sure they dont want miserable patients bad-mouthing restor!
Hi everyone, I am a 25 year old male (in uk) about to get surgery in both eyes for cataracts. I know I’m very young to have them but i have been given 3 options: monofocals, multifocals or crystalens accomodative lens.
I cannot get monovision since i have been told that i may never adjust due to never requiring glasses before now.
Can anyone advise on what they suggest i should opt for? i dont want to be dependent on reading glasses forever which is why i am swaying away from monofocals, and due to the negative press about multifocals, I am considering crystalens accomodative lens but have heard that they don’t really work either and are just a fancy monofocal?! I am getting a 2nd opinion but any advice here would be very much appreciated thanks.
you are right about everything except the monovision- i wouldn’t blow it off so fast. try asking your eye doctor to put disposable contact lenses on you to simulate monovision for a couple of weeks. to have one eye slightly myopic- –about -1.50— is really not bad, and will allow you to use a computer w/o glasses. worst case scenario- you wear some glasses. honestly, as an ophthalmologist, thats the way i would go for my own eyes.
wondering if you’ve had your surgery yet?? I am 39 y/o and had cataract surgery over a year ago on my right eye. Prior to that I never wore glasses or even had an eye doctor. It was suggested by my eye surgeon to go with the multifocal (Restor) lens since I had never wore glasses and also might have a hard time adjusting to a single vision lens. My experience with the mutifocal has been good and not so good. My distance is great; however I am wearing readers as I am typing. My intermediate vision is very poor, which I was not expecting and I also have severe halos around lights at night.
I am due to have my left eye done next month and am considering a single vision lens but am concerned about how both eyes will work together with two different types of lenses.
Anyone out there with the same experience??
i am surprised you were given a multifocal in only 1 eye- those lenses really only work well when both eyes are implanted. you may be happier with both eyes implanted. hard to say what to do here- you may still be stuck with suboptimal near/intermediate
Too many problems with multifocal and even Cyrstalens. I am so glad I chose monofocal with blended monovision. I can see so much–distance excellent, also car dashboard, applying make-up, watching TV, much more, even most restaurant menus, etc. Many ophthalmologists focus the patients’ attention on the premium IOLs only; thus the patients assume ,they must choose a premium IOL. Beware of “eye centers” which show promotional videos on premium IOLs, recommend the premium IOLs and don’t discuss the advantages of the standard monofocal IOL. Vivian Mower
you make an an excellent point. a well-known surgeon- i forget his name- is a big advocate of monovision and feels it is superior to the premium iol’s, and at zero cost. patients should definitely ask about this option.
Let me explain further. I lived in Western Maryland prior to buying a condo and moving to Florida when I was 68.. My eye doctor in Cumberland Md. diagnosed me with glaucoma, but when I went to the Eye Centers of Florida, Dr. Brown told me that I did not have glaucoma and discontinued the drops, and since I am not a Doctor.. I believed him. On a later visit, he “recommended” that I have the Crystalens implants. The left eye went well, except for a “mid vision” problem, later when I thought I was getting a Crystalens in the right eye, he put in a Restor lens and I knew immediately something was wrong. The next day, everything that was supposed to be green was “red” in the right eye. In the meantime, I came back to Maryland. It never did clear up and later when I went back down and the lens was “changed out” the problem got worse. That’s when he told me that the glaucoma had come like “a thief in the night” and walked out. It has been a “nightmare” every since. I am now 74 years old, and my present Doctor in VA. finally got tired of me asking him if there was something he could do for my right eye, he said “look Tom, the doctor in Florida broke your capsule, the bad thing is, he was not up front with you”. This hit me like a ton of bricks. I could never understand what happened up to that point. Now I am furious at the Doctor in Florida for damaging my eye and then lying about it, and there is nothing I can do but “live” with this mess for the rest of my life.
Hi,
My cataract surgery is supposed to be in February 2011. I am 43, never had glasses, contacts. Vision problems started in Summer 2010. Had my eyes checked in October 2010 and was told left dominant eye has cataract, ready for surgery and my right eye has a beginning of cataract.
I am suppose to get the Monofocal Tecnis IOL. Of course I have to make a decision if I want the Multifocal instead…and after reading a lot online on the pros and cons of both lenses…I believe I will stick with the Monofocal suggested by my doctor. Cheaper also, ($260 CDN out of my pocket) compare to almost $1000 CDN out of my pocket for Multifocal) but money was not the factor.
I am very active, I am driving at night very often (and now it is very bad), so it is very important for me not to have the Halos and other side effects of the Mutifocal.
Reading Forums like this and having the advice of Doctors, really helps in making such an important decision.
So, left dominant eye in February 2011and right eye two months or so later. I will write again to let people know how my experienec went.
Note: I believe I have read that it is suggested to have one eye done for distance and one eye done for close-up? Is the info correct or is it case by case and as per the doc?
Thank you all!
i think you made a very wise, informed decision.
since you are so young, give serious thought to making the non-dominant eye a little near-sighted (about -1.50)- this way, chances are high you can do a lot of computer/reading work w/o glasses. otherwise, you will be completely dependent on reading glasses when you work. it is a proven, well-tolerated strategy. if the -1.50 bothers you when you drive, it’s a simple matter to buy a pair of glasses for driving to make the non-dominant eye equally sharp.
by the way, there is no reason to wait 2 months between operations. i typically wait 1 week.
Thank you for your comments.
I have to go before February 11th to pay for my first len, before the surgery. I will inform the doctor about my choice (Monofocal) and ask her about what you suggested, -1.50 in the non-dominant eye.
As for the second eye surgery, it is only due to delays due to long waiting list. For the first eye, I was told in October that the waiting was approx. 4 months..so February. I could have had surgery in November 2010 if I would have went private (Lasik MD), however, insurance wont cover, and it’s $2400 each eye.
Thanks again for your input.
oh- youre from canada- that explains the delay. here in the states, there is no delay.
I’ve not seen addressed here, something which I wish I’d known about. At 58, I was told I had cataracts in both eyes. I was surprised. The ophthalmologist said they should both come out, because they had learned it was much better to remove them early, as it became more difficult as they thickened. She gave options, but recommended the Crystalens HD, saying it had received great reviews. So, the plan was to put them in both eyes, a week apart. After putting one in my right eye, yes, I had 20/25 vision (compared to earlier 20/50); however, I also had halo’s, blurring, and loss of depth perception. Also, I had lost much of my peripheral vision, and it felt I was peering out from behind a black rim. They said the latter happened sometimes and YAG laser surgery was common to correct this. So, I had YAG. It helped for a wider view, and less black rim. But 4 months later, I still felt like I was looking out of a hole in the ground. They did some more YAG, and again, it did help my viewing area seem larger, but none of the other things changed, and in fact were getting much worse. They kept encouraging me to do the other eye (cataract surgery), as I’d put it off so fearful of a similar outcome.
Now, 3 years later, and after going to about 5 doctors, I just went to a retina specialist 3 days ago. He doesn’t know why this wasn’t picked up on, but the blurriness, spots, lack of clarity, etc. are because I have diabetic retinopathy. He said the retina hemorrhages I have indicate I’ve had the problem over 10 years, and that due to my condition, I should have only had the cataract removal if it was entirely essential, because if you have retinopathy, having cataract surgery will most likely accelerate the problems with your retina.
The retinal specialist said absolutely do not have cataract surgery on the other eye, in hopes we can get this under control some, plus that certain steps should be done before surgery if a person has the diabetic retinopathy. Keep in mind that on any blood tests, I “never” had a blood sugar reading A1C over 6.7, so was under the guideline of what was considered diabetic. I would suggest that anyone who has a lot of blurriness, or is over 50, have a good retina check before having cataract surgery.
any ophthalmologist should be able to detect diabetic retinopathy prior/after surgery, unless the cataract is very advanced. instead, i would recommend a 2nd opinion- especially when the cataracts are not bothering you too much. true- removing a cataract earlier is sometimes better than later, but that typically applies to mature cataract, or if there are other conditions that make the surgery more risky, like pseudoexfoliation. it could easily take 5-10 years for an early cataract to become a problem for a patient, so no need to have it removed so soon- unless, of course, the patient is unhappy with the vision, where the cataract should be removed immediately. and yes- retinoapthy must be controlled prior to surgery, and may certainly get worse afterwards.
It was very confusing to decide whether to have a mono-focal IOL or a multi-focal IOL implanted and if multi-focal then which brand? After comparing all options and considering that Restor is the most popular and my doctor was experienced with Restor I only had to decide one more thing. Mono or multi-focal. My biggest concerns were halo and night vision as well as the success rate of only about 80% in becoming completely glasses free meaning that I could be spending additional $5000 for nothing. My doctor was very straightforward and very neutral and honest in explaining the pros and cons of each choice I could make.
Considering that I had many years of career remaining and the inconvenience of putting on glasses for working on computer and reading and also that this a choice that will affect rest of my life I decided to take the chance on multi-focal Restor.
I got implant in my left eye on March 17, 2011 and in right eye on April 7, 2011. So far I am extremely pleased with the choice I made. I can already read fine prints in bright light which my 28 year old son says is not easy to read!. My distant vision is better than ever I can recall and my doctor says that it will improve further! I realize that I could end up in the 20% unfortunate patients but if I had to do it all over again I will not change a thing. After all it is a decision that affects the quality of my life for the next at least two decades I am expected to live. I am taking chances almost every day in my life with or without realizing it. Why not take a 80% chance for the betterment of life?
I hope my experience will help someone else making his/her decision easier.
By the way, halo is nothing compared to what I imagined and i find it not a problem at all. Night driving is in fact better than my pre-op vision.
great to hear such a satisfied patient!
I’m 61 and had a monofocal IOL implanted after cataract surgey this month and the other eye is going to be done next week. I have worn glasses since I was 8 yr old and I THOUGHT I was getting a multifocal. Now that I could not see distance as I thought I would the doctor said he used monofocal because my eye would not adapt to balance issues. I did have a bout of optic neuritis in the past and a neurological disease and am severely nearsighted. My doctor is the best and I trust him completely, but I feel like I never had input.
Has anyone ever had the monofocal removed and replaced with a multifocal IOL?
you are not a good candidate for multifocal if you had optic neuritis. your surgeon did the right thing, but i suppose he should have discussed it further with you so it would have been clear prior to surgery.
if a patient is really miserable and wants multifocal, the lens can certainly be replaced. but again, this would be rare, as doctors typically discuss the iol’s prior to surgery. on the other hand, a minority of patients (3% or so?) have the mulifocal removed and replaced with monofocal due to dissatisfaction with the multifocal.
Thank you Dr Ari. I am worried becaues now my dashboard is blurry completely and headlites are ery glaring again. I am due to have my other eye done this week. My doctor would always do what is in my interest and I have NO doubts of that. However, now that I have done my homework is it reasonable to cancel that second surgery and sit down and really discuss this fear and what I am doing?Thank you for your input.
I have had cataracts for at least 10 years, but not enough to impair my daily living or warrant surgery. This year my new eyeglass Rx did not improve my vision, so it was time to go ahead and take care of the problem. My opthomolgist advised me to receive the best vision with my particular history, bilateral monofcals both set for near vision, was the way to go. I have had a past history of a couple bouts of optic neuritis and nearsighted since my youth.
Does anyone possibly know the reason a multifocal lens implant would not be a viable option given my history?
a history of optic neuritis makes you a bad candidate for multifocal. the tissues of the eye (cornea, retina, optic nerve) have to be in near perfect shape in order to get the most of these lenses. your surgeon did you a favor- thank him!
I AGREE..in fact, I am very pleased with the results! I see so much more at close range than I ever had and appreciate his decision. Perhaps patients hear about what others have and you wonder, but I appreciate your comments. Bottom line, I can see and that is all that matters!
July 6 had surgery on right (dominant) eye and August 3 on left eye. Crystalens in both. After first eye, I was skeptical about getting second eye done with Crystalens as believed I would have good far and mid vision, but didn’t. Because of the way the lens seated itself, I was left with excellent mid vision and very good near vision. Based on the outcome of first eye, dr. made adjustment to strength of second lens. I now have 20/20 in second eye for distance and fair mid vision. I am able to go without glasses entirely, although wasn’t exactly as planned. There are really no guarantees on the outcome no matter what you decide to go with. With each passing day, my brain is learning to adapt to my new eyes. Although I think we would all like perfection, I don’t think any lens will give you that.
I have 2 have 2 cataracts done. Think I will go with mono lenses after reading comments. I take Flomax daily and my doc says not to worry. Is he correct. Can he do the surgery with no problems? Thanks.
flomax makes it harder, with a slightly higher complication rate, but we have ways of dealing with it. leaving the cataract in the eye to get larger with time is the worst option.
Sept 30,2011 I am going to have my second cataract surgery done. By tomorrow I have to decide what kind of IOL- mono or multifocal I prefer. Since my first surgery 2 years ago, I really do not like all these side effects, what I was not informed about with my multifocal ReSTOR lens in my right eye. Halos and blurriness at night are really disturbing. I also have a grey shadow behind the letters with the close reading. However I have to admit, I have regained my ability to read without the reading glasses ( aprox 1.5 year after the surgery). I was told that the same ReSTOR multifocal IOL is recommended but I have a right of choosing otherwise. I am opting right now for monofocal IOL in my left eye for near vision with existing multifocal ReSTOR IOL in my right eye. Any suggestions will be really appreciated.
hard to say! restor works best when used binocularly, so you may want to try it. you could go back to the operating room a couple of weeks later to replace the iol- it should not be terribly difficult to replace before the iol scars in place. if you want to be conservative- choose near mono as you suggest.
hi there ,
i am 43 and never had a problem with my eyes ,only the last month i noticed reading menus at night difficult ,i visted the eye hospital to be told i have cataracts in both eyes the right eye is blurry and the left still ok. i wonder what lens would be recommended as i paint a lot and would hate to be left unable to do that .also is it better to wait and see what happens my doctor was planning an operation for a week after the first meeting ,which i found a little scary because i need to think about lenses. any help ?
your vision will be excellent after surgery. the question only is- with or without glasses. you have to discuss at length the options, risks etc with your surgeon.
I am scheduled to have a multifocal lens replaced in my left eye during my cataract surgery next week. I am having doubts about the multifocal lens, concerned that I will have trouble driving at night, and seeing contrasts. At 53, I have worn multifocal contact lenses for the past 10 years with great success. Do you think that monovision might be a good option for me to replace the multifocal lenses as scheduled?,
if you are really concerend about night driving and loss of contrast (not an unreasonable fear), then yes, i advise monovision.
1 last thing- crystalens has no such drawbacks- but the reading vision is not as good. better for intermediate vision.
I am 61 and had cataract surgery on the right eye 11 days ago and on the left eye 4 days ago. I have been severely nearsighted and wore glasses at age 5. I started wearing contact lenses when they first came out (hard lenses) and switched to gas permeable monovision lenses about 6 years ago. Lately, I wore my glasses more often than my contacts because the contacts were no longer comfortable and my eyes are somewhat dry.
I began to have rapidly growing cataract in my right eye causing blurriness and color compromise. The left eye was not quite as bad, but still causing symptoms.
I decided to have Restore multi-focal iol inserted in both eyes. Although I wore monofocal contacts, I was wearing bi-focal glasses more often.
My first surgery on the right eye went off without a hitch. Although blurry the first day, I could tell that behind that little curtain – there was clear distance vision. It felt like a miracle – and over the course of 4-5 days – i was simply amazed. I saw clear, distinct images for the first time, and colors were brighter. Being dependent on corrective lenses my whole life – suddenly I could see!
I couldn’t wait to get the second lens done a week later -as that interim week is a challenge being so nearsighted!
The left eye was done 4 days ago – and right away I had pain and scratchiness. Dr. said my cornea was scratched and he placed a contact lens bandaid on it. Then he said my eye pressure was high and he released fluid. Since then, it has healed well, no pain. And it is getting clearer each day.
BUT….now, 11 days after the right eye surgery – the right eye is becoming somewhat blurry. Sometimes, when I blink, I get what seems like a film or fluid that floats over my eye and causes a blur for a second – then passes. This is particularly noticeable when at the computer, which I am – a lot. It reminds me of a floater – only instead of being dark and string-like – it is opaque and fluid-like.
It is increasing each day now – and somewhat irritating. If I were to be told that there is nothing that can be done – and to live with it – that would be difficult. Because it reminds me a little of what the cataract looked like! When that blurry spot is not floating onto my eye, my vision is AMAZING. But when it is there, I strain to see.
I put on some readers -and that helps me see the computer – but the sensation of something floating over my right eye vision is difficult to ignore.
My left eye does not have this and when it is fully healed – I think the vision will be great in it.
I don’t care about things like halos, but I’m concerned about this floating thing in my right eye. I don’t see my doctor for another 2 1/2 weeks. Should I see him sooner?
Thanks for any input.
I should also clarify that I had astigmatism in both eyes – and that was corrected by the eye surgeon.
sounds like a benign floater. i would call the surgeon and ask if he should see you sooner.
I need to have a cataract removed from my left eye..not my dominant eye. In the past I have worn mono vision contacts. I hate wearing glasses. I have not been able to wear contacts for the last year due to inability to see with them. I do not know what option to take in replacing my lense. I was highly considering the mulitfocal iol until reading some of the comments. Now I am wondering if I should choose the monovision for close up vision and continue to wear the far away monovision contact in my right eye which is not surgical ready. Up in the air as to what to do.
if you did monovision in the past, that’s the way to go for the implant.
I am 43 and like most people on this Board, I have to decide if I should have monofocals or multifocals. I don’t mind wearing reading glasses at night when I read a book, but during the day I use the computer and I would hate to have to wear glasses all the time for work. Do monofocals work OK for computer reading?
Also- I am not sure I understand what people on this board mean when they say ‘close up monovision’ and ‘far away monovision’ – is this all monofocals?
I have astigmatism as well and have worn contacts since my teenage years.
Thanks!
Doug
monovision is having one eye focused at distance, and the other for near. it works quite well, and its free. sure- the monovision can give you vision at computer distance for one eye. the other eye will be blurred, and vice versa for distance. if you have astigmatism, i strongly advise the toric lens- most charge about $1000. also, if you have significant astigmatism, you are not a great candidate for the multifocal anyway
Hi i am Arun from India Mumbai i developed cataract in both eyes at age of 35 it got very bad in left eye & had a sugery done with multifocal lens implant just one 1& half year back, my vision was restored in just a few days & there was no problems at all with vision for far near as well as reading fine prints are concerned apart from the regular problems of halos glares & contrast which at times are manageable & at times its not.
Now i am facing a problem of floaters which really obstruct vision especially in sun & they are heaps of them i did consult my doc & he had a retina tear test done & sed it was all ok my question is are these floaters here to stay with me permanetly or will they fade out with time? I am also thinking of having this lens replaced is that a good choice as very soon i wud be having to do surgery for the right eye too so i want to go for monofucal whats the risk involved for taking out my first implant? Wil i go blind or blurness in vision?
Will there be addition side effects to my 1st surgery?
floaters, especially after surgery, are normal as we get older and get slowly better over months/years. we dont treat them.
why are you having your implant replaced?? you think it causes the floaters? the implant has nothing to do with floaters.
Aloha all.
I’m going to have my first cataract removed in Feb and like a LOT of peeps I’m still debating whether to pay the extra $2,000+ per eye for multifocals.
I’m pushing 73 but still active flying RC planes, deep sea fishing and need GOOD distance 3D vision.
I also still work as a woodturning artist and close good vision SURE would be nice also.
My surgeon normally uses Tecnis IOL’s.
After a LOT of surfing the internet I’ve yet to see anyone saying how GREAT multifocals are.
Multifocals may not be for you. they require a tolerance for some side effects and drawbacks. i think you would be better off with monovision if you are really motivated not to wear glasses. I’d advise to get a few different opinions.
I had ReStor multifocal lens in right eye July 2011 and left eye November 2011. I
have pain in the left eye with a blur in the middle. I will need 2.75 reading glasses,
computer screen is fuzzy and so are words on the television at 10 feet away. I
might as well get progressive lenses glasses. Not what I expected. Used to see halos at night around traffic signals but now I see a bunch of graduated circles and cars headlights are now huge starbursts.
Hopefully, others have better results.
02-03-2012
I’m am 51 and scheduled for surgery on my right eye, w/ cataract (camera eye) I’m a photographer, on Feb. 21. then on my left eye, no cataract March 6. I am -5.75 in both eyes now wearing mulitfocal contacts. The halos and blurry lights are a bother to me with these contacts and I would rather not have to deal with that after my surgery. My question is, since I already wear the mulitfocal contacts, would I adjust to the monofocal implant lenses? Also, would the monofocal lens still cause the halos and light blurriness at night? Any other advice would be appreciated if
needed.
My right eye was corrected, with monofccal iol goal of intermediate vision, and the result came out distance. 20-25. My left eye, which is dominant will be done in next couple of monhts. I hate not being able to see the computer and things close to me such as peoples’s faces, my phone, those things within 3 feet. My left still has a little ability to see close, but it has a cataract and well there is blurriness.
My qyestion is: Why does the dominant eye always have to have long distance vision ? Has any had their dominant eye corrected for near vision? Why couldn’t I get mutlifocal for left dominant eye?
My corrected right eye doen’t seem to have any problems, I already see much better in distance with both eyes.
I work as a dentist, and when I work I use Loupes and vision is good because of the magnification of 3X . It’s so frustrating to take off Loupes and notl being able to read the charts without glasses.
there is no hard and fast rule. you could do near vision for the dominant eye if you wish. consider having the iol replaced in the right eye, or do lasik in that eye. a multifocal in only 1 eye is not typical, and you may not like it- the multifocals work best when done in both eyes, but some surgeons have had success with only 1 eye. consider crystalens in left eye- gives good intermediate vision.