I was wondering how does the surgeon calculates the power of the IOL to be set?
Hopefully in consultation with you, after discussing your lifestyle, whether you want to prioritize distance or near vision, how much in the way of haloes, starbursts, dysphotopsias, etc. you can tolerate (i.e. multifocal vs. EDOF vs. monofocal lenses), whether you want to try monovision, etc. In other words, there are a lot of factors that enter into the calculation.
i am considering Panoptix. i have some glare issues now when i drive in the dark but I really do very minimal night driving. i just want to know can a doctor put a wrong power in by his calculations or is it decided by a machine.(computer)
If you were not sure what IOL you wanted I would suggest looking at LAL if getting the right power is your top priority.
If going with PanOptix then first make sure to use a top rated doctor and you can look for one that uses the Optiwave Refractive Analysis system (ORA) machine. This allows the doctor to double check vision after the cataract is removed but before the new IOL is implanted.
Even though most I think use the same or similar machine where I think I looked at a hot air balloon, a third idea is go to a few doctors and see get their power recommendation and compare.
In my case there was no computer involved, just thorough discussions with my surgeon. In any event, the power you end up with may not be what you expect, as it all depends on what happens to the lens during the healing process. (I had two -2 monofocal lenses implanted, and one wound up at -2.5, which happened to work out extremely well.)
Wow that is good to know, thank you!
They use a machine (typically the Zeiss IOLMaster) to measure the topography of your eye and formulas automatically calculate the required power based on that biometry. The most commonly used formula now is the Barrett formula. There are different “flavours” of the Barrett formulas depending on if you’ve had laser surgery in the past etc.
It looks like my doctor uses optical biometry. A machine scans your eye, and there’s a printout that shows different IOL powers in 0.5 increments, and what the predicted refraction of the eye would be for each IOL option. Some printouts I’ve seen on line show the results using several different formulae, then the doctor chooses what is felt to be the best option for the patient. In my case the machine is operated by clinic staff, not by the doctor.
Is this how they get the reading power as well?
They get the power by scanning your cornea with a Zeiss IOLMaster or similar. This is how all surgeons everywhere do it. It’s part of the various tests that an assistant will typically do before you talk to the doctor. You may discuss IOL choices and refractive targets with the doctor but they still need to know your biometry before they can do anything.
of u are referring to the ORA machine very few doctors use it. most just get your power using the machine others have mentioned
But it hitting the target is top priority then you can research it and if it makes sense to you then find one of the doctors that use it.
i would think it makes the most sense if you have a dense cataract the dr is having problems getting a reading.
go to youtube and search ora system catarat. harvardeye has a good video on it.
I don’t think insurance covers it as most people get a monofocal and don’t want to pay extra most doctors don’t do it.
I am not referring to the ORA Machine. I’m referring to the Zeiss IOLMaster. I mentioned this in my post. Everyone gets this kind of pre-op scan. Everyone. You cannot do cataract surgery without it. It’s impossible. A doctor cannot determine your biometery by talking to you.
i was responding to songirl post not yours. i do not and did not disagree with anything you said.
the ora is in addition to not a replace of.
it was a suggestion because she was worried about getting the power right
Ah. Sorry. The forum software on this site is not ideal. Hard to follow sometimes.
can you explain refractive targets? shouldn’t the doctor be aiming for 20/20 if I am having the Panoptix?
So not every patient necessarily wants 20/20 distance in both eyes. The vast majority do but some people choose to go with a target that will make them nearsighted (and then wear glasses for distance). Some even set each eye different from each other so one is good for distance and the other is good for near (called monovision). But yes the vast majority choose 20/20 binocular distance.
I was able to get my last few refractions and medical notes. I see the doctor wrote target -0.25 for my right eye. Can someone please explain what this means. Also how can i compare measurements to make sure the correct power is inserted? i read somewhere to be sure is to check at least 2 different opthamologists readings but which ones exactly?