Sorry to hear that. I wonder if writing to the lens manufacturer would do any good. Someone else must have had a similar problem - is there a US discussion board you could try? It would be helpful if surgeons posted here but I guess they're scared of treading on each others' toes or getting sued.
Thanks. I should say that overall I'm delighted with the result, which is a good job because it cost me a fortune and I'm not easily pleased.
Been in contact with lens manufacturer for 2 mos now, signed all the forms they required. They said they would look into the situation, lens manufacture history, consult with my eye doc etc. But despite repeated requests for their feedback, so far nothing.
For anyone still following, it's now over 5 months since the (1st) cataract surgery on my left eye. After delays, finally had a meeting with lens manufacture rep and doc. The rep tested and examined my eye said everything "looked great", said the eye had healed well, doc had done "bang up" surgery etc. When I asked why then was my distance and near vision not good and worse, why I was experiencing all the visual aberrations, the worst of which is the flickering/fluttering on the left side on my field of vision, but also the glare from the sides and above, halos and rays around bright objects at night and glare from oncoming heading lights, he had no explanation. Said he/ they never ran into it before. When I mentioned that others like on this forum had experienced it, he more or less shrugged. In other words the meeting accomplished nothing.
So my choices remain, have 3rd surgery and replace the adaptive lens with a fixed focus lens and hope it gets rid of the aberrations, which doc is hesitant to do or recommend, since he has no confidence that it'll alleviate my problems OR I can live with it. And have cataract surgery on my right eye, which I'm queasy about, given what happened with the left and because it's still carrying the day as far as my vision goes, even though it's slowing getting worse.
Putting time pressure on, doc says the clouding behind the lens implant (requiring the YAG procedure) is proceeding, so I have to make up my mind soon whether I want the lens replaced, since it's not a good idea to replace a lens after the YAG.
I go back and forth about what to do depending just how annoying my left eye is at that moment.
Hello Peter and everyone,
Dysphtopsia and Dry Eyes
I have just registered and found this thread under Cataract surgary.
I cannot see where to start a new thread for the moment but wonder
whether we could compare notes and support under a Dysphopsia heading? I can ask patients in the dry eye group whether there is anyone who has this problem and how they are managing.
I first noiced a black )) in my eye - liken to a horse wearing blinkers after the first cataract op and though it would go away when I had the other cataract done. Staff didn`t seem too bothered that I`d mentioned it so I thought I must be being a bit of a baby - After the second op it was worse and has not changed. It`s really getting the better of me as I also have dry eyes and suffering from a loss in confidence.
Going to the supermarket with glaring bright lights I never noticed before is awful and I get out of there as soon as I can.
The only advice I have been given is to wear sun glasses but it takes away the pleasure of browsing.
I haven`t seen the same surgeon again but have been told the condition is irriversible as the gel sticks to the lens at the back
of the eye so further surgary to correct is out of the question.
It was a relief to read that I`m not alone - Thank you
I think it's pretty easy to start a new thread, if you like.
As you may know, there is both positive and negative Dysphopsia. Negative is what it sounds like you have. I (may) have positive, though my doc, who is pretty experienced says he's never incountered my set of symptoms and no matter what, he dosen't know what's causing them, since he continues to maintain my IOL seems to be in proper postion and is not moving, which (if it was) might account for the fluttering/flickering I see.
I don't really have the dry eye problem, though with so much annoying stuff going on, but it often feels like a contact lens that's fouled up. And just want to be able to take it out, but, of course can't.
About the only thing I might ask is wether you've gotten a 2nd opinion for a different doctor? Though I did and it wasn't helpful.
Also if you don't mind telling me what type of IOL did they us on your eye?
The unexpected hassle with what so many others (including my wife) had no problems whatsoever has gotten me pretty discouraged/down too. And hearing about your having the same problem with the 2nd eye, amkes me even more reluctant to have my other eye done, even though it seems I'll have to at some point.
Hang in there.
Hi Peter,
I'm not on the computer right now but
For the time being knowing what I do
I'd stick with the GP's opinion.
Prior to having the second cataract done I put my hand over the )) side and it disappeared - like you I wish I could take them out.
I have not discussed it at all with the GP as I don't know anything about positive and negative Dystopsia - I just had a letter saying it was " "
I recall being give the lens details but
Don't know where the paper is right now - it would be interesting to see the lens comparisons ie is it a particular type of lens causing the problem or whether - as I read - a brain perception phenomenon . Whatever it is I don't like it - you hang on in there too : )
I'll see if I can find the paper.
Best Wishes
Alice
Hi. I had IOL implants nearly 3months ago. I found the glare unbearable. But I am happy to say the glare has gone and I can shop happy!
Also suffer flickering light in left eye.
How long ago did u have surgery?
Sorry for the delayed response, for some reason didn't see your post until today. Happy your glare is gone. What about the flickering?
I had the surgery on my left eye last Nov. Been putting off going back to doc, even though nothing has improved for me, but tomorrow I have an appointment.
Believe doc will recommend (as he has before) going ahead with my right eye usng a an old-fashioned, fixed focal IOL. Natually I'm quite nervous about doing the right eye in view of what happened with the left, for which he has no good explanation. Tried getting yet a 3rd opinion, but other docs are etheir booked up til July or disinterested. So seems it's time to bite the bullet and try to move on.
BTW left eye is in increasing in need of the YAG proceedure, as the secondary cataract is getting worse. I don't want to do it now, since doc says that he wouldn't consider lens replacement for my left eye, after the YAG and I'm still thinking about having him do that in hopes of getting rid of all the visual BS (flickering, glare, halos etc) even though he's is not at all sure it will fix the problems and is reluctant to operate on the same eye for the 3rd time.
Whatever, mighty disappointing that after the high hopes last Nov that I had a good chance of being able to get rid of my glasses, not to mention thousands in out of pocket costs, the hope of getting rid of glasses is all but gone and I seem to be stuck with a problem left eye and only the hope the right will turn out OK.
Anyone's input, partcularly about the flickering, would be appreciated.
I CAN REALLY RELATE TO ALL OF YOU. I HAD MINE DONE LAST JULY 2,2015. AND MY DOCTOR SAYS THE RIGHT EYE WE DO IN SEPT. BUT AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS KING OF FLICKERING AND READING ALL YOUR DISCUSSIONS MAKES ME NOT WANT TO TOUCH MY OTHER EYE. 
MY ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT IM HAVING BAD HEADACHE AND MIGRAINES IF I READ AND FOCUSED ON MY LEFT EYE.
NOW, IM REALLY NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. BUT WANT TO FOLLOW YOU CONVERSATION AS IT MADE ME FEEL BETTER KNOWING THAT IM NOT ALONE IN MY ORDEAL. (LOTS OF TIME I REALLY WANT TO SCRATCH IT OUT.) TNX
Left eye cataract surgery nearly 3 weeks ago
IOL : model: ZXR00 ::13mm
diopter +23.0D :: 6mm
sn: 8213571412
I have flickering bright light in both eyes after lens implants several years ago. It only occurs when I go out of doors into sunshine. The light seems to be in a circle, with sparks radiating out like a firework. After a short time it stops. I theorise that when I go out the iris is wide open, and when it closes with the brightness the sparks disappear. Can it be that the light is scattered by the edges of lenses, and when the iris closes the light is on the centre of the lenses. I have no concern about this.
My flickering occurs indoors, particularly in a fairly dim environment and there's a brighter light source, like a window, worst when its to my left. I do not experience it when in bright sunlight.
So yes, it seems that when the pupil is closed down, the light is not getting scattered, maybe, as you say, by the edges of the lens. My doc's theory, which has changed over time, is that light is getting around the lens/getting behind the lens and bouncing around. He's suggested a possible lens exchange, using a larger diameter conventional IOL to try to correct the problem, but says since he's never run into the problem before, he can give no assurance it will work.
Hopefully it would also get rid of the glare, rays and halos I get at night, which fits with the theory about the light getting around the lens, when the pupil is wide open.
My surgery was done with a Trulign (supposedly) adaptive and astigmatic correcting IOL and while my vision isn't great, (far or reading distance, good at computer distance), if I have a convention lens put it, the vision will probably be worse, uncorrected. So the question is whether its worth the risk of another surgery to try to maybe get rid of the annoying aberrations and the feeling I get a lot of the time, like it has a slightly fouled up contact lens in my eye .
What kind of IOLs do you have?
To further confuse the situation, I have a worsening secondary cataract behind the IOL which is affecting my vision, blurring bright lights at night etc. The secondary cataract supposedly can be corrected with the YAG procedure, but once that's done it rules/it becomes too risky to do the exchange.
Plus I still have the other eye with cataract that I have to decide what to do about.
Going in for a 2nd opinion from a new doc next Thurs, in hopes it will help me sort out this "can a worms", decide what to do and get on with life. I've found making the decision with so much uncertainty, very stressful.
Sorry if this more info than you or anyon needs or wants.
Im not sure but i think i have the same sentiments as you do. In the mornings my operated eye is ok except for the- what it feels like a misplaced contact lens on the outer corner of my eye. And its bad when its night or the lights are dim. You know what i tried? I tried closing my unoperated right eye and it wasn't bad. The halos around the corner of my left eye seems to dissappear everytime i try to use only my operated eye. My theory is that the cataract on my left eye is the one whose shadowing the haloes when i both used my eyes.
Did you try walking out in bright sunshine with sunglasses and when you took them off your eyes feels teary? But its not wet? Like the rim of your eyes got crystals?
Cataract on my right Eye***
After 2-3 months my cataract operated left eye still shows flickering like an old movie from the 1920s. Is is worst when I try to read - and my job gives me lots of reading - and I like to read.
On the question of seeing a black halo on the outside of the operated eye, my doctor tells me that this is normal.
Both symptoms of the new lens is supposed to reduce with time. The halo do not bother me anymore, but the flickering does. My doctor tells me that it disappear when the lens is incorporated in the tissue structure of the eye so that the edges of the plastic lens is no longer with bare edges.
He is a very qualified eye doctor - so I hope he is right.
My right eye will be ready for operation in 3-6 months - if nothing else then because of the light intensity difference - the operated eye has much more light coming through to the retina.
All the best to you all on this discussion, which I will follow in the future -
Henrik
Hi Rady it is well worth having both eyes done as the difference of COLOURS in the world is striking. No greyness, bright hues
Hello Hendriksorry I replied to Rady but it was your message.
I've been having the flickering issue for almost 8 months now, after getting Symfony lenses in both eyes. In my case it is mostly when I try to read close up, with computer distance being better but stil problematic, using computer reading glasses seems to cut down on the glare and help. I suspect there are a variety of issues which might be described as "flickering" which don't necessarily have the same cause, e.g. the post starting this thread seems less similar to mine since it stops after a short time and takes place outside in bright light.
I figured that in my case the flickering is tied into the small eye movements that our eyes constantly make that we aren't aware of, but are more pronounced when the eye is moving to scan to read. In my case I managed to get camera video of my eyes when it is occuring and you can see the iris jiggling (its not something people just looking at you would notice). Two eye surgeons confirmed from the video it is abnormal, it is called iridodonesis and it is sometimes a side effect of cataract surgery, particularly in people that were highly myopic beforehand as I was. An IOL i smaller than the natural lens it replaces, moreso in high myopes with larger natural lenses, and therefore the iris loses support.
Although it doesn't usually cause visual issues, I discovered a high volume surgeon who has seen it lead to the flickering light issue, mostly in those with light colored eyes (mine are blue). My iris seems to have striations of darker color mixed with the lighter and therefore the moving iris can change the stray light entering the eye through the iris (and perhaps reflecting off the lens), and the lighter colored eye lets in more light in general, and has more difference between the light and dark colored striations. It may be that having been comparatively young for cataract surgery, 52, that my retina is also still more sensitive to light changes than someone older.
However it isn't clear if this is the issue or not. Another surgeon suggests that if the iris is moving as much as he saw in the video, that the lens capsule may be moving as well. A surgeon who had looked at my eye said the lens had healed well within the capsule and wasn't moving inside the capsule, however it may be that the zonules are loose and the capsule itself is moving. Psuedophacodonesis is what it is called (a natural lens jiggling abnormaly is phacodonesis).
When the eye tries to accommodate (which it does even with an IOL that won't accommodate) the zonules are looser and jiggling may be more of a problem, and more visible to a surgeon. Unfortunately the usual eye drop they use to dilate your eye to look inside has the side effect of stopping accommodation, it is cycloplegic, which means the jiggling may not be noticeable to the doctor. I have read comments from surgeons saying they often can see phacodonesis in eyes that aren't dilated that isn't noticeable when they are dilated with a cycloplegic, so I assume the same is true of pseudophakodonesis. In my case the doctor looked at my lenses after my eyes were dilated, which is likely true of most patients. I haven't gone back to have it checked when they aren't (or when they are dilated using a less common drug that isn't cycloplegic).
Unfortunately the recommendation I have is to wait to see if I neuroadapt to the issue regardless of the cause, which is why I hadn't gone back to have a doctor try to isolate whether the issue is the iris or the lens capsule moving, since it wouldn't make a difference, they still wouldn't do anything yet. (and there aren't good options in either case it sounds like).
I should note for anyone searching for one of the words I used for more info, psuedophacodonesis, I sometimes see different spellings. Sometimes the c is a k, psuedophakodonesis, and rarely "denesis" instead of "donesis". I saw the same variations in spelling of phacodonesis.