I had a cataract surgery on my right eye a week back and decided to go with A Symfony Toric Lens because of all the positive things I have read about the lens. I have had a IOL in my left eye for almost 18 years, which I have been happy with for reading, so that I was looking basically for good distance and intermediate vision with the Symfony (I am used to monovision for the last 25 years).
My right eye still has some astigmatism (slowly improving), had issue with seeing streaks from lights for only the first 3 days, am seeing halo around the lights (will probably get adjusted to it), but also have another interesting vision issue which I had not seen mentioned by any of the doctors or the patients on the web. Using just my right eye, I don't just see a halo around a light, but see about 7 perfect concentric circles around the light, with the diameter of the outermost circle being about 3-4 times that of the halo diameter. Since the Symfony lens has the unique feature of having about the same number of circular “diffractive echelette design” in the lens, I am sure that the concentric circles which I am seeing is because of this proprietary design.
Looking through these circles to look at a light is like looking at a light through a spider web. It is not so bad that I wish that I had not selected Symfony lens (I like the Extended Vision), but why has this effect not been publicized more? Have any of the other Symfony Lens users experienced seeing these concentric circles?
Hi,
I have a similar effect , not quite so marked as you do, a lot softer halos by the sound of it. It's still such an improvement for me I am thrilled with the result.
I am just responding to your question as initially when I had the lens inserted I had a strong (barbershop pole) twirling lights effect around the sides of the eye which was really annoying as I felt I should swipe it away all the time but of course couldn't. The reason for me getting in touch was to reassure some people looking at the blogs.
Although these lighting effects were strong initially, the effect has subsided and did so after about 6 months - maybe the brain gets used to it and blocks it out ? who knows but I just wanted to add a small positive to the blogs to give hope to some.
Having said that I have been appalled by some of the treatments given to some patients - not only poor care but then abandonment. I really feel for you guys and wish you every success in finding someone who can help.
Many thanks to all as at least when I was having problems I knew I was not on my own. Thanks again.
It is good to know that the brain gets used to some of these effects, such as halo, over time.
I will probably make a distinction between the relatively bright halo, which I see close to a light across the street, from the almost 7 perfect concentric circles around the light but outside the main halo , with the diameter of the outermost circle being about 3-4 times that of the halo width. The circles have unlit bands in between. I doubt that the other IOLs could produce this number of clearly defined circles, even if they create halos.
Do you remember if you actually saw such concentric circles?
Yes, I experience exactly what you describe--a spider web-like series of concentric circles around some lights at night. I see more than seven usually, I think, maybe closer to 10 (I'll have to count tonight). They are very fine, with space between them so that I can see "through" the web some. The effect is interesting in that it's only for some lights: For example, a car's rear brake lights often have the effect, but when the brakes are released and it's just the car's running lights (same color, size, location; just different intensity) the spiderweb disappears. And distance matters, too: I may see a light with the spider web, but as I get nearer, say within 20 yards or so, the spiderweb disappears.
Although they aren't disabling or too bothersome, they are more of a light effect than I was expecting given the trial data and user reports suggesting glare and halos on par with monofocals.
It seems there are others who experience this. I found a Symfony patient whose son created images depicting the effect, and the depictions, posted on the patient's blog, are very similar to what I see. I believe urls are prohibited here, but you can find those pictures by searching for "My intraocular lens experience
David Taylor, Stevenage, England" in a search engine.
I'm curious how your experience compares.
I did not get the Symphone Lens, but I have the same problem. I also refer to them as giant spider webs. I have been told they are floaters. Hopefully, they will go away in time, but I still have mine 3 months after surgery.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the Symfony Lens Concentric Circles and also giving me a tip on how to find the related David Taylor experience.
Looking at David Taylor's experience pictures, my lens vision issue is similar to that depicted in picture 2, although in my case, I have been struck more by the various concentric circles than by the starbursts. The starbursts can be affected by the required spherical / astigmatism correction, but the concentric circles seem to be an effect of the Symfony lens design.
I counted 7 or so circles, but those could have been more. As you know, those can be hard to count exactly.
As I mentioned earlier, inspite of this issue, I like the Symfony Lens on the whole. Even then, I also wish that this issue should have been at least mentioned by all the doctors or users who just say all the positive things about the Symfony lens.
Do you also see 7-8 Concentric Circles around the light or its halo, even though you don't have Symfony lens?
The phenomenon you are describing is considered a halo, even though its more than one circle, so it has been publicized, though mostly because the incidence of halos is low comapred to multifocals. Its likely due to the diffractive rings and there can be similar halos with multifocal lenses (statistically more problematic than with the Symfony), .e.g. google:
"Optical bench performance of AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR®, AT LISA® tri, and FineVision® intraocular lenses"
and look at the simulated headlight images. The halos from multifocals do tend to be more concentrated in one center ring/blob.
Usually most studies of IOLs only gather statistics after 3 or 6 months since most people who see halos early on see them disappear by then. Even some people with monofocals get halos, there isn't a lens yet that doesn't give problematic halos to some people. The statistics show the incidence of problem halos with the Symfony is in the range of monofocals, i.e. higher than a good monofocal like the Tecnis monofocal, but lower or comparable to some others. That said, of course some people are the "statistic" that do have a problem.. as some do with any IOL
In my case I've never considered the halos a problem, but I'm one of the rare people who does sitll see them 2 years after surgery (perhaps because I just haven't been driving at night enough to adapt). I do see the concentric circles, but they are so light/translucent that I see through/past them so I don't consider them a problem. Overall my night vision seems to be better than I can remember it being in the past, even before I had cataracts, in part since I seem to have less of a problem with glare than I can remember. I always seemed to feel I had poor night vision in the past compared to others, so I may be atypical. Despite the halos, headlights don't bother me as much since there is less glare from them, they cause less distraction from seeing the surrounding scene than I can remember from the past before cataracts. (though my memory may also be flawed since I put off surgery for a couple of years after the problem cataract appeared).
Oops, I meant the halos from monofocals tend to be more concentrated in one center ring/blob than those from diffractive IOLs like the Symfony and multifocals.
I see halos around any light, but I have never looked hard enough to be able to say they are circles. They are so distracting that I'm usually too busy trying to avoid looking at them. It's worse when I'm driving, because I can't just look away.
Thanks for your feedback. It is nice to know that I am not the only one with the issue of seeing the concentric circles with the symfony lens and that the vision may get better as the time passes.
However, I do think that to call 10 concentric circles extending about 10 feet each side of a head light also just a halo, when it may cover just a small area near a monofocal lens, is highly misleading. At least it was misleading to me. Let us just call a spade a spade. If there are many circles extending many feet beyond what a single-circle halo for a monofocal lens may extend, let us make sure that the potential users understand that. May be, we can tell the people that while one may have a halo with a monofocal lens, one may see many concentric halos (if one wants to call a concentric circle as a halo) with the symfony lens.
Even if one does not notice the halos after a few months, that should not excuse the manufacturer and the doctors from telling the people about this issue and mislead them by saying the halo is just like that for a monofocal lens when they are trying to make a decision about the lens selection.
With my limited driving at night up to this point, I can deal with this problem by just avoiding looking at the car headlights or other bright lights, just like I deal with someone driving a car with high beams (instead of low beams) coming towards with me, but that is not an ideal solution.
It has been about 3 weeks since my first post (and a month since my cataract surgery) on the visual issue of the undesirable concentric-circles, which I have been having with Symfony Lens. Thought that I may provide a quick update of my related experience for the benefit of the people who may be considering Symfony lens. so that they can make a more informed decision.
Even though my corrected distance vision (with glasses for correcting astigmatism) is 20/16 (6/4.75 in the metric scale), there has been no change in my seeing the undesirable concentric circles. If I look at a light in front of a house 50 yards away at night, I see a 1 to 2 feet diameter relatively-bright circular area around the light. I know that that can be an issue with even monofocal lenses. However, in addition to that area, I see 8-9 lighted circles (with dark bands separating them). These circles are less bright, but extend to about 10-12 feet diameter around the light, which is a huge area. I can see through the circles, but it is like seeing the world through a large spider web or even a dirty windshield in a car.
Of course, I see similar concentric circles around car headlights at night, with the concentric circles extending much wider than the width of the car. This would be a bigger issue for the people who have to drive a lot at night.
One can obviously learn to live with these effects and just enjoy the benefits which the Symfony lens offers. But it is important to be aware of these while making the lens choice after a cataract surgery.
To end this on a more positive note, I don't see the concentric-circles in the day time or at shorter distances inside a building.
As I've noted before, most studies on halos with lenses report results after 3-6 months since many people who see halos initially adapt to them and tune them out within a few months, so its still possible that will happen for you, or that they will at least become less noticeable. I see the concentric circles, but they are so translucent and minor that they aren't a problem. My night vision is better overall than I can remember in the past, I think perhaps there is less glare, so overall its an improvement despite seeing the halos.
The % of people who have halos they consider a problem (regardless of whether they are concentric circles or centralized single rings) tends to be comparable between the Symfony and monofocals, with some like the Tecnis monofocal perhaps being a bit better than the Symfony, but others not being as good as the Symfony. Unfortunately there is no way to predict in advance who will have a problem with what lens, it may be you'd have worse problems with a monofocal, or not have a problem at all.
you mentioned the "benefits which the Symfony lens offers" From your perspective what are they?
That would be very helpful to know. They sound good on paper....but all the issues have me worried.
thanks
The main benefit of the Symfony lens, which I notice, is that they do provide a slightly larger range of useful vision. My rough estimate is that I get useful vision over about 1.25 diopter range with the Symfony lens (used for my right eye) compared with about 0.5 diopter range of useful vision with a monofocal lens (used for my left eye).
thanks....but could you interpret this for me......did the lens improve your...
...distance vision
....medium distance vision
...."near"...say 20 inches
....reading??
thanks a lot
When corrected to get very good vision at distance, the Symfony lens in my right eye provides good vision down to about 32 inches. I suspect that a monofocal lens would have provided me good vision only down to about 6-7 feet.
For reading or computer work, I depend on the left eye with a monofocal lens.
Three weeks out on the first Symphony implant and one week out on the second.... Over all I think the lenses are good, but really have no basis for comparison. The only negative I am experiencing are the same symptoms you and others are talking about. Very down played when the lenses were being sold. Under certain conditions the concentric circle effects are really annoying. My Doc tells me they will be much milder as the eye heals. Zero improvement in three weeks, so we will wait and see if this happens. For a total of $5,600.00 for both eyes I was expecting better with this issue. It was much less severe with my Cataracts..... Also using 1.5 reading glasses for most close up stuff, like menus, phone, and tablet work.... I can live with that... but for the bucks you would think they would improve on that too.
Sorry to learn that you also are having the issue of seeing multiple concentric circles with the Symfony lens.
As for me, I have not seen any change in my seeing the concentric circles around lights when it is dark over the last 10 weeks since I had the Symfony lens after the cataract surgery. Surprisingly, the intensity of the concentric circles has been the same with the uncorrected eye (which had astigmatism), with the eye glasses, and now after the LASIK Enhancement (fortunately, my eye surgeion includes free LASIK enhancement as part of the premium lens price). I have 20/15 eye sight after LASIK enhancement (as it was with eye glasses). The glare around the lights has been reduced both with the correction of astigmatism and and the passage of time, but there has been no change in my seeing the concentric circles.
I don't expect my seeing of concentric circles to change because this is not due to something related to my eye, which will heal with time. These circles are due to the feature of the multiple “diffractive echelette design” circles in the lens. When my surgeon looks into my eye, he can see all these circles in the lens. So, he is not surprised that under the right conditions, I can see various circles corresponding to those circles in the lens design.
All of us learn to live with bad things in our lives, specially when we can't do anything to correct those. But it is a shame that we have to be surprised after getting these Symfony lenses because of the half-truths in their selling.
Unfortunately there is no lens in existence that doesn't give someone problematic halos. Actually many people who see halos during the initial few weeks see them subside over time, which is why when they do studies on IOLs they usually only report statistics on halos after 3 or more usually 6 months. Even those with monofocal IOL can initially have problems with them. The issue is how many continue to have problems after the initial healing and neuroadaptation period. Oddly over the last month or so, despite being at 2 years postop, there are lights in my home where I used to consistently see halos where now often I've noticed that now I don't. It may be that I haven't been spending as much time outside at night to adapt so its taken longer and so perhaps they'll continue to subside. For most people it doesn't take this long, but with some they never do go away.
The issue of halos should be raised by doctors beforehand, and if they don't thats a problem. I suspect the issue is more often that people hear there is a low risk, and automatically assume they will be the lucky ones and won't get the halos. Then they complain when they get the problem they were warned about, when it was their fault for thinking "low risk" is the same as "no risk".
Unfortunately even if there were some rare issue with only 1 out of 1000 people getting it, its likely they would misguidedly whine to the public as if everyone were guaranted to have the same the problem merely because they do.
Unfortunately out of vast numbers of people, even though its only a minority who have problems, they are the ones that tend to come online and post about it so they give people a skewed impression of the odds of issues. Unfortunately *someone* winds up being the statistic, but just because they have a problem doesn't mean everyone else does.