Horrible
Glad at the end you are seeing well
I am still cloudy blurred abd with headaches since July it has been a struggle
Hoping my new surgeon will help resolve it for some reason it takes a very long time for my vision to adapt and I don't respond to steroids
I feel when a surgeon does not have answers for you they blame your brain and tell you you need more time to neuroadaptation
I am
Still blurred cloudy vision and with headaches
Have not been able to return to work and regret daily having had this surgery
The most likely explanation is that the lens power is off, or that you have residual astigmatism despite the AK surgery. What is your distance prescription, your refraction for that eye? Did they say what your best corrected visual acuity is, i.e. what the 20/X or 6/X measurement would be wearing correction? The distance vision may improve a bit with neuroadaptation, but usually the IOLs are weighted towards good distance vision enough that usually people have good distance vision at first and most of the improvement is at near (though some differ, by 8 weeks it seems you should have decent distance).
Distance vision with the Symfony shouldn't be much different than with a monofocal. Its possible there are other eye health issues with that eye unrelated to the lens choice that you merely didn't realize since the cataract was masking the issue before.
If your situation hasn't resolved I'd suggest getting other opinions, even if you'd already gotten one. It may be there is some other eye issue going on. "blurred couldy vision" and headaches are unlikely to be due to the particular IOL choice, but due to things like the lens power being off, PCO, or other eye health issues unrelated to the surgery. Its possible that worse case you are in the minuscule minority that should get a lens exchange, but it seems likely that won't address whatever it is, and you need to know the cause first before considering treatments like that
Assuming this was cataract surgery (rather than clear lens exchange), you'd have eventually gone blind without some surgery.
Walter, I too have a sympfony toric lens six weeks ago. I can see far very well, medium pretty good, but reading is poor and I cannot see my cell phone. (6S) I'm disappointed. TV watching is hard in the wrong light at night and night driving is not good at all (starbursts and shadows) Am having second eye done next week with a Technis Multi-focal 2.75 to improve the reading issue as per the recommendation of the surgeon, a Harvard trained fellow. I might need a slight laser touch up later he says.
As a real estate agent who does a lot on the Iphone, and the computer and manages, keys, and lockboxes, etc. I am hoping to be glasses free as between glasses, car keys and house keys, I'm going to be a little nuts if this doesn't work out. I don't have enough arms!
If he says you might need a laser touch up, I'm wondering if your eye with the Symfony toric was left a big farsighted which would be reducing your near. I can use my smartphone without problems with the usual fonts due to one eye winding up on target. However the other eye was left +0.5D farsighted and has noticeably left near, I'd have trouble with the phone with that eye. If that is the issue, if you'd gotten a monofocal you'd likely be struggling even with intermediate (the risk of the lens power being off is pretty much the same with a monofocal as with the Symfony).
Unfortunately they prefer to wait 2-3 months (depends on the doctor and how quickly your eye stabilizes) for your vision to stabilize before considering a laser tweak, otherwise you might have wanted to consider adjusting that eye to see how it did before deciding on the 2nd eye. The Tecnis -2.75 multifocal seems to have slightly more risk of night vision issues than the Symfony, though I hadn't seen a head to head comparison study (questions asked by a study can vary,as can patient demographics). Combining it with the Symfony to get more near is a common tactic though, and if I hadn't already had surgery, the low add Tecnis multifocal would likely be my 2nd choice after the Symfony in the US (outside the US I'd go for a trifocal, they are only in clinical trials here in the US).
I had symfony lenses placed in both my eyes approximately two months ago. They are absoletly fabulous. I had a cataract in my left eye only, but I was so myopic that I had to replace both lenses. Due to my myopic vision (-6.50 and -7.25), it was a bit dicey to caluclate the correct strength for the lenses. My final vision is 20/20 in my left eye and 20/30 in my right eye. Both the surgeon and I weren't happy that the right eye wasn't at 20/20, and we considered redoing the surgery. However, a huge bennefit of the slightly over corrected right eye is that my close up vision is absolutely phenomenal. I am 46 (early for a catatract, I know), and i was losing my upclose vision, Not anymore. Using both eyes, I can see my iPhone, read labels -- everything. To read very small print (less that 8pt, for example), I need good light. Midrange vision is excellent (computers, conversation with others, etc). My distance visions is slightly compromised because of the overcorrected right-eye, but not enough to need glasses. I did get a pair of glasses for driving that makes my vision a perfect 20/20.
I do have two visual disturbances in my left eye that have taken tiime for my brain to adjust to. First, for some reason the edige of my pupil, at normal inside light, sits right on one of the rings of the lense. As a result, there is a shimmering that happens when light hits it just right. It drove me absolutly crazy for the first 6 weeks, but neruoadaption is happening and my brain is flitering it out - slowly. Now that i know it is going away, I'm not as freaked out as I was. Secondly, I have a starbust in my left eye at night with lights. I was horrified at first that i wasn't going to be able to drive at night, but again, my brain is adjusting. I don't really even notice the starbursts while diriving anymore, but do see them when I look at street lamps. My surgeon did give me drops that constrict my pupils, which completely ellimates the starbust. I used them for awhile, but I realized that I really don't need them.
I spent a lot of time on the net looking at reviews for these lenses. So many people that post are the ones that have problems, which makes it seem like everyone has problems. I wanted to add a success story. I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old and now I wake up every morning with crystal clear vision. It is strange though . . since I reached for glasses each time I woke up for 40 years, I still try to find them in the morning!
I had read some academic articles that suggested that vision therapy with gabors (they are grey shapes that help the brain to work on focusing) could help those after cataract surgery. (not all docs believe in vision therapy, but it made a huge difference for my daughter when she was young). So I am a believer that vision theraphy can make a difference.
I fould a vision therapy program for the iPhone (it may be available on other platforms) called GlassesOff. It has made a huge difference in my recovering from cataract sugery. I am sure there are other programs out there, and I know that some eye doctors specialize in vision theraphy post-cataract surgery (here in the US).
Best wishes for you for clear vision!
I had the symfony tecnis lens implanted in my left eye over 30 days ago. My distance vision is still blurry. Going into a large store..grocery or department..is really uncomfortable because I cannot see to read signs and the bright lights bother me (before my surgery I could read signs at a distance). Driving, even during the day, is also uncomfortable because the lights from oncoming traffic are bright and have halos and I cannot read street signs like I did before the surgery. Night driving is impossible. I was going to have my right eye done but am not going forward with that until my left eye issue is resolved.
I love playing tennis but that also has been affected by this issue. My doctor says I am a slow healer and my eyes are dry. I am on new eye drops and am scheculed to have a laser in 2 weeks. I know many people who have issues after surgery...mainly because when the conversation is started about IOL surgeries people share their stories. I only know one person who never had issues...she had her eyes done a week apart and has perfect vision. When driving home after her second surgery she could read a map!! Her surgeon did the implant and immediately did the laser before she left the OR.
Susie, I'm sorry you are having problems. If you can be patient a little while longer things will improve I'm sure. I had the symfony lens implanted in my right eye 60 days ago and my vision is sitll improving. Slowly but surely I can read more and more closely. Driving is still a terrible problem. I do have a little scar tissue in that eye which is going to be removed in a couple more months. I do not understand where that came from but the Dr. says my vision will be better after that.
Because of the driving issues, and close up reading issues I had a Technis Multi-focal lens inserted in my left eye. I like it much better for driving and for reading and if weren't for some astigmatism (which is going to be taken care of after full heaing) I like it better than the Symfony which I think is oversold for near vision. I don't find its anywhere near as good as I had hoped. Dry eyes are a problem. It's a nuisance,I know, but use drops as often as you can as it really does help. I just wish I had been as fortunate as that lady who sees so wel after the surgery.
I need glasses to read
Have had an awful time with symphony
Mine was decebtered sbd I developed posterior opacity just had yag this week hoping it gets better
I keep referring to it as the symfony (abbott makes the technis as well) but I do have the technis multifocal lens. I can see close up just fine. When I work out on the treadmill or eliptical I can read without glasses. My distance (to me the more important) vision is what's bad. I don't mind the eye drops..I just want to see where I am driving and the tennis ball.
My eyes are improving daily. However the YAG was instant improvement. If you don't get the results you are hoping for... get a second surgeon's opinion. My surgeon wasn't satisfied until my eyes were both 20/20 or better... and as of this past week... he has done many laser corrections on my left eye since the surgeries were done on both eyes this past February.
Sharon:
May I ask you a question? I had LASIK 17 years ago
Now they did Symfony lenses. They did laser at the same time to supposedly get rid of any residual astigmatism. My distance vision is barely adequate. My near vision sucks. I am 6 months post op.
i must wear readers of 1.75 in one eye and 1.25 in the other. I am told I still have astigmatism. Distance vision on a really good day isn't 20 /40.
They tried rotating ting the lenses, did nothing. They did Yag laser with minimal help. Are these the kinds of issues that you encountred?
I paid $ 3800 per eye even after all insurance was taken care of. My vision sucks. And my night vision is a disaster.
I'd love to hear what you have to say. Thank you.
by the way, I am in the USA.
I can suggest only. I have everything good and absolutely no negatives to report in all my laser surgeries. It took time and that was the only setback. I did several months of research and actually contacted some of the patients that my surgeon worked on, inserted the Symfony Lens on... and was very excited to be accepted by this surgeon. Your eyes are very important... I would not stop until you get the very best corrections possible. I could copy your message and share it with my surgeon if you think there is any chance that you could travel to Michigan if he thinks he can improve your site. My astigmatism was worse in my left eye, and I too had to have the capsule removed... so once my eye healed, he went back in and took more measurements and corrected rhe astigmatism with laser on both sides of the cornea. Measurements were taken again before surgery, and again while under the laser. I would not rest until I found someone like this for a second opinion.
Another success story, yes!
I too had the shimmer you speak of, no problem now... I have adjusted to all the little things that at first bothered me.
About the dry eye... that is sometimes problematic with this surgery... there is an easy remedy... an over the counter eye drop by Bausch & Lomb called: Alaway. It has been a real blessing as my eyes were itching and it is alergy season here. I purchase this at the Rite Aid Pharmacy in out area. I use it once a day... no more dry eyes, or itching. My surgeon reccommends it to his patients for use after the eyes have healed, and we are no longer using the drops that were prescribed. He said Alaway compares to the 100.00 bottle of perscribed meds. Just thought I would share this.
I have replied to your message, but apparently it needs to be moderated first before it can be posted. 
Yes, I have had most of what you have gone through with the Symfony Tecnis lens experience... and it has all been carefully corrected.
I was talking to someone last week about dry eyes and she used Systane. Said she tried Refresh but that didn't work as well for her as Systane.
I would not have believed the difference, once I started using the drops... total relief to have moist eyes... and my eyes don't tire out like before. I put the drops in either before bedtime or if I forget... I put them in first thing in the morning.
In your particular case, did you have problems with both NEAR and FAR ??
In my particular case, I feel like I am looking through waxed paper most of the time. I can't read my IPAD without using reading glasses.
If I look at someone just a few feet away, I have to squint just to make out who they are.
Roughly, long long did it take for your surgeon to make it better ? Was it a step type process. Fix one thing...... and then once that seemed better, move onto the next?
Thanks so much for your input.