Could to what degree individuals see the halos, circles, etc with IOLs vary with how much each person's pupils dilate in dark (low light) conditions? I've read some report their eye doctor have prescribed eye drops that can reduce the dilation of your eyes to help reduce the halo effect, so if someone naturally didn't dilate as much in the dark perhaps he would not be bothered as much by the halo, etc. effects? Could that be the key to the variation between how much this affects night vision between different individuals?
I'm considering perhaps having one eye with a Symfony Toric for good intermediate and acceptable reading distance and the other eye with a Tecnics Toric (monofocal) for good distance, that might provide good night vision better than both Symfony IOLs. Though if I started with the Symfony in one eye I could see if for me the night vision with it is a big issue or not before deciding months (or years) later for which IOL to use in the other eye?
Any update on if Halos went away. I'm 6 weeks put and just had a lens rotation. Lens was off by 16 degrees and I was told it was off by 3-10. Hoping some of the daytime halos to away soon. Vision is 20/25 after rotation and still healing again.
I had a Symfony IOL implanted in my non-dominant eye in early December 2016. I had previously had implanted a ReZoom lens in my dominant eye 11 years ago.
I too was a bit surprised by the spider web effect with the Symfony IOL. I am still glad I made the choice as my daytime office job vision is outstanding. While night time driving is not bothersome it is rather noticeable. I see different spider web intensity depending on the color of the light. At intersections for example I see these halos least with the green lights and most with the yellow followed by red. In addition, as I get closer to the source the spider web diminishes and disappears.
Before my Symfony implant I tuned out the single ring halo effect I have with my ReZoom implant. Now that the Symfony has been implanted for two months I have learned to tune out the spider web effect but unfortunately my brain has tuned in the single ring effect of my ReZoom lens.
The target was achieved to leave me slightly myopic in my Symfony implant for “balance” purposes ( I have poor intermediate focus with the ReZoom lens).
I am due to see my doctor later this month and may ask if we can test a tuning of my vision with contact lens” in an attempt to balance out my daytime vision with the night time halos.
I had the Symfony lens implanted on Jan 11, 2017.
It's only a week later but I immediately saw the circles, including a starburst and a stronger beam across these at about a 40 degree angle. This spider web image is a good description and occurs in headlights, brake lights, and any bright light.
My vision is 20/25 and is very close to my other eye with exception of slight loss of clarity or contrast watching TV or at long distances. Black and colors are less intense.
Viewing my phone at arms length is good.
These comparisons are against my other eye which has the AMO monofocal lens from 2 years ago. I also have light issues with this lens although not as annoying.
I see a semicircle with partial starburst which could best be described as an ( Asian Fan ).
Literature about this phenom was not available so I feel I was not given accurate info regarding side effects. Halos were downplayed.
It's still very early but I am not optimistic that these symptoms with night driving will subside given that my other eye still has issues.
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.
Interesting because this was one of the screening questions asked when I saw my soon-to-be cataract surgeon recently. The questions were along the lines of what is most important to me - seeing clearly at all distances with the possibility of some halos around lights, seeing clearly at distance but having to wear reading glasses up close, etc.
I have two Symfony lenses. One installed in October and the other in November. Left eye is near the right for distance. I have excellent vision. It is like going from standard definition to high definition. I get those rings. Perfect shape like Saturn rings. Car brake lights are mild but headlights are intense. Halogen lights are strong blinding out the rings the new LED headlights I can see the rings clearly.
'But why has this Multiple Concentric Circle effect of Symfony Lens not been publicized more? '
I have now-elderly ReStor D1s in both eyes for cataracts done some years ago. I am soooo pleased! My sight, night and day, near and far, is better than it was when I was a kid.
In my case, I believe I have at least 10 and maybe 13 concentric circles that my brain chooses from for focus. At first, I was aware of this arrangement, for it truly is a halo effect.
However, my brain adjusted to it almost instantly, for my new vision was so much better than it had been for years that the slight haloing was insignificant by comparison. In fact, I edited it out within hours.
I'd be willing to bet that the reason for the small amount of publicity concerning the effect is that most people's brains make the same quick adjustment and as a result, they adjust quickly and don't give negative feedback to their doctors.
I did hear from a person on the "Patient" site, who has had exactly the same experience of seeing 7-10 concentric circles around a light (or its halo) due to the Symfony lens. He also gave me the idea of finding the drawings of this vision issue by searching for "My intraocular lens experience David Taylor, Stevenage, England" in a search engine.
It is a little bit of a relief to know that I am not the only one who has gone through this issue with Symfony lens, but I am still amazed that this issue has not mentioned at all by the proponents of Symfony lens.
I can't answer your question as I see few symphony patients in my practice. However use the search feature there are numerous discussions by articulate people who have had these lens put in their eyes. Hopefully some will respond to your questions