Restor Lens Problems

[MiserableinNj]

I had cataracts removed 9 weeks ago right eye, 7 weeks ago left eye.  I had the Restor lens put in both eyes.  I have had nothing but problems and curious if anyone else has had similar problems. My first problem was light sensitivity. I had to wear my sunglasses inside for almost 8 weeks (my husband refers to our house as the Bat Cave).  Fluorescent lighting is the worst and thats whats in my office. I had to work with the lights off for the first 8 weeks, I can turn them on now but the light still bothers me. I have dry eyes and it has gotten worse since surgery, the doctor put plugs in my tearducts but I'm constantly putting artificial tears in, which blurs my vision. Then my eyesight kept getting blurry with double vision. The doctor said I have Blepharitis and gave me Azisite. That seems to help but I have to use it every day along with warm compresses and a cleansing routine or the blurry vision gets worse.  She now wants to perform laser surgery on me for a slight astigmatism I have. She says this will help, they gave me glasses to try on with the way it should look after surgery. I can see clearer but still double vision and she doesn't know if that will go away.
I went to another doctor for a second opinion and he said don't do the surgery if there is a chance I'm going to extract the lens and put in a monofocal lens. Now I don't know what to do. I'm scared to have these lens' extracted and would like to try and keep them in. We won't even get into the issue of the so called "halos" around headlights. They are such HUGE spider webs that I can not drive at night any more. Has anyone had any or all of my problems? Has it gotten better with time? Has anyone had the laser surgery for astigmastism after implants? Any help would be appreciated, my quality of life is 0 these days.

[SCUcolumbia]

I understand if you had the YAG procedure after the ReSTOR lens... it seals the deal! One lady was told that once you have done the YAG removing the ReSTOR lens would mean 50/50 chance you will go blind!

[riverpirate]

I have all these problems--the dry eyes, the halos, the glare, and I certainly can't read or see at all distances. I was near sighted before the cataract surgery and never wore reading glasses. Now I can't read at all, even with cheaters. I have some mid-range vision. I am totally miserable and the doctor who sold me these keeps saying they're perfect. Not for me! Now I'm having trouble getting the one taken out. I've been to 4 ophthalmologists and I think I've found someone. I can't wait to get rid of this. I stopped after having one implanted. Now to get my money back.

[SCUcolumbia]

Please keep me informed...let me know if it was removed and what replacement was used? Thank you

[dcg1942]

I understand your misery! My husband had cataract surgery and was told if we paid $3000.each eye he would never have towear glasses again. Never told us it might not work!!His were worse than before he had implanted.Six months they tried all kind of drops in eyes finally he said take right eye out and put long distance only in. Two days after this surgery he started having black in corner of eye.Dr sid it would go away.Week latr it covered half of eye,Called office they wouldn't let us come in for a week.Dr checked sent us straight to Retinal dr. He had torn retinal and detachment. Worse dr ever seen/ Had surgery and now very little vision from all of this.He may never get eye sight again. Dr said we would get money back but haven't so far. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone!!! Bfore this he wore glasses just to read. Now he cant read  or anything.A year of misery and at least two more yrs not knowing what sight he will get back.

[SoftwareDeveloper]

I'd 2nd the issue of doing due diligence,  the medical standards in other countries aren't always going to be the same as the US is on average.  That said, *if* you are willing to do the research,  the cost difference can sometimes allow you to be treated by a high quality doctor (e.g. some of the best surgeons in Europe) for less than it would cost to see an average surgeon  here (or less than the out of pocket costs here if you have a high deductible and would get a premium lens).  You can also often get the latest American technology.. that isn't yet approved for use in the US.

I should add that   its useful to do "due diligence" even for surgeons in the US  since   even within the US   treatment quality can vary.

[JohnHaganMD]

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[gollybachan]

I wore progressive lenses for about 25 years. At 64 I decided that I had enough of broken glasses reading in bed. I went for a consult with a very reputable eye laser company here in Toronto.  After all the tests, (no blood work) they can only restore my far vision at the cost of $6,000 +.  I did some research and found a doctor in India .... made a appointment through their site. To my horror, they knew nothing about it when I got there. Wasted trip, I thought, but then once I got to Calcutta with friends who host me when in India, recommended a clinic. I still did my research, but decided to take their advice.  Got an appointment within a couple of days. Family member accompanied me as I do not speak the language.   Once I got in to see the doctor, to my great surprise,he was the same one I had researched days earlier.. He personally saw to all the tests hovering over the technicians I had to go through. They sent a nurse to the house to take a blood sample and after all the other tests, he said I was a candidate as I had no diabetes..this is very crucial. I had one eye done and the other two weeks later and a final test two weeks after that. I was 67 at the time. I developed infections after, but that was due to allergies. He advised me every step of the way and at that point I had traveled from one end of the country to the other.  I only wore sunglasses while outside, but don't have to anymore, unless the sun glare is bad. I now wear non-tested sunglasses. As of today exactly 2 years later (2016), I am told that I have young eyes by my dentist. I left it at that, but now people recognize the true color of my eyes and think I have color lens....not so...the natural color is now vivid as they are not under thick bifocals anymore. I am ecstatic...I can read in bed, sleep at any angle... the kicker... I now have almost 20/20 vision... and the cost for the best lens made the US...still a fraction of the cost of the $6,000 Canadian with lifetime warranty. I can contact him directly whenever I need to.

[JohnHaganMD]

Anyone considering "medical tourism" should do their 'due diligence' research first. This is a start from Consumer Reports:  https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01/medical_vacations.html

[JohnHaganMD]

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