experiences with Symfony IOL, or trifocal IOLs?

[SoftwareDeveloper]

Has anyone here gotten the new Symfony IOL, or heard from others who have, or know more than the research you can find with google? It was just approved in June for use in Europe, but initial studies on the web seem to indicate it provides better odds of having good intermediate/computer vision, and better than the AT lisa trifocal except at very near distances. It refers to it as having an extended depth of vision rather than   calling it multifocal (perhaps because it doesn't divide itself into 2 or 3 discrete focal points but in essence it must still have a range of focuses to provide "extended depth").

I've seen detailed threads about the FineVision but only brief comments on the AT lisa trifocal.  Any more comments on any of these lenses? I'd  be curious if anyone has more comments on getting a multifocal in only one eye with the problem cataract and wearing a contact lens in the other (which is still correctible to 20/20 with only an early cataract). The hope would be that perhaps before it goes bad a new generation of lenses might come out, like an accommodating lens that is more likely to work well than the ones out there now.

Any suggestions for good doctors to get them from, preferably laser cataract surgery? I'm open to considering doctors in any country since I'm in the US and will need to travel to get the lens, the UK would be easiest since I only speak English, but I'll consider other options. I've heard the Czech Republic may be cheaper but still have   high quality clinics. Its worth a bit of hassle to get a good lens. I'm only 52 so I'll hopefully be using it a few decades, so thanks greatly for any information you can provide.

[SoftwareDeveloper]

Wow, sorry to hear about your troubles with US doctors doing followups. The eye doctor I have here seems to be very reasonable, I appreciate your warning, I will be sure to be prepared to go back for followups if needed. I do live in a decent size metro area,Boulder/Denver, so I'd hope  if my current doc weren't reasonable I could find other nearby docs who are. I had considered the Synchrony lens in the past but consider other options better, I had seen a comment on this site suggesting the lens may have been pulled form the market, but I hadn't followed up to confirm that since I had been reading good results.

[KayakerNC]

Evidently you've convinced yourself that the Tecnis Symfony is the best choice.  
It seems to be a modified Tecnis Multifocal to provide better intermediate vision which is the Tecnis Multifocal's weakest vision area.   The Acrysof ReSTOR 2.5, and the toric versions of the 2.5 and 3.0 ReSTOR multifocals are currently undergoing US trials. They also seem like excellent IOL options and received CE Mark in Feb 2012.
Hopefully you will provide updates when/if you get the surgery.
Good luck.

[Anomalychick]

I had a Synchrony implanted overseas. I can tell you that I definitely ran into trouble with follow up care. Doctors would look at my eyes and react with kind of like "what IS that?"
It got bad when I needed a YAG done. They were afraid to do it. They said that the design of the IOL made it look like it might be dangerous. One doctor wanted to explant instead of a yag when I developed PCO, another wanted to do a vitrectomy so they could access the back of the lens and manually cut the hole instead of using a yag laser. They told me it was extremely risky and I might end up blind.
So of course I did nothing, the PCO got worse, which caused my prescription to shift. In response a doctor told me the IOL was probably dislocating due to advance fibrosis and could end up just lying around inthe back of my eye.

So I finally had no choice other than to go back to Germany. Walked in with 20/200 vision from PCO being led by my sister while having a panic attack because I expected an explant/vitrectomy/iris sutured IOL/blindness.
       Turns out I just needed a yag. Which was perfectly safe synchrony or not. Which they had completed 20 minutes later and my vision was fine the next day save  for floaters. And I can still accomodate. The US doctors scared the living crap out of me for no reason other than I had the operation overseas. And you know what else? They  never suggested that I should go back overseas. They were going to explant an extremely difficult and dangerous to explant IOL (dual-optics) or vitrectomize me unecessarily, which would have caused me to lose accomodation. Either way I would have lost my near vision. The one doctor brave enough to try a yag was going to give me a 2mm opening. (Germany did 5mm, my vision would have been awful with 2mm)

The doctors in Germany were awesome. The clinic was awesome. Aside from really scary the experience was fine. And my vision is much better off  than what I would have gotten here. (Im 30, bilateral implants and near vision is STILL J1+ or 20/16 with distance correction.) But BE PREPARED TO GO OVERSEAS FOR FOLLOW UP!

I still need a lasik touch up, guess where I'm going? I was warned that due to my age the PCO could reoccur, if it does, guess where I'm going?

[Sunil111]

PCO is not a big deal to tackle, it is to be dealt with YAG laser. Only thing is to avoid formation of pits on lens surface. That is avoidable and in my practice i never had optic pits due to YAG laser posterior capsulotomy.Size of Opening has to be 2-5 MM depending on pupil size but patient with small opening can benefit with Pin Hole effect.IOL do not fall back into the vitreous cavity if Yag Laser capsulotomy is done.

[LisaTaylor]

maybe you want to schedule an appointment with the MyVisionCare team. they are situated in Canada. if you can't travel, you can still email them for your concerns

[SoftwareDeveloper]

re: "wouldn't want to be more than a phone-call and a quick drive away"

I have a very good eye surgeon here in the US who diagnosed the cataract and has no problems with doing the followups if I get surgery elsewhere. Fortunately it is possible for educated non-doctors to read the online  published literature about the various lenses and make an informed choice, which in my case is to decide that the lenses approved in Europe are a better bet.

re: "Stay away from multifocals"

The research on the multifocals in Europe shows they are much better than the older ones available in the US. Some surgeons in Europe I gather had stopped using multifocals due to problems with the older ones, but consider the newer ones good enough to use now.  Initial results with the Symfony seem to show little incidence of visual side effects, and better odds of good intermediate vision while still having decent near.

re: "rather than a one-trick pony Dr who only implants one type"

Most doctors do a variety of IOLs since one size doesn't fit all,and there are good doctors outside the United States. Oddly it turns out in some cases its also cheaper   to use an internationally prominent doctor (as judged by industry publications&invited panels, etc, not  just their own  website's claims), or an experienced one on faculty at a prestigious medical school, than it is to get this  done in the US using a lower quality lens option.

  Unfortunately it turns out many doctors don't yet offer the Symfony. Its manufacturer  has poor marketing in that they don't list what clinics offer it, and many eye doctors don't list their IOLs on their websites.  I have found clinics that offer it and   I'll evaluate the doctors first.  I don't need the very top doctors, merely a high quality one to do a straightforward surgery.  I hadn't decided which country to go to yet, which is the main reason for checking on multiple clinics (since for instance there are good UK surgeons, but they are more expensive, and at least one was booked up until January).

[rwbil]

From what I have read the Tecnis Symfony is pretty exciting giving you vision at all distance with reduced halos and glare in comparison to other multifocal lenses.  But it is new so you would be a genie pig of sorts.

I will add I taked to another person that had cateract surgery and asked why he did not choose a multifocal IOL and he did not even know about the.  Apparently his Dr. did not do them so tell even tell him about them.  So in cae those Drs. do not do multifocal, you might want to talk to one more Dr. that does a lot of multifocal and get their assessment.