problems with tecnis IOL dec 2012

[dummkopf]

Has anyone had vision problems after implanting  tecnis iol's;  or had them explanted?   I had surgery in July 2012 and keep on experiencing blurriness, glares day/night and of course halos and beams of light. is 6 mo too late for removal as most seem to say?The info on the lens is LCS TECNISMF-1 OS 23.5 Diopter.my doctor is not very helpful, have seen 3 others and still no solution...except to walk/drive in a fog forever. removal was only suggested by one dr.  Thanks  gh

[snidera62]

Just back from my eye Dr/surgeon. Not good and very disappointing. He assures me that the multifocal implants are the right correction. I am 5 weeks post op in my R eye and 4 weeks in my L.  My vision is still not in focus and I have been using my husbands glasses to drive and watch TV. The Dr. seemed stumped and checked my vision and I still need a small amount of correction; -1. Before surg. I was -6.50 in both eyes. He seemed to think it was no big deal and told me to wear glasses. I protested and said I paid for multifocal IOL's so I didn't need glasses! $2655.00 per eye, I might add! He said its possible it will improve in the next 6-12 months and I have also read as much. I asked for a LASIK correction but my Dr told me he does not do LASIK. I will be seeking another opinion. Here is my advice for what its worth; do not get the surgery until you absolutely have to and do not get multifocals when you do. I am not finding very many success stories and I was considered an "excellent candidate".  I'm still hoping it will improve or that I can get help from another doctor. Extremely disappointed.

[sweetannieo]

Despite being pathologically myopic, I have held off on IOL's due to the likelihood of more problems down the line.  Your comments have made me doubly cautious.  Also, my eye surgeon recommended against them for a number od reasons.  I will be following your results.

[snidera62]

This was his assistant who said it. I actually really like my doctor who put in my lenses here in Fl. He has been doing cataract surgeries for 25 years. I don't have any reasons for my tecnis lenses not to be giving me good results. I'm relatively young for cataract surgery, no astigmatism, and I wore multifocal contacts with great success for several years until the cataracts became a problem. I know how you feel about wishing you hadn't done it. I have moments of panic when I fear I am stuck this way. I have read about neural pathways that your brain must make in order to correct your vision when you have implants, and it can take quite a while for some people; even up to a year. I'm guessing that the older we are, the longer it takes. (Like everything else, I suppose. ) I understand there is also a LASIK adjustment and YAG treatments that might help. All of these additional treatments carry risk, but I am uneasy about having the lenses removed. What about scar tissue, etc.? It's interesting to me that there is a doctor that does more ex plants then plants. Makes me curious as to what's up with these lenses! Surely there is someone somewhere having success! And even I knew about the astigmatism issue and multifocals so its disconcerting that your doctor didn't inform you as well

[dummkopf]

Interesting, looks like there is more than 1 dr that needs to go to charme school. I started with the dr in same office because I wanted the lenses rmoved and supposedly this man had done more explants than my dr. I did go for a 3rd opinion and that dr said she did not recommend iols to any of her patients and I should get mine removed but it needs to be done by the orig dr or I have to pay 000's again. 3 friends of mine (TX,CA) are currently doing cat surgery,all of their drs advised against iol's. And against removal in my case. Now what? On to #4, I guess, after consulting with my dr one more time and asking for my money back after he explains to me why he implanted a $ 3,000 lens in an eye with astigmatism. I just wish I could turn the clock back to before the surgery and do lots of research first. will report "resolutions.  Good luck to us.  gh

[snidera62]

Maybe you should seek another opinion outside of your doctors office? Especially not from one of his colleagues. The rude doctor you saw does not want to contradict his coworker. Just a suggestion. I too was told that my eyes are 50 years old and that cannot be fixed. I was under the impression, however, that I would be able to see at least as well as I did in my multifocal contact lenses. I will also post what I hear from my doctor next week. Good luck to you and may we both find resolution! (No pun intended) ;)

[dummkopf]

I will see the md in 2 weeks and list his answer here. I know exactly what you are going thru. I am frustrated=mad. I saw another dr in same office for 2nd opinion, he said ' you are 70 yrs old why don't you stop worrying; supposedly one of the top in Austin. He also said, that he was not COSTCO, where I can exchange things and get refunds.. I don't feel safe driving day or night.  as soon as I get answer, I will post.  gh

[dummkopf]

Thank You, I will follow your advice.  gh

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[snidera62]

I had tecnis implants one month ago. I had both eyes done one week apart. I am 50 and have been nearsighted most of my life and developed small cataracts a few years ago. I am extremely frustrated with my results. I have been told it will improve, but I am beginning to have my doubts. It actually seems to be getting worse. I didn't know what it was called, but gather that it is ghosting; along with the other general complaints I've read. There is no way I could drive at night! I am confused and frustrated because I can look at one thing and see fairly clearly and then look at something else and its completely out of focus. I understand how multifocals work, but the distance doesn't seem to matter. I am fairly comfortable with my vision outdoors and in daylight, but inside my home or at a store, it is markedly worse. My vision at night is terrible. I don't want to have them removed. I go back to my doctor in a week. Somethings gotta give and I hope I have some kind of other option. At least something that would offer hope to correct this.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

That is a high quality, well made lens, among the best in the world and its very unlikely that your problem is due to the IOL.  I suggest you see a cornea/refractive surgery specialist (find one near you at www.geteyesmart.org).  You may have uncorrected refractive errors, corneal disease, oppacification of the posterior capsule. As for a corneal topography test while there.

JCH MD