My IOL feedback - long read!

[Tweetypie]

Hi all, I thought I would jump out of the other thread, so anyone who is interested in lens replacement or may be having cataract surgery,can find this easily.

I first had lens replacement in January 2017. After several months of googling the process and possible outcomes, I decided to go to Prague, Duovize (Praga Medica). The cost was much, much, cheaper than in UK.

I will confess I did not have cataracts. My eyesight was getting worse , due to age. I was unable to read street signs and unable to read close up. I required 2 prescriptions - that meant 4 pairs of glasses. 2 to use at work and 2 to carry around.

I tried using multifocal contact lenses, but I was unable to get on with them, as again, I required them to suit both distances. I could barely see. Using bifocal glasses and lenses made me feel dizzy and sick.

As my husband had lens replacement, it made it easier for me to decide to do the same. He had monovision - one lens set for distance and one lens set for close up. He has great vision and only requires +1 reading glasses in dim light for reading a newspaper, for example.

In January 2017, I went to Prague to see the Surgeon. Actually, I saw a rep and another surgeon, who would not be carrying out my operation. After testing my eyes, they said I would benefit from tri focal lenses, so I could see at all distances. I told them I wanted monovision, but they said this would not work for me, if I wanted to be spectacle free. I agreed and had my first eye done the following day and the second eye done 2 days later.

I am going to cut this short - ever since I had it done, I saw gigantic halo's around car headlights, like 8 foot spiders webs!! Ghosting around anything bright. In anything other than bright sunlight, my vision was like looking through clingfilm, or vaseline. It was so disturbing, I could not drive at night, which meant my husband had to pick me up from work in Autumn and Winter. Over the past 4 months, the RIGHT eye became blurred, so I visited Optical Express, who tested my eyes and told me there was postular opacification. I complained bitterly, over and over, to Duovize, until 2 years later, they agreed to replace ONE lens free of charge to see how it goes.

JANUARY 2019
I visited Duovize and spoke with the surgeon. He tested my eyes. He told me that my left eye - the dominant eye, he would explant the trifocal IOL and replacde it with a monofocal lens set for distance, so that I could read street signs. He told me he would NOT do YAG laser on the right eye, as he wanted to clean the cells first and if this was not successful, he would explant this lens and replace it with a monofocal - set for close range. This would mean I had "monovision" like my husband and what they do on NHS.

OUTCOME - 1 WEEK POST SURGERY 2019
The monofocal eye set for distance is picture perfect, clear, no halo's, ability to see and read from arms length. I do, however, require +2 reading glasses, (that's stronger than I required prior to surgery).

The "dodgy" right eye is worse than before. If I cover the "new" eye, I am unable to see script, road signs and it still has huge halo's.

Soooo, I will be going back to Prague in a few weeks, to have this one explanted and a monofocal set for close range put in.

What a polava!

 

[Marigold]

That sounds as if you've been through the mill, Tweetipie. You were very unlucky with the outcome, and I'm glad that at least one eye is now OK. Did your husband also have his eyes treated in Prague?
You say that when your right eye has its next operation, you will end up with both eyes set to monofocal. That being so, are you still prepared to have it done in Prague, or would there be the option to have it done here on the NHS?
No wonder you said you were apprehensive, before you left for the trip.

 

[Margaid]

Glad things seem to be working out Tweetipie even if it does mean traveling back and forth to Prague

I'm a bit confused about what you describe as monovision. As far as I am aware normal NHS practice is to set both eyes to the same focal length, usually for distance so that one does require reading glasses. I was offered what were described as "varifocal" lenses which would have meant one eye set for distance and the other for close up. Discussions with my surgeon indicated that this would not give the level of visual acuity that I wanted. As I use a head magnifier for really close work - removing splinters, fitting and closing small jump rings when making jewellery etc I wasn't bothered about wearing spectacles for reading.

If you have opacification, no amount of changing lenses is going to give you good clear vision. However I believe it is much easier to change the implanted lens if the posterior capsular is still in place. If your surgeon doesn't carry out the YAG laser treatment you should be able to have it done under the NHS. My private YAG laser treatment cost £450 in 2017.

 

[Tweetypie]

Marigold - My husband had his done in the UK. He has "monovision" - one eye set for long distance and one eye set for short distance, giving good sight.

After the operation in January 2017, when I was bitterly disappointed, I paid to see an eye surgeon in the UK, who told me that the procedure was perfect, but that I was 1 in a 100, who cannot adjust to the aberrations, i.e. halo's, ghosting, night glare and low light vision problems. I think he was being over optimistic in the 1 in a 100 !! I would say the other way around!

I also saw 3 separate opticians, who confirmed that the lenses were placed perfectly. I had 20/20 vision. The issue wasn't Prague - not their surgeon - it was the type of lens.

Margaid - I believe on NHS, for cataract treatment, depending on your problem, you can select monofocal (both lenses set for one choice, distance or near) OR you can choose "monovision", one lens for distance, one lens for far. A bit like having varifocals, I believe. Your eyes, or brain, are supposed to get used to them whilst they work as bincoluar vision. My husband has this. He only requires +1 readers for small print.

A friend of mine had his eyes done privately by Optical Express in UK in 2016. He was presbyopic (like me), struggling to see at middle distance and required +2 for reading. He had monofocal lenses implanted - dominant eye for distance and the other eye set for close range (monovision). After 8 months, he had postule opacification in one eye, which caused halo's and ghosting and was treated with YAG. He now sees clearly and does not require glasses at all !

See here: https://theophthalmologist.com/subspecialties/the-misnomer-of-monovision

The only way for me to see clear again, with no halo's, ghosting, or low light problems, is to have the other trifocal lens explanted and replace with a monofocal lens. YAG will not correct this as tri focal lenses cause those aberrations; that's a fact. It is not postule opacification in my case. My surgeon "cleaned and polished" the lens, but it has not helped at all and because I now have a clear lens in one eye, the other appears to be worse. :-(

Because I did not have cataracts and because I paid privately, I am not covered by NHS. Fair enough.

It's been one hell of an experience. 07