Mistake in Restor lens

[Nugget1]

46 year old female.  Had a Restor lens implanted 2/14/07 right eye.  Have had very blurry vision since.  Was told after 2nd p.o visit to come back in 2 weeks.  At this appointment I was told "a mistake had been made" in the IOL strength.  Vision is 20/40 and "won't get better with incorrect lens".  Doctor and hospital are doing reimplantation for nothing.  Still have to purchase Restor lens.  Was unhappy with night halos and glare.  Have to make decision for left eye cataract surgery needed asap.
1) Is this mistake common?
2) How many times can you explant?
3) Could this "measurement problem" easily occur on second Restor and subsequent left eye surgery?
4) Maybe monofocals just be less complicated?

[Forum-OD-MP]

1) kind of.  calculating iol power requires accurate ultrasound.  the worse a cataract is, the less accurate the ultrasound is.  so while not an everyday occurrance, its not like this is unheard of.

2) depends on the eye.  usually not more than once

3) yes, although now they have clear media to take ultrasound thru, so less likely to be 'wrong'

4) definitely less complicated, but also absolutely dependent on glasses of some sort after surgery

[aimee37]

Should I seek a second opinion or consider the mistake routine and go forward with the same Dr.?

What do you as a Dr. think of one lens Restor and one Rezoom?

Is there a length of time that is best to replace a Restor implant?  I'm only 46 and if I found after some years that Restor has not been a good option for me could they be replaced years later?

Is eye dryness common with all IOL's or just the multifocals?
Thank you for your reply...very appreciated.

[aimee37]

Do you think it's worth a second opinion?  See other questions.
Thanks so much for your time.

[aimee37]

"Should I seek a second opinion or consider the mistake routine and go forward with the same Dr.?"

this is a subjective question.  it is really, really hard to answer, as its really a matter of opinion.  however i will tell you the same thing i tell everyone else:  a second opinion is never a bad idea.

"What do you as a Dr. think of one lens Restor and one Rezoom?"

it has been done before.  however, i have personally never seen a patient with this combination.

"Is there a length of time that is best to replace a Restor implant?"

no, not really.   theoretically do-able at any time.

"I'm only 46 and if I found after some years that Restor has not been a good option for me could they be replaced years later?"

yes, in theory

"Is eye dryness common with all IOL's or just the multifocals?"

the eye dryness is likely UNRELATED to your cataract surgery.

[aimee37]

My husband, Wayne, had the RESTOR lens implanted in his Left eye on 1/17/2006  From the very beginning he was having trouble seeing.  The Doctor assured  him with time his sight would improve..He continued to say 'BE PATIENT".  In 3/2006, he had the RESTOR lens implanted in his Right eye.  It has been 1 year and my husband not only can't drive at night but can't pilot our airplane!!!!  Our Dr. performed PRK on his left eye to tweek it.

A word of note:  he had been taking FLOMAX for 4 years (a prescription that relaxes the prostrate)  He had stopped taking the FLOMAX 6 months prior to the cataract surgery.  Apparently, eventhough he had discontinued the FLOMAX, it permanently relaxed the muscle in his eye, which caused a floppy iris during the procedure.

We live in Virginia Beach and made an appt at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Md.  The Dr at John Hopkins told my husband that exchanging the lens would cause more tissue damage. Wayne could see better prior to the cataract surgery than he can now.  As a result, he has developed hypertension because he depends on his vision for business, driving and flying.

Has anybody had the RESTOR lens exchanged and had a successful experience?  Thank you for your comments.

[aimee37]

Last year a man posted here about getting his ReStor lenses successfully explanted by Dr. Kevin Waltz in Indianapolis.  He was very pleased with the results.  Recently, another man (blue92) had his first ReZoom lens successfully explanted, with his second explant scheduled for later in March.  He was also very impressed with Dr. Waltz.  I think you can find his post--it was within the past month or so.  

[aimee37]

My friend just had his Restor@ lens replaced in both eyes by Dr. Leo Mack in Tyler, TX.  Before, he could see trees, and now he can see leaves!  He was having trouble with night vision (glare recovery) and bright lights blinded him at night.  Dr Leo Mack is affiliated with the Eye Care Associates of East Texas and has had great success with lens replacement including the Restor@ Lens.  I am very impressed with his expertise in this field.

[snowwhitesmoma]

A related discussion, After Cataract Surgery was started.