MULTIFOCAL LENS REPLACEMENT

[GERIBET]

I AM CONSIDERING A MULTIFOCAL LENS REPLACEMENT FOR CATARACTS.  SINCE OUR EYES CHANGE AS WE AGE, WHAT WOULD BE THE LONG TERM RESULTS OF THIS PROCEDURE?  SINCE THE MULTIFOCAL LENS IS FAIRLY NEW, ARE THERE EVEN ANY LONG TERM RESULTS KNOWN?  I WOULD HATE TO SPEND EXTRA MONEY FOR THEM AND A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD HAVE TO EITHER WEAR GLASSES OR HAVE THE LENS REPLACED AGAIN.

[JohnHaganMD]

Thanks for your input and for the correction.

JCH MD

[Occupant]

You misunderstood, there are two different guys. I merely tried to give GERIBET (who apparently did not have surgery yet) something to think about before he went with the multifocals.

[JohnHaganMD]

In previous discussions on this forum we have discussed that picking an implant for an eye is not an exact science  and that leaving an eye over or under-corrected does not mean that the surgeon has made a mistake. It is even more difficult if the eye is quite near sighted, quite farsighted or if the eye has had radial keratotomy or LASIK surgery. Because of a number of factors the under- or over- correction factor is more of a problem with multifocals than monofocals.

In answering your first question I did not understand that you had already had cataract surgery. As clearly outline in these forums and elsewhere, there are no guaretees with any surgery, especially multifocal implant surgery. Many to most multifocal patients still require glasses for some visual tasks.

Given the situation you have presented, in my practice I would not encourage my patient with good vision with glasses to undergo implant removal and insertion of multifocal implants.

JCH MD   Eye Physician (ophthalmologist)

[Occupant]

What about if the surgeon makes a mistake? I was nearsighted all my life and had monofocal implants in both eyes. Now my dominant eye is +0.75D. Not big enough of a problem to have it explanted, yet I have to wear glasses. And so would you with multifocals. My optometrist told me, I have people come in here all the time to get glasses, multifocal or not.

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

Hello Geribet, Please use the search feature on this page and look up 'multifocal implants', 'Restor implant', 'ReZoom' Implant and 'Crystalens'. You will note that there are quite a few postings of people having problems with multifocal implants compared to monofocal implants.

While multifocal implants have been around for quite a while the types that are used now do not have follow up greater than 10 years, indeed most follow up is less than 5 years. The multifocal lens are more expensive, have less acute night vision, have higher rates of removal-exchange and there is no guarentee that you will not have to wear glasses for some/most visual tasks you undertake.

I would suggest you talk to as many people as possible that have had both monofocal and multi-focal implants put in their eyes.

JCH MD Eye MD-Ophthalmologist