Need to hear from people who know about the Nanoflex

[Anomalychick]

         I am not even 30 and need cataract surgery in both eyes, so getting this right is very very important to me. I don;'t think I would be happy with any of the commonly used options, so I'm looking into lesser known ones.
        The Nanoflex IOL from STAAR supposedly gave 100% of study participants 20/20 at distance (best corrected cuz they don’t always focus it perfectly) and 20/63 at near. That’s 100%, 75% of participants could see 20/40 or better at near. Supposedly when used for monovision people have 20/20 across the board.  (instead of needed glasses for intermediate) Supposedly blended vision with this lens can be done in several different ways to supposedly give you perfect vision, no glasses, and you would not be able to tell that your eyes were not focused the same if done correctly.
        100%  of study participants could see 20/32 or better at intermediate. It certainly seems miles better than any monofocal, and pretty competetive with multifocals or crystalens with no drawbacks.  The nanoflex is approved as a monofocal, but supposedly they are trying to have that changed to accommodative for obvious reasons.  Unfortunately, this information comes from two small studies, both of which were paid for by the manufacturer. In addition, there are probably only 20 or 30 doctors in the country who offer this particular IOL. If it was as great as the study results indicate, I can’t imagine why it would not be the ONLY available choice for cataract surgery. In fact, I think everyone over 50 would be lining up to have it implanted for presbyopia correction as well. So, either it’s the best kept secret in the world, or the study results are not giving the whole picture. I want to know if doctors are seeing similar results in their patients, and I want to know if those results stay stable after YAG capsulotomy.  There is a doctor in PA I think who advertises it on his website, but he indicates that he wants to operate on the dominant eye first to ensure crisp distance vision. He then talks about the possibility of doing LASIK afterwards if there is a refractive error. It makes me wonder if the power on this lens might be a little bit more difficult to calculate than with other monofocals. (It just seems strange that someone would advertise difficulties with power calculation in the same place they are advertising why you should come to his office and get “blended vision.”) I have called ten doctors who offer this lens so far, and have written emails to two. Both emails were not replied to. Most calls were not answered. In one office the person answering the phone insisted it was a monofocal and two pairs of glasses would be necessary. In another they stated it was FDA approved as a monofocal, but when pressed she then indicated that patients could usually read around J5 (light reading glasses only, if any at all) and then politely reminded me that it was a monofocal. In one office, office staff actually called me back two days later to inform me that the doctor would not be returning my call unless I wished to travel 500 miles to come in for a consultation. Nobody permitted me to speak with a doctor who had experience with the lens, and nobody was able to answer my questions.

[wanlien3]

Good point about up selling. Actually there is another place they can increase their income: By doing laser cataract surgery ie using a femtosecond laser to help with the surgery.

[A_Subset]

A correction!  I gave an incorrect name.  The place is called The Eye Center of La Jolla.   Sorry if I've confused anyone.  

- A.

[A_Subset]

Addendum to my previous post.  Dr. Alborzian commented to me that very few doctors seem to want to use this lens because it is moderately priced and most of the doctors want to "up sell" to a more expensive lens as, due to the structure of the government and insurance payment system, that is the only place they can increase their income.   I paid for my surgery in cash.  I must say, the price I paid was much less than my previous surgery and the care and results are much better.  Dr. Alborzian indicated to me that he is VERY pleased with this lens and had recently put them into his mother's eyes.  So far I must concur.  

[A_Subset]

I just had a Nanoflex lens installed in my right eye by Dr. Shervin Alborzian of the EyeCareClinic of La Jolla, California.  I had a different lens put in my left eye earlier in the year by a different doctor.  I cannot say enough good things about this lens and this doctor.  I've got sharp vision  from about 1 meter to the horizon.  The lens in my other eye was chosen for close focus and it has a VERY limited range of focus.  I wish I'd known about Dr. Alborzian and the Nanoflex before I had my first eye done.  

I repeat, I cannot say enough good things about this lens in my particular experience, which is about 6 days at this point.

- A.

[KayakerNC]

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/cataract-surgery/show/2360412

[Anomalychick]

Some doctors didn't like the nanoflex. These are the reasons I got.

1) Its a 1 piece IOL, which means it needs the capsule to be intact. A backup IOL is always necessary, and doctors dont see a reason to have a backup monofocal to another monofocal since on paper, they're the same IOL
2) Collamer seems to cause slightly more aggressive PCO than either silicone or acrylic. They almost definitely need a yag.
3)The soft collamer material is prone to being damaged during YAG. The laser will leave pits in the in material, and they could necessitate explantation. Some doctors did state that the pits in the material seemed to spontaneously close up after a time, and not be permanent, which is why they continued to use it.
4)Collamer is known for a recurrence of PCO. In a low percentage, the cells can cover the back of  the eye AGAIN, even after the posterior capsulotomy has been done. This could necessitate a 2nd yag procedure, with additional risk of damage to the IOL.