tecnis implants

I am considering the Tecnis lens for my cataract surgery. I am interested in the long term feelings of people with this lens and also anyone that has had the surgery recently (2011) to see if there is improvement with the halo or mid-vision issues that I have been reading about. Also, any problems or concerns. Thanks!

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

Can I assume you are talking about the multifocal Tecnis IOL? Tecnis are high quality IOLs both monofocal and multifocal and we use them in our practice.

JCH MD

[Daisyloo]

Yes, I am talking about the multifocal Tecnis IOL. I read with great interest your 2009 post on all of the other multifocal implants and was hoping that the Tecnis would pass muster.

Other than checking the state for complaints/disciplinary action, how do I determine that I have a great surgeon? I have searched the web for reviews but nothing specific to his surgical skills.

I plan on having both eyes done over a two month period. Do you feel that is wise or should I give the first eye time to completely adjust to the new lens to ascertain if it is a good fit for my lifestyle?

Thanks very much for your input on the Tecnis. I appreciate all the time you take to respond to the various questions coming your way.

Daisy

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

First of all the number of complaints about multifocal and accommodating IOLS on MedHelp.org eye forums has fallen dramatically over the last year. There are a number of factors: 1. Better IOLs are coming on line  2. Virtually no surgeons use the ReZoom (rhymes with "doom") multifocal IOL 3. More surgeons have greater experience  4. better instruments, formula and better technique for measuring and calculation IOL power 5. better informed patients 6. better expectations (it does not make your eyes 16 year old again, you will not have perfect night vision, you may need glasses for some things).

Personally I generally recommend waiting on the second eye if the first eye is having problems.

Looking for surgeon: you can go on www.aao.org and see if the surgeon is a Fellow in the American Academy of Ophthalmology. You can ask around among friends and neighbors who have go to the surgeon You can ask the surgeon for the names of 2-4 people who have had the surgery and call them. (note expect to get a list of the happiest patients but its still helpful)  Ask your family MD about the surgeon's reputation. Ask about their surgical volume per year using multifocal-accommodating-toric IOLs.

JCH MD

[Daisyloo]

Thanks very much for all of your input. I will certainly follow your recommendations.  

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

good luck JHC MD

[Hopeful_with_Tecnis]

I had the tecnis multifocal installed in both eyes about two months ago and I'm having problems with intermediate distance vision.  The funny thing is that in direct sunlight it works fine but inside under artifical light everything is very blurry.  The light has to be very, very bright to be able to see clearly. I also get halos during the daytime that bother me. The doctor says there is a chance that it will get better in time so I'm waiting to find out.  He said to give it 6 months before we talk about exchanging the lenses.  I also get big halos at night but if you ignor the halos night vision is good.  I can clearly see the reflective strips on the ground and reflective signs are very clear at distance.  If my intermediate focus doesn't start working indoors I would like to have them exchanged - but time will tell