Can Restor lens be used with regular lens?

[restorhater]

Hello - I had cataract surgery a year ago in my right eye and a Restor lens was put in. I did not get the result that was anticipated and my vision is actually worse than before. I also had huge halos and was told that they inserted the incorrect prescription. They tried to remove and replace the lens but it wouldn't budge. It had healed too completely. Then they did PRK surgery on that eye to remove an astigmatism that they hoped would improve the vision and get rid of the halo. Well, the halo is greatly reduced, but now I am experiencing very bad starburst effects. This is worse than the halos. I need to have cataract surgery for my other eye and do not want the Restor lens. Can I have the regular lens put it? Will the two work together? Has anyone done this, and how is it working? Thanks!
Restor-hater

[Giveypup]

Definitely a regular, single-focus lens in the other eye will work compatibly with the Restor lens.  The company's literature says that it won't, but they're just marketing and trying to sell only Restor lenses.  Many prominent ophthalmologists (Wills, Wilmer, Bascom Palmer, Doheny, Iowa, etc.) have used Restore in one eye with a single-focus lens in the other with success.

Regarding the Restor eye, it is not impossible to explant the Restor.  It's difficult and does have risks but can be done, even at a late date.  On the West coast I would only recommend David Hwang, M.D. for explantation.  In the mid-West, I think that there are great people at Univ. of Iowa, Univ. Wisconsin at Madison, and, on the East Coast, you will find great people at Wills and Scheie (in Philadelphia), Wilmer at Hopkins in Baltimore, and Bascom Palmer in Florida.  You need to rule out an opacified posterior capsule.

Good luck--don't despair, you will happen on an excellent cornea surgeon who can help you.  Get multiple opinions.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

For sure if your other eye needs surgery don't go with a multifocal IOL. In my opinion the Technis aspheric IOL is the best on the market and it come in both acrylic and silicone.

I also agree that it is not impossible to take a ReStor IOL out of the eye. Most communities have an Eye MD that specializes in high risk, complication correcting surgery.

You should be able to find one near you. Ask your present ophthalmologists about who they recommend for high risk surgery. Doug Koch MD at Baylor is also nationally known, John Doane MD of Kansas City in our group is internationally known and the editor of several books on eye surgery.

JCH III MD

[Giveypup]

We like the Acrysof SN60WF aspheric lens.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

Who is "we"?

JCH III MD

[zedhawaii]

After reading many comments from this help site, I am no longer interested in reZoom.  I love clear distant vision and use computer a lot, and I don't mind using reading glasses for fine prints.  I am OD -6.75 OS -7.50, slight stigmatism. Good health, active 54 female.
If I go with Tecnis monofocial aspheric lens to undercorrect -.025 for far and -1.00 for near, will this combo enable me to see my computer and read labels in store.
Much Mahalo for your time and input.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

There are no guarentees the margin of error for picking IOLs powers is +/- 0.50 diopters. With that qualification most people with the -0.25 and -1.00 do nicely for computer and labels held in good light at about 22 inches.

JCH III MD

[Laura4]

Dear Restorhater,

I had to smile at your chosen name.  Perhaps I should change my name to Torichater.  I was interested in the fact that the halo's you were seeing were improved with PRK.  I also have large halos and blurry vision at night.  Daytime intermediate and distant acuity is very good in good daylight.  Was this your experience?  

The toric lens I had implanted was for correcting .80 astigmatism.  I had no idea that this was a ridiculously low amount of astigmatism to justify using a toric.  I have many problems with it from overcorrection and dysphotopsias and am hoping to also have it explanted but the surgery is even more risky than for a ReStor.  When I need to remove the cataract from the other eye I will not have a Toric implanted.  Will probably wait a year before making that decision.  

Giveypup, the surgeon who strongly advised going with the Toric is from one of those illustrious eye centers you listed.  Selling Multifocals and Torics and lasek is good business.  That's not to say that medically they are often excellent choices for some people.  It was initially suggested that I get the ReStor in both eyes.  My vision was very good except for fogginess in one eye from a cataract.  Perhpas I've become more a hater of unethical eye surgeons.

Question here - could the basic AcrySof lens also sold at my physicians office been adjusted for distance?  I always thought that a basic lens was not adjustable in any way - something like just implanting a clear piece of acrylic.  I know how primitive that sounds.  Next in my great thinking on all of this came the Toric lens which would just have the additional ability to adjust astigmatism.  Then comes the hateful ReStor which was explained to do near in one eye and far in the other.  But no one could explain to me where near vision ended and far vision began.  So, I said no to ReStor.  Just say no.

Laura4

[Laura4]

Forgot to mention that a second opion eye surgeon and another specialist said that I did not need to have the same kind of lens implanted in the other eye.  Mine hower was the Toric, but I've heard the same about the ReStor.  

Laura4

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

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