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Non-correcting IOLs vs. Crystalens, ReZoom or ReSTOR lenses
I'm 51, in fairly good health, have cataract surgery scheduled for 5/15 & have already had 2 laser surgeries to repair retinal detachments in that eye. (I posted on the post-op floater thread earlier today.)
I'm very nearsighted, astigmatic & now presbyopic. That eye's vision is very poor & I'm worried spending $2500 on a Crystalens (plus $$$ more for subsequent Lasik to fine tune) makes no sense for me. My cataract/Lasik doctor is highly regarded, but after 5 minutes with a support staffer, I was handed a Crystalens brochure. I knew I was being "upsold" & tried to resist the sales pitch. After spending a total of 15 minutes with me the Doc recommended the Crystalens as my best option (surprise!). I caved in & shuffled out of her office feeling dazed & soon-to-be-broke. And hopeful it would all work out OK.
After reading this & other patient forums, I'm considering delaying surgery or having a lens implanted that either doesn't correct my vision or is at least covered by Blue Cross PPO insurance. My questions are, are potential complications the same for all IOL's? Even the non-correcting type? Am I being paranoid and/or cheap? Are my $400 progressive/transitions lens glasses going to be totally useless on the 16th? Thanks Very Much for any advice you can offer, Doctor.
I'm very nearsighted, astigmatic & now presbyopic. That eye's vision is very poor & I'm worried spending $2500 on a Crystalens (plus $$$ more for subsequent Lasik to fine tune) makes no sense for me. My cataract/Lasik doctor is highly regarded, but after 5 minutes with a support staffer, I was handed a Crystalens brochure. I knew I was being "upsold" & tried to resist the sales pitch. After spending a total of 15 minutes with me the Doc recommended the Crystalens as my best option (surprise!). I caved in & shuffled out of her office feeling dazed & soon-to-be-broke. And hopeful it would all work out OK.
After reading this & other patient forums, I'm considering delaying surgery or having a lens implanted that either doesn't correct my vision or is at least covered by Blue Cross PPO insurance. My questions are, are potential complications the same for all IOL's? Even the non-correcting type? Am I being paranoid and/or cheap? Are my $400 progressive/transitions lens glasses going to be totally useless on the 16th? Thanks Very Much for any advice you can offer, Doctor.
I'm glad to hear how well everything went for you. Your surgeon must have done great calculations if your old glasses still work. Congratulations on having all this behind you!
Hi--just enjoyed reading your shared comments.
My Retina doctor told me not to have silicone put in my eye(had had surgery for a macular hole).
However, a friend of mine had connections in Washington and she had the Crystalens reserched a; the way back to the patten for it and it was deemed ok for me./
But then my opthalmologist had not learned the procedure for it yet so had to go with the regular IOL. It worked out fine.
My Retina doctor told me not to have silicone put in my eye(had had surgery for a macular hole).
However, a friend of mine had connections in Washington and she had the Crystalens reserched a; the way back to the patten for it and it was deemed ok for me./
But then my opthalmologist had not learned the procedure for it yet so had to go with the regular IOL. It worked out fine.
Hi Ladies,
Well, it's been 31 hours since getting my monofocal lens implanted (sorry, don't know what kind yet) and I can SEE!!!! When my doc took the post-surgery patch off this morning around 9:30 (PDT), my eye muscles were pretty sore, and there was some residual soreness in the eye itself, but I was amazed to see the colors and sharpness back that I only vaguely remember. My glasses still work, by the way - told my doc I'm used to being nearsighted, so give me a lens that will not force me into reading glasses. She apparently did exactly what I asked for.
And: whites are white again, not dull vanilla-color. My cheap RCA tv looks to me like the priciest HD models in the stores. Makes me wonder just how long my vision was affected by that darned cataract. Wow. I am VERY pleased with the results and my eye is still swollen from the surgery. After 6 weeks no doubt I'll see even better.
A friend whose father is a retired Opthamologist called me a few hours before my surgery to tell me in 24 hours I'd be feeling fine & seeing better than I had in years, and he wasn't kidding. The operation isn't exactly fun, but it isn't bad either. Way better than getting a dental filling. I was a happy girl right afterwards with the tranq in me, the OR staff got a kick out of my chirpy attitude.
Post Op: I napped most of the day away afterwards. When told to take tylenol for pain, I responded it doesn't do sh*t for me, so she said OK, take some ibuprofen. All I needed was 4 spaced out over 8 hours, fyi. Haven't needed any today. This whole thing had me worried, but I see now what a big baby I was.
I know my Doc tried to put a Crystalens in me but she took it well when I objected. Her good rep as a surgeon is well-earned, she was a pro and I'm not at all hesitant about going to her for my other eye. Have already noticed my vision is yellowish thru my right eye. I'm actually looking forward to having that one done so I can see the world sharply, clearly and in true color again.
Oh - another amazing effect is my floaters actually seem to have diminished. Thought I'd see them more clearly but that isn't the case yet. Perhaps my brain is ignoring them better now that that cloudy lens is gone.
Hope this all helps you - I'll check back in a few days.
Ms Magoo
Well, it's been 31 hours since getting my monofocal lens implanted (sorry, don't know what kind yet) and I can SEE!!!! When my doc took the post-surgery patch off this morning around 9:30 (PDT), my eye muscles were pretty sore, and there was some residual soreness in the eye itself, but I was amazed to see the colors and sharpness back that I only vaguely remember. My glasses still work, by the way - told my doc I'm used to being nearsighted, so give me a lens that will not force me into reading glasses. She apparently did exactly what I asked for.
And: whites are white again, not dull vanilla-color. My cheap RCA tv looks to me like the priciest HD models in the stores. Makes me wonder just how long my vision was affected by that darned cataract. Wow. I am VERY pleased with the results and my eye is still swollen from the surgery. After 6 weeks no doubt I'll see even better.
A friend whose father is a retired Opthamologist called me a few hours before my surgery to tell me in 24 hours I'd be feeling fine & seeing better than I had in years, and he wasn't kidding. The operation isn't exactly fun, but it isn't bad either. Way better than getting a dental filling. I was a happy girl right afterwards with the tranq in me, the OR staff got a kick out of my chirpy attitude.
Post Op: I napped most of the day away afterwards. When told to take tylenol for pain, I responded it doesn't do sh*t for me, so she said OK, take some ibuprofen. All I needed was 4 spaced out over 8 hours, fyi. Haven't needed any today. This whole thing had me worried, but I see now what a big baby I was.
I know my Doc tried to put a Crystalens in me but she took it well when I objected. Her good rep as a surgeon is well-earned, she was a pro and I'm not at all hesitant about going to her for my other eye. Have already noticed my vision is yellowish thru my right eye. I'm actually looking forward to having that one done so I can see the world sharply, clearly and in true color again.
Oh - another amazing effect is my floaters actually seem to have diminished. Thought I'd see them more clearly but that isn't the case yet. Perhaps my brain is ignoring them better now that that cloudy lens is gone.
Hope this all helps you - I'll check back in a few days.
Ms Magoo
Only 17% of light rays are dedicated to the ReZOOM lens, 100% of light rays are dedicated to the Crystalens. How quickly people forget, the ReZOOM is nothing more than the Array - No clinical trial was ever done on the ReZOOM, package insert cites Array clinical data. I do sincerely hope that you do not experience unwanted abberations. Good Luck.
I suspect that medical practice has become so specialized that many practioners are not very knowledgeable about issues/developments outside their areas of expertise. When I asked my retinal surgeon for advice about IOL selection, he told me to avoid the ones made of silicone but knew little about specific IOLs. (Actually, he felt that IOLs were "all pretty much the same.") Probably many cataract surgeons have only limited knowledge about the potential difficulties involved in treating retinal disease post-cataract surgery.
Crystalens hasn't been around that long, and your doctor has undoubtedly not (yet) had a Crystalens patient who subsequently suffered a retinal detachment or other condition requiring retinal surgery. Still, her choice of Crystalens for you makes no sense to me. Even if you had come in saying that your main goal was to not wear glasses (which, of course, wasn't the case at all), the importance you placed on having good near and intermediate vision makes ReZoom a better choice than Crystalens.
I think we're living in an era when the responsibility for identifying treatment options and then selecting among them often falls on the patient. I hope your surgery went well today (and I'm really glad you decided against Crystalens.)
Crystalens hasn't been around that long, and your doctor has undoubtedly not (yet) had a Crystalens patient who subsequently suffered a retinal detachment or other condition requiring retinal surgery. Still, her choice of Crystalens for you makes no sense to me. Even if you had come in saying that your main goal was to not wear glasses (which, of course, wasn't the case at all), the importance you placed on having good near and intermediate vision makes ReZoom a better choice than Crystalens.
I think we're living in an era when the responsibility for identifying treatment options and then selecting among them often falls on the patient. I hope your surgery went well today (and I'm really glad you decided against Crystalens.)
The warnings cited on the crystalens website refer to certain groups of patients who were were not part of the clinical study. Generally, clinical studies excludes patients with pre-operative pathology. crystalens has the best quality of vision of all the premium lenses. Without doubt it has the best distance and intermediate vision. My 73 year mother-in-law has crystalens in both eyes. She loves them, she never wears glasses for distance or intermediate, she occasionally wears them to read very small print, or if she wants to read a novel for a sustained period of time.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
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