Alcon 1 piece Acrysof Mono

[dan2233]

Alcons 1 piece mono IOL looks like it has a yellow tint to it.Do they make the same model without a tint??
Also have any of the Docs here used the Tecnis 1 piece mono and the Tecnis 3 piece mono 9003...??
What is you experience installing these?? Please elaborate.
And have you heard of new mono lenses coming in 2013 that look promising??

[JodieJ]

I've said it before:  the degree of blue-light blocking in Alcon lenses (i.e., yellow tint) varies with the power of of the IOL.  Powers used to correct very farsighted eyes have the most yellow tint; powers used to correct very nearsighted eyes have the least.  Some people who have a tinted lens in one eye and a non-tinted lens in the other report that there is a difference in color.  If I were very farsighted or worked in a paint store, I'd probably opt for a non-tinted lens.  (BTW, both Acrysof and Tecnis lenses filter UVA.)

[MJBAGDON]

I does reduce scoptic vision.  Very niticable when I walk on a very dark street.  Everything looks uniform grey compared to the natural eye.   Much less contrast.

[MJBAGDON]

I have one tinted IOL .  There is no perceptible difference in color, but there is a loss of scoptic vision - that is under extremely low light levels.  When I walk on a very dark street, the eye with the IOL looses contrast of very dark objects more than the other eye (which still has a cataract.  IN daylight, the eye with the cataract appears yellower than the eye with the yellow lens, so the tint is not that great.  It does, however block the dominant frequency of light under very dark conditions - which is blue.

[Peggy333]

Has anyone with the alcon blue filter aspheric lens  ever experienced after being in a lighted room & wearing reading glasses then walking into a darker room for a few moments experiencing a difficult time adjusting to the lower light?  

[Craig10x]

Not quite sure which model i have...it is Acrysof IQ Aspheric Toric with uv blue filtering...colors seem pretty natural and it filters the blue light nicely in the sun and when in stores with blaring flourescent lighting...i think it's fine...

Mini monovision is easier to adjust to (target -1.25 to -1.50 range) then full Monovision is...but it takes a while to adjust...the brain has to re-train itself a  bit to filtering out the slightly blurry image from the other eye...

If you do it, and ultimately find (say after 6 months to a year) that you are not entirely happy with it, a lasik touch up should be able to bring that eye up to 20/20...but of course, you will then need readers a lot...

[Peggy333]

I know that people who have not had contacts with one eye near and one far do not adjust well but it seems this mini mono is easier to adjust to - was it easy to adjust to?  I have the Alcon Sn60wf is that what you have? I don't see any yellow but as it has been 3 yrs between I can see a difference in color the natural lens sees warmer tones but it is subtle.

[Craig10x]

I believe that is the equivalent of 20/60 in that eye....the doctor goes by the diopter reading i gave you...your blended vision from both eyes should be between 20/20 and 20/40....i can actually read 20/20 on a chart, but it's not ultra sharp on the smaller lines...

[Craig10x]

PS: Peggy...that's -1.25 to -1.50 diopters i meant to say...

[Craig10x]

That wouldn't be enough of an offset...mini monovision would probably be the best way to go...you could have him target around 1.25 to 1.50 diopters in the other eye....as i have...should give you good distance (with perhaps a slight sacrifice in ultimate sharpness) and very good midrange (including using computers) and light reading capability without glasses)...

I have to hold things somewhat further away then i did when i had the greater amount of monovision (-2.25) which i had reduced to my current amount through lasik touchup...but i can still do basic stuff without readers, you know, read the mail, menus, write notes, short amounts of reading without readers...for extended reading, i put on my readers...

[Peggy333]

I have noticed that you have the same ens that I have in my one eye. I have noticed that when I am reading at night under a light if I leave that room and go into a darker room my eye not always but sometimes takes a min or so to adjust to the difference in the lightening. Have you ever experienced this. it seems you are very pleased with your lenses and that inspires me to have the 2nd eye done with the smae lens as the 1st. I have been experimenting closing the other eye to see how I will adjust to having 2 of them as there is a difference. The vision seems enhanced I  am reacting to the contrast but I ma begiing to feel  will adjust to 2.

[Peggy333]

I am having my second eye done. The 1st was done 3 yrs ago with the same lens you have. I am 20/20 in that eye. What did you reduce your other eye to? I am concerned about 20/20 in each eye as immediate vision is impt to me.  I don't mind reading/mid range on the computer.My eye was 20/25 and 20/30 and I keep thinking why not just correct it to that. Will that allow the eye to not see as crisply and afford me a softer immediate vision?

[Craig10x]

That's true, but all i can say is if your concerned about the uv filtering and blue filter then don't get it...but most people do, and i have never heard anyone raise an issue about them feeling they weren't seeing colors in a natural way...

I have excellent color perception, and if things were off, take my word for it...I would notice it!

Also, as far as getting an explant, that is generally avoided because if the lens has settled in properly, in most cases, eye surgeons much prefer NOT to mess around with it...which is why my doctor (who is excellent by the way) did a lasik touch up for me when i wanted to lower the level of monovision i had to favor more toward distance and midrange...because a lasik touch up is not as intrusive as doing an explant...

If you have the luxury of waiting another 3 or 5 years to see what develops, then by all means do so, but if you need to improve your vision now, then i wouldn't be inclined to wait it out...

[dan2233]

I will be considering it.... but I thnk IOL technology is going to be much better in a few years. It would be good to be able to explant the lense I choose also.Thats if in 3 years there is a fantastic lense that comes along.

btw  you really have to do a lot of homework when you are considering a permanent implant of any kind.You owe it to yourself. And I owe it to me for sure.

[Craig10x]

You might find this interesting...this is from the Alcon website (the makers of the Acrysof iol lens...this is what i have (the IQ with UV and Blue Light filtering) and as i said before, i get no sense of a tint in my view...i am very color sensitive and all colors look very natural to me with the lens):

The AcrySof IQ IOL is an aspheric lens that is designed to reduce spherical aberration and has been shown to improve night driving performance versus a conventional spherical IOL. In order to gain inclusion in the NTIOL category, AcrySof IQ demonstrated the same or greater clinical benefit as the lens that established the NTIOL subset.

All currently available artificial lenses filter UV light, but the AcrySof  IQ IOL filters both UV and blue light. The AcrySof  IQ lens is transparent yellow -- the color necessary to filter blue light. The patented yellow tint does not alter the natural colors of the things you see or the quality of your vision.

The AcrySof  IQ IOL is designed to conform to the natural shape of the lens capsule. This helps it stay stable and centered in the eye. But what makes the AcrySof  IQ IOL unique is its ability to filter blue light.

"We are pleased that CMS has recognized the clinical advantages that patients gain from this advanced lens technology versus conventional IOL implants," said Kevin Buehler, senior vice president, United States and chief marketing officer. "Studies have shown that by reducing spherical aberration, the AcrySof IQ IOL enhances image quality and improves contrast sensitivity."

[Craig10x]

Why does the idea of a uv filter bother you so much? It's a GOOD thing to have, and again i have had my iol implant for 1 1/2 years now and i don't get any sense of a "tint" in my vision, in fact, if anything lighting looks even better then it did prior to cataracts and when i use to wear glasses...

UV light is very bad for the eyes, it's good to have something that filters it out...

[JodieJ]

You will want a surgeon who is experienced with the lens being used.  I think that this is more important than the lens.

[dan2233]

but if you look at the 1 piece Tecnis and the 9003 3 piece Tecnis you dont notice any tint...you definitely notice on the Acrysoft.
Baush and Lomb
has the newer EnVista 1 piece that is blue. It btw looks to be a good 1 piece design though you dont hear much about it. But I dont like BL overall.
Definitely not the Akreos with 4 haptics. Thats 2 too many I think and its problems are documented. I am a 3 diopter myope with .50 cylinder. Both.
I am leaning toward the 9003. But it is an older design.

[Craig10x]

Correct...i would say i do not notice any tint at all...but i can also tell you that i do great in strong sunlight, in the rather blaring light that you find in shopping malls, and night time vision is fine...so, to be honest, i don't see any "downside" to it, only pluses...Of course, i am speaking specifically to that lens and that type of tint, since that is what i have...

[dan2233]

so you dont see any tint at all?? I wonder about night driving with a tinted lense. I HAVE to be able to drive at night after cat surgery.
Doctor, could you say which Tecnis you like best in mono and why??And feel free to mention other IOLs.
I really appreciate the knowledge. This forum is the closest thing to a cataracts forum anywhere on the web.

[Craig10x]

I have the Alcon Acrysof toric (i had a lot of astigmatism so needed that version) with the UV filter (blue light)...i can highly recommend it from my experience with it...all colors i see look very natural to me and in fact, i would say the filter is a good thing to have as i never seem to need sunglasses even when i go to places with very bright sunlight like florida....

It's a very good lens by the way (works well)...and the filter is NOT like putting on sunglasses, it just filters the harmful uv sunlight, that is really all...

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

I use all three IOLs.  The all work fine.   Alcon Acrysof only comes in a tint.  It it rare that a patient notice the color.

Dr. O.