Laser Scuffs? after YAG - Crystalens

[Eye-Kant-C]

Since I was very nearsighted before the Crystalens IOLs, and started to lose closeup vision (presbyopia) I was told that the Crystalenses would let me see near, far and everything in between. Don't believe it! For some reason my surgeon took it upon himself to make me slightly nearsighted in one eye and slightly farsighted in the other, even though I asked him repeatedly not to. My degree of myopia was EXACTLY the same in both eyes all my life (48 years old -10 contacts). The power he kept referring to in the IOLs were both different and when I asked why, he replied that IOLs aren't the same as contacts. Even though I felt that the numbers should both be the same, he kept insisting the measurements for IOLs are different. So, I ended up with two different powers of IOLs (one near & one far). My guess is that he knows Crystalenses don't actually accomodate much, if at all and he wanted to be "covered" like they instruct at Crystalens-school, according to an article written for surgeons I found on the internet. I also, for some reason, now have slight double vision in the right eye, (the far-sighted eye) so my closeup vision is poor in that eye and the double vision makes the far vision poor.

My surgeon has insisted since even the day after surgery that I had PCO and would definitely need YAG to fix it. A year and a half later (I was scheduled for YAG and cancelled twice) I finally gave in when he said it would fix my double vision. Even though my vision was NOT cloudy, just blurry and double, he said I really needed YAG in both eyes. The "good eye" he said needed it even more than the "bad" eye and was going to do that one first, but I absolutely refused. Apparently I did NOT need YAG surgery at all even though my surgeon INSISTED over and over again that I did. I had absolutely NO improvement in vision.


So, now I have double vision in the "bad eye", blurry up close in that one and blurry far away in the other, and HUGE starbursts in the "bad" eye. I have just found out from reading another post on this board that the starbursts must be caused from Laser Scuffs on the Crystalenses. It's HORRIBLE. I can't hardly see to drive at night and even watching TV is irritating. I believe there is not hope for getting even close to the vision I had before. All because I believed the "hard-sell" of my surgeon. He keeps putting these blurry lenses in front of my eyes and saying, "See, this is how bad your vision was before. Would you really want to go back to that?" (That's also part of the spiel they tell them to do at Crystalens-school when they have an "unhappy customer.") Why yes, doctor, I'd DO ANYTHING to get back the vision I had before this nightmare!!!!!


This discussion is related to To dangerous to do a yag laser treatment?.

[Eye-Kant-C]

I am going to yet another followup visit with my opthalmologist this week, but in the meantime I am printing out info on the U of I Eye Dept. Thanks so much for the info and I never expected to find someone that would take Medicaid. I was really lost on who to even get ahold of. On their website it does say they take IDPA. Halleuljah!! There's hardly anyone here (you're right -- I'm about 1 hours south of Chicago) who takes Medicaid or even Medicare any more.

Our medical system in this country is definitely broken -- my son is type 1 diabetic and has other issues that he needs to see a specialist for, but nobody will accept him as a patient except his Pediatrician here in town and LaRabida Children's Hospital, which is for Diabetes only. I can't find an ENT anywhere that will take him and he desparately needs one. He needed a Dermatologist a while back and they said they'd take him as a self-pay but it would be at least $5,000 to get a few small warts removed from his hands! Needless to say, I couldn't do that. (He had a few of them previously for 5-6 years, but recently had developed more!) Miraculously, several weeks later they ALL disappeared. I'm glad I didn't take a loan for that.

Sorry it takes me a while to read your replies -- I don't get on here that often.

I'll let you know what I find out about the U of I doctors!

[JodieJ]

Don't you live in the Far South Suburban Chicago?  If so, try calling the ophthalmology department at the University of Illinois Hospital.  I think they take Medicaid, and they have the best ophthalmology department in the area.

[Eye-Kant-C]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to search on the internet for a doctor. With all these surgeries, I would think I shouldn't have to be wearing bifocal contacts!! I was only wearing single vision contacts before and so, what's the point? I wish they had told me that bifocal contacts existed, so I could have tried them. I honestly had never heard of them before the original Crystalens surgery and no one mentioned them. They just keep telling me now that I shouldn't expect miracles, but I would expect that my vision would be at least as good as it was before the surgery or there wouldn't be any point in doing the surgery, would there.

The surgeon keeps saying I'm being too picky and my expectations are too high. I sure wish he would have been honest and not pushed the Crystalens surgery like they do. They have seminars every month and call people and send flyers to all their patients. They keep mentioning how great the surgery is and how amazing your vision will be after and you can get rid of contacts/glasses forever!!!

I think that should be illegal. It seems like a conflict of interest to me.

[Eye-Kant-C]

I keep trying to be optimistic and my surgeon is the only one in the area who takes Medicaid. (Although I paid cash $6000 for the original Crystalens surgery). I am constantly being told "he's so good. He's the best." by other people in the area, including several other doctors (my kids' pediatrician, etc.) But he's the "best" because he's the "only" surgeon in the area that does this type of surgery.

My opthalmologist (his associate) told me he wants me to be one of his guinea pigs to try these new bifocal contacts. At least he was honest and I'm less likely to worry about trying something new when it's contacts, but I surely wish I hadn't been a guinea pig for the other guy's surgical experiments.

I'm so kicking myself and wish I would have listened to you. I actually did for a long time and then after my edge glare issues seemed to get somewhat better, I thought okay, maybe they were right, it just takes time and he kept hammering about "get the YAG. That'll fix the blurriness and double vision, which is being caused by the cloudiness." First he tells me it's +2 to 3, in both eyes, now he's back to saying "trace cloudiness" in the eye that hasn't been YAG'd because he knows he didn't need to do the other eye.

They just moved to a fancy newly-built office so I suppose $$ is the motivation for his "medical opinions."

I know now there's no going back, but I will try to find a doctor mentioned above, but I have limited funds and most don't take Medicaid.

(The bifocal contact is not working too well yet - he said give it 2 weeks, it's been just a couple days so far. I'll post more later. It definitely is NOT helping the starbursting light show and I doubt it will stop the nighttime double vision -- it seems to have made both worse.)

[JodieJ]

Your ongoing trust in your surgeon's judgment (and your rejection of your own intuition) needs to stop right now.  This man is not your father, and you do not have to do what he tells you.  His recommendations to you have been bad from the Day 1, when he recommended that you get the Crystalens despite the facts that (1) you didn't have cataracts, and (2) you were a high myope with a strong family history of retinal detachment.  (I also suspect that your pupil size was such that post-surgery problems with glare were likely with the Crystalens.)  Furthermore, his IOL power calculations were off, leaving you with one nearsighted eye and one farsighted eye (i.e., aniseikonia), which he incorrectly called "monovision."  (BTW, implanting a Crystalens in a farsighted eye essential prevents improvement in near/intermediate vision.)  In addition, he continued to recommend an unnecessary YAG, despite your protests that you didn't have PCO and didn't want to add to your RD risk.  What's next if you continue seeing this doctor?

There are a number of competent, experienced cataract surgeons in your area.  Schedule an appointment with one of them for a second opinion.  Kg17 has given you an excellent suggestion (above), which might put an end to this horrible chapter in your life.      

[kg17]

I would find the absolute best anterior segment ophthalmologist who specializes in IOL replacement and go for a monofocal in your worst eye.

[Eye-Kant-C]

Here's a link to a photo of what I see at night. Sorry I forgot to post it previously.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/bkchickenboy/moms%20pics/eyes.jpg

[Eye-Kant-C]

I just wondered if there is anything at all that can be done to help eliminate these "laser scuffs" causing the blinding starbursts. I had severe edge-glare issues with the Crystalenses for the first year or so and eventually that got better. I assume the capsule bag grew around the edges of the lenses and cut down on the glare. Will anything help this new disaster? It seems to be getting worse. I had the YAG in the one eye about 3 weeks ago. (I absolutely will not do the other eye unless I'm almost blind from cloudiness and don't have any other choice, but as I previously stated, I actually didn't see ANY cloudiness at all)