Multifocal Lens

Warren Goldblatt was the first surgeon in NH to implant the new Symfony IOL!

If you have ever experienced presbyopia, you know the frustration it can cause. Presbyopia is an age-related refractive error that causes a decline in close-up vision. This means that reading and doing detailed work becomes difficult without the use of reading glasses. Now imagine having presbyopia in addition to cataracts! At Eyesight Ophthalmic Services, we know how having presbyopia and cataracts can affect our patient’s quality of life. That’s why we are now offering the TECNIS® Symfony IOL – the new solution to presbyopia and cataracts.

What Is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is a natural symptom of aging. People in their middle-age will often notice that their near vision is slowly becoming less and less sharp. This is usually the age when people start reaching for their reading glasses more often. If you had perfect near vision and now notice that you need reading glasses to read or do detailed work, you probably have presbyopia. Presbyopia is the result of the aging process. In younger people, the natural lens in the eye (which is responsible for focusing light) has the ability to accommodate for different distances. As we age, the natural lens becomes less flexible and more rigid, making it difficult to move and accommodate for near vision.

What Are Cataracts?

Cataract development is one of the most prevalent eye conditions in the world. Almost everyone will develop cataracts in old age, and some even earlier than that. Cataracts occur when the natural crystalline lens in the eye becomes cloudy due to protein build-up, resulting in blurry, foggy or distorted vision. Cataracts are nearly impossible to avoid, and can occur in addition to presbyopia.

How The TECNIS® Symfony IOL Can Help

The Symfony IOL was developed with these two conditions in mind. IOLs, or intra-ocular lenses, are used to replace the cataract-affected lens during cataract removal surgery.

Many different types of IOLs have been produced to not only correct cataracts, but to correct other common refractive errors like astigmatism and nearsightedness.

The TECNIS® Symfony IOL is the first IOL designed to correct presbyopia and cataracts. The use of the Symfony IOL does not change how the cataract surgery is performed.

During the surgery, your doctor will remove the cataract and replace it with the Symfony IOL. That’s it!

How Well Does it Work?

During clinical trials, there was a comparison between cataract patients implanted with the TECNIS® Symfony IOL, and patients who received a standard monofocal IOL. Those who received the Symfony IOL could read two additional, progressively smaller lines on an eye chart when compared to the monofocal IOL patients. Intermediate vision was also greatly improved, with 77% of Symfony IOL patients experiencing 20/25 vision. Only 34% of the standard monofocal IOL patients experienced this improvement. If you are experiencing cataracts and presbyopia, and you are ready to do something about it, contact Eyesight Ophthalmic Services. Our experts at Eyesight have years of experience performing cataract surgery with great success. Call to book your cataract consultation today, and see if the TECNIS® Symfony IOL is right for you!

Questions about the Tecnis Mulifocal IOL

The following information answers questions that we frequently hear from our patients about Tecnis Multifocal IOLs however, some of these questions also apply to Cataract Surgery with other intraocular lenses (IOLs) including the accommodating and Toric IOLs. For more information, please contact us.

IOL stands for Intraocular lens.

Intraocular lenses are artificial lenses created to replace clouded natural lenses, caused by cataracts. In addition, IOL’s can be implanted “electively”. This means patients who want to reduce or eliminate their need for glasses, who may not have visually significant cataracts, can also have the procedure. The cost of procedure would be paid for without the assistance of their insurance company.

Cataracts are opacities that form in the eye’s crystalline lens and are caused by a breakdown of tissue and accumulation of proteins that make up the lens. Over time, cataracts cloud the lens and do not allow light to reach the retina, producing blurred vision.

The Tecnis Multifocal premium IOL is used in patients with and without presbyopia who desire increased independence from glasses following cataract procedures. The Tecnis Multifocal lens is designed with patented optics to provide a range of high quality vision in even low light situations. With the Tecnis Multifocal, patients enjoy everyday activities such as reading a menu in a dimly lit restaurant, operating your phone and even driving at night.

Presbyopia is a common age-related condition. Beginning around the age of 40, the natural lens inside the eye begins to harden and become less flexible. This reduces the eye’s ability to switch focus from near, far, in between and back again.

Many people with the Tecnis Multifocal lens experience the best eyesight they’ve had in years. In fact, nearly 9 out of 10 people do not require glasses at any distance after receiving a Tecnis Multifocal implantable lens.

Candidates for multifocal IOL’s are individuals with or without cataracts, who are myopic (nearsighted), hyperopic (farsighted) and / or presbyopic (need for reading or computer range glasses).

If you’ve been diagnosed with cataracts, you may be a candidate for the Tecnis Multifocal lens. Whether the Tecnis IOL is the right choice for you depends on personal preferences, lifestyle, and the overall health of your eyes. Your doctor will make a recommendation following a complete eye exam.

At first, it’s hard to tell. You’ll notice some deterioration of your vision, such as more sensitivity to lights at night, colors look less vivid and bright, double vision, or some blurriness. Initially, a new glasses or contact lens prescription might help, but at some point, cataract surgery may become necessary. If cataracts develop in both eyes, each eye will be treated separately, so you retain your vision and functionality in between surgery dates.

Yes. Cataract types include:

Cataracts that affect the center of the lens (nuclear cataracts). A nuclear cataract may at first cause you to become more nearsighted or even experience a temporary improvement in your reading vision. But with time, the lens gradually turns more densely yellow and further clouds your vision.
As the cataract slowly progresses, the lens may even turn brown. Advanced yellowing or browning of the lens can lead to difficulty distinguishing between shades of color.

Cataracts that affect the edges of the lens (cortical cataracts). A cortical cataract begins as whitish, wedge-shaped opacities or streaks on the outer edge of the lens cortex.
As it slowly progresses, the streaks extend to the center and interfere with light passing through the center of the lens. People with cortical cataracts often experience problems with glare.

Cataracts that affect the back of the lens (posterior subcapsular cataracts). A posterior subcapsular cataract starts as a small, opaque area that usually forms near the back of the lens, right in the path of light on its way to the retina.
A posterior subcapsular cataract often interferes with your reading vision, reduces your vision in bright light, and causes glare or halos around lights at night.

The cause isn’t clear, however, studies have been done that suggest some risk factors include:

Diabetes
Prolonged use of steroids
Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light (sunlight)
Exposure to cosmic radiation
Over-consumption of alcohol
Prolonged exposure to air pollution
Exposure to lead

No. Advancing age is certainly a predisposing factor, and by the age of 75 or so, nearly everyone is said to have at least the beginning of a cataract. However, some babies are born with congenital cataracts, some apparently inherited, and others, are the result of the mother having an infectious disease while pregnant, such as chickenpox or German measles. Young healthy patients can also develop cataracts as stated above.

Every surgical procedure has risks and potential side effects. Your doctor will explain all of these in full detail. However, the lens removal and lens implant technique used in the Tecnis multifocal lens procedure is performed over 15 million times per year worldwide and is recognized for its safety and predictability.

Most commonly the lens is removed with ultrasound rather than a laser to break up the lens with the cataract before removing it. Also, after some surgeries, the pocket, or membrane that encases the eye’s lens becomes cloudy after the lens is removed, and in these cases, a laser can be used to make a clear opening in that membrane, so that vision isn’t impeded.

The second surgery can be performed one day after the first surgery, but we prefer to wait at least a week to ensure the first operative eye is healing well.

No. We will be taking a number of measurements of your eyes. These measurements enable us to measure the thickness and curvature of your eye. It is important that candidates do not wear the following prior to the diagnostic evaluation and surgery:

soft contact lenses – remain out for 5 days;
toric (for astigmatism) lenses – remain out for 2 weeks; or
hard contact lenses – remain out for 8 weeks.

Multifocal Lens

What Is Presbyopia?

What Are Cataracts?

How The TECNIS® Symfony IOL Can Help

How Well Does it Work?

Questions about the Tecnis Mulifocal IOL

What does IOL mean?

What are IOLs?

What are Cataracts?

How is the Tecnis Multifocal different?

What is Presbyopia?

Will I be totally free from glasses?

What conditions does the Tecnis Multifocal Treat?

How do I know if I need the Tecnis Multifocal?

How do I know if I have cataracts?

Are there different kinds of cataracts?

What causes cataracts?

Do only older people get cataracts?

Is cataract surgery dangerous to your eyes?

Is cataract surgery done with a laser?

How much time must go by before the second eye is treated?

I wear contact lenses. Can I wear them to your office for cataract surgery?