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Eye Care Archive (Expert Forum)
ReStor, ReZoom or Monofocal?
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
ReStor, ReZoom or Monofocal?
by HamiltonGuy, Oct 29, 2006 12:00AM
Since I have been diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes, and am scheduled for surgery on the left non-dominant eye on Nov. 7, I am faced with deciding between the risks / costs associated with multifocals vs. tried and true monofocals. The tipping point is..well HOW bad will my intermediate vision be with a monofocal? I'm 45, and have only needed weak drug-store reading glasses - until recently. I can deal with wearing reading glasses for closer stuff, but would be more unhappy if I needed glasses all the time for intermediate ranges like computer work, or working on my tractors. My Doc wants to do Restors, but I hear the ReZoom is better intermediate. However, I do alot of night driving in the winter and I would be concerned about Halos. (Incidentally, could someone who has multifocal describe the halos to me? Maybe they are not as bad as the fuzzy blobs of glare I'm seeing now.)So, my basic question is, can I get decent intermediate vision with monofocals, or will they take so much of my near/intermediate vision away, that multifocals would be worth the risk?
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-OD-MP, Oct 29, 2006 12:00AM
"HOW bad will my intermediate vision be with a monofocal?"
if both eyes are monofocal distance-vision, then your intermediate vision w/o readin g glasses will be terrible. you would definitely need reading glasses for computer work. both restor and rezoom have halo problems.
no, you cannot get decent intermediate vision with monofocal iols.
if both eyes are monofocal distance-vision, then your intermediate vision w/o readin g glasses will be terrible. you would definitely need reading glasses for computer work. both restor and rezoom have halo problems.
no, you cannot get decent intermediate vision with monofocal iols.
I was told Rezooms would give me a 90% chance of not needing glasses at all - an amazing offer to someone who had worn them since age 4 (now 60) & had to use 2 sets of bi-focals (desk/computer, distance/closeup). I had to change my glasses dozens of times/day -- whenever I got up from my desk or someone came into my office. My bifocals were progressive & had a mid-range for the computer screen, but it was so narrow that I just couldn't hold my neck at the necessary angle for long. (Many people have told me the same thing). I was told that ReZoom offered the best solution to those who use computers & need intermediate vision.
The 1st lens gave me near perfect distance vision in that eye, but I still needed minor correction for reading & computer. The doctor then chose a slightly different prescription for the 2nd
eye in the hope of compensating for this & having me not need glasses at all.
The period after surgery was VERY awkward because:
* my old glasses no longer worked (since I had corrected vision in the eye operated on)
* it takes a while for the vision in that eye to clear up
* it takes at least 6-8 wks, sometimes longer, for your vision to really settle down to the point where new glasses can be prescribed if necessary
* the halos were bad enough to prevent me from driving at night, & made it difficult even walking around my neighbourhood. They form a wide band around every light, the same colour of the light - porchlight, car head or tail light, streetlight, illuminated sign, you name it. 4 mos have now passed & the halos have lessened significantly but are still present.
* going any place - store, office - that has fluorescent lighting is still very difficult. At 1st, it seemed like the lights were vibrating & I'd have to leave; even now I still don't see well in these places.
*** I absolutely would have had to take an extended leave of absence if I'd had a job requiring me to drive after dark or work in under fluorescent lighting. ***
In the 2 wks between when the 1st eye then the 2nd was done, I managed by:
* having that lens in both pairs of bifocals replaced by clear glass; this worked for driving/walking/etc but I couldn't read with them
* covering the clear glass lens in my computer/reading glasses & just using my unoperated-on eye & its prescription lens to read/work on computer (very slow & tiring)
After my 2nd eye was operated on (2 wks after the 1st):
* my distance vision was now fine w/o glasses - I can drive/walk around, & see people in the room clearly
* for a few days, I used my husband's computer glasses for reading/computer (they have just a little magnifcation).
* Once I could drive, I got my own drugstore glasses for this interim period, until it became clear whether I will still need RX lens for computer/reading.
I had migraines for 5 days straight afterwards; I think this may have been caused by my eyes/brain trying to adjust; the migraines were in a different place -- right between my eyes -- than usual (top of my forehead) ones which only come 1x/mos
It's been 4 mos now since my surgery. I still can't use the computer or read w/o glasses, & I don't have good intermediate vision for preparing food at the kitchen counter, reading the dial on the washer, etc. It is frustrating to have to always carry around reading glasses which inevitably are in some other part of the house from where I am when I need them.
Therefore, I plan to buy 2 different pairs of bi-focals (desk/computer, reading/distance) as before, only:
* I can still go w/o glasses to drive, walk etc if I want
* the new glasses will be much thinner/lighter than my old ones
I don't regret having paid the $3,000 for the Rezoom lenses, even tho finances are very tight for us, because it was worth the gamble & I still have the freedom to walk/drive w/o glasses.
I had no idea that the adjustment to multifocals was so challenging. You've really kept a positive attitude!
Just saw your comments and I was wondering which doctor are you using and how do I contact them. I have been trying to look for doctors that specialize in multi-focal IOL in Ontario. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated. Thx
There's no magic here. With 20/40, you have distance vision good enough to pass the DMV test and excellent intermediate vision. I can read pretty much everything at 20 inches.
I am not saying that my choice was better than the Restore/Rezoom. I wanted to go with the safest route (my surgeon said the monofocal procedure is almost perfected that it can't go wrong) and made a decision. Except initial minor flickering vision, my recovery was ultra quick and smooth.
20/40 may not be acceptable for someone who's not myopic at all. But to me, as we age, being a slight myope does have benefits.