Getting Used To AcrySof®ReSTOR® IOL

Question: I had the AcrySof®ReSTOR® +3 Lens Implant with Cataract Surgery on 05/12/11. I have halos at night that are pretty bad, and I have sunbursts and halos during the day. Light bounces off the chrome and windshield of cars. I was -9.0 D in right eye and -8.50 in left eye before surgery. The surgeon assured me this would go away with time so I went ahead with left eye 1 month later. She gave me some drops that really don't help. Overall vision is good compared to what was before-20/25 and I do have a little trouble reading in low lighting. But the part that really awful is that after the second surgery I started to get dizzy. My Cataract Surgeon claims their is no connection even after 3 months on right eye and seven weeks on left. I notice it very a great deal after trying to read. Its as if my brain does not want to adjust. Is this normal and does it go away? My Cataract Surgeon did tell me about the halos at night but never told me that it could happen during the day time. I also have a constant glare off my left eye when light hits my eye from the side. Could some thing be wrong with lens?


Answer: The symptoms you are complaining of are not unusual with Cataract Surgery and the implantation of the AcrySof®ReSTOR® Lens Implant (IOL). The AcrySof®ReSTOR® Multifocal Lens Implant is an extremely complex optical lens design and requires varying time for fully adapt to. Typically with the AcrySof®ReSTOR® Multifocal Lens, patients experience an immediate improvement in both their distance and near vision-but it may require a bit of concentration to seem perfectly natural. The more you use your vision the quicker you will experience a decrease in the glare and halo symptoms as well as the integration of the vision between the two eyes.. For some patients who are very “neuroplastic” it can take a few days or a week-for others it can take a couple of months. It does seem to get easier with increased use-even if it seems a bit difficult at first. In addition it is normal and expected to possibly see some glare and halos-this too diminishes and becomes unnoticeable over time for the vast majority of patients. In the event that the symptoms do not decrease to a satisfactory level within perhaps 3 months after the second eye surgery, then it might necessary to look for another cause. If none exists and you are still quite uncomfortable then your Cataract Surgeon might suggest exchanging the Lens Implants for a more simple design-although this path is very unusual.

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