> There are parts of me that are impatient with how slow this is,
> especially when people talk about the instant results with other
> procedures like LASIK and Visian. Then again, there is some
> preliminary evidence that the Verisyse, at least, provides better
> outcomes than LASIK. So long term, I think I'll be better off.

The preliminary feeling on the list seems to agree.  Ken, if I understand
correctly, currently has one of each lens, and he's happier with the
Verisise.  As for LASIK, I would barely consider it.  The outcome of LASIK
depends on too many variables for my taste.

> Yesterday my BCVA was 20/25. It had been 20/60 the previous
> Wednesday. Astigmatism had been about 9.1D on Wednesday, and
> yesterday was about 6.2D. After learning that, I had two more sutures
> removed from my eye.

With the Visian, I could see 20/30 within an hour of the surgery.  BUT,
and I don't think I can stress this enough, that is only a test of acuity
under specific instances.  That is, only at 20 feet with black letters on
a bright white background in a dim exam room.  Even though I could see
almost perfectly, I had a total lack of near-distance. This was a huge
handicap for the first day or two.  I was legal to drive, but I couldn't
read a book or work on the computer.  20/20 doesn't mean anything in the
grand scheme of things.

Here's my warning to everyone considering eye surgery of any type:  Be
suspicious of any guarantees of 20/20 vision.  The numbers do not take
into account all the other visual problems, like halos etc.  Try to find
research on visual quality -- not just "% of people reporting 20/30 or
better".

Good luck with that search, by the way.  I don't notice anyone providing
those numbers. :(

> What is interesting about this suture removal is that the shape of
> blurred out lights in darkness changes with each procedure. I know
> that this is because the shape of my cornea is being manipulated with
> each removal, but it is still fascinating to experience. At the very
> first, it was just the normal big blur I'm used to, perhaps smaller,
> like when I was 16 years old. The first suture removal sculpted the
> blur into a tear drop shape. With this removal, the tear drop shape
> has elongated on the top, narrowed somewhat, and to the right has
> another very slight angle. Everything to the bottom seems almost
> clear.

When they were measuring the thickness of my cornea with some ultrasonic
probe thingy, I was fascinated with how dramatically my focus would change
when my cornea was touched.  I can only imagine what it is like for you
right now.

> Next Tuesday I get the last two removed. I'm very excited.

Are these the sutures for the wounds where they installed the lens?  Or
are these 'limbic relaxing' thingies to address your astigmatism?

Some updates:

There are parts of me that are impatient with how slow this is,
especially when people talk about the instant results with other
procedures like LASIK and Visian. Then again, there is some
preliminary evidence that the Verisyse, at least, provides better
outcomes than LASIK. So long term, I think I'll be better off.

Yesterday my BCVA was 20/25. It had been 20/60 the previous
Wednesday. Astigmatism had been about 9.1D on Wednesday, and
yesterday was about 6.2D. After learning that, I had two more sutures
removed from my eye.

What is interesting about this suture removal is that the shape of
blurred out lights in darkness changes with each procedure. I know
that this is because the shape of my cornea is being manipulated with
each removal, but it is still fascinating to experience. At the very
first, it was just the normal big blur I'm used to, perhaps smaller,
like when I was 16 years old. The first suture removal sculpted the
blur into a tear drop shape. With this removal, the tear drop shape
has elongated on the top, narrowed somewhat, and to the right has
another very slight angle. Everything to the bottom seems almost
clear.

Next Tuesday I get the last two removed. I'm very excited.

Hello all:

Thank you so much for starting this group. I've been looking for
something like it, and for real-life stories, since I began considering
IOL Phakic, about two years ago now. I'm a 40 year old chick in St. Paul
with bad eyes...-13 right eye with some astigmatism, -11 (or worse, I'm
in denial) in the left, which is my dominant eye, with significant
astigmatism, though I don't have those numbers. Oh, and that thing where
I only see out of one eye at a time and wore an eye patch as a kid.
Asphyic or something. Everything is wrong with my eyes. Also very light
sensitive.

I'm tempted to go on and on here, as I've an audience I assume of people
who "understand." No one in my life has my poor vision and no one really
gets it as well as the inevitable doctor and optician foibles that go
along with it. But I'll shut myself up. Just to say I cannot wear
contacts at all, have dry eyes and weird eyelids taht don't allow for
RGPs. My glasses have to sit exactly right on my face..and I'm
experiencing quite a bit of distortion because I have them thinned down
as much as possible. I live in fear of them getting bumped. Only one
optician here in the Twin Cities seems to be able to set them right, and
it's humiliating having to go to that particular store, ask for him, and
wait until he's free. God forbid he is on vacation or, worse, retires or
something.

I went for an Verisys consultation at Minnesota Eye Consultants (who
were doing FDA trials from 1998) two years ago and even had an
appointment to get them in place. But I got pregnant and also wussed
out. My issues are: I very much worry they'll implant an incorrect
prescription. My prescription is quite hard to get and the place did
feel like an assembly line with some technician getting my prescription
in minutes (though it's supposedly one of the best places for Phakic). I
very much worry about my astigmatism. They were like: Oh, you can have
lasik if it bothers you. Also incredibly nervous about halos and glares.
With the gas permeable lenses they were terrible, terrible (I was
looking out the edges because of the way they sat on my eyes). I could
never, ever live with that. I was essentially blinded by the glare from
lights.

Also worry about aftercare. I've been treated crappily by opticians and
opthamologists in the past who don't want to deal with my "issues" and
to do the tedious and humiliating follow up necessary to properly fit my
glasses and contacts. So I have a perhaps paranoid fear of being treated
like that again. Another thing is I'd be made to wait two weeks between
eyes and, again, cannot wear contacts. How have people dealt with that?
ALSO the last thing, I am an avid runner and selfishly am not sure I
could handlle taking more than a month off from all exercise.

Questions: How would I evaluate Verisys versus that other, collamer one
I see Minnesota Eye Consultants now does? How would I decided which is
better?

I'd heard a toric IOL will be available in 2008. Anyone else hear this?
Anyone else have astigmatism? Pros and cons of toric? I hear they are
quite hard to place and can rotate. Obviously these are also questions
for the doctor. But just thought I'd throw them out. Also that cell
depletion thing worries me...anyone else have that fear?

Thank you again for this forum. It's just a load off to be able to type
this thing to people who know what I'm talking about. My pet peeve:
People who are all: Oh bad vision. I know. I'm blind without my glasses
too. And then I find out they're like -5 or something. To me that's
crystal clear vision!!

jean

I'm reposting this, as I can't seem to get a message through. Thanks.

[I'm a little slow on the Moderation button today.  Sorry! -mdwyer]

Hello all:

Thank you so much for starting this group. I've been looking for
something like it, and for real-life stories, since I began considering
IOL Phakic, about two years ago now. I'm a 40 year old chick in St. Paul
with bad eyes...-13 right eye with some astigmatism, -11 (or worse, I'm
in denial) in the left, which is my dominant eye, with significant
astigmatism, though I don't have those numbers. Oh, and that thing where
I only see out of one eye at a time and wore an eye patch as a kid.
Asphyic or something. Everything is wrong with my eyes. Also very light
sensitive.

I'm tempted to go on and on here, as I've an audience I assume of people
who "understand." No one in my life has my poor vision and no one really
gets it as well as the inevitable doctor and optician foibles that go
along with it. But I'll shut myself up. Just to say I cannot wear
contacts at all, have dry eyes and weird eyelids taht don't allow for
RGPs. My glasses have to sit exactly right on my face..and I'm
experiencing quite a bit of distortion because I have them thinned down
as much as possible. I live in fear of them getting bumped. Only one
optician here in the Twin Cities seems to be able to set them right, and
it's humiliating having to go to that particular store, ask for him, and
wait until he's free. God forbid he is on vacation or, worse, retires or
something.

I went for an Verisys consultation at Minnesota Eye Consultants (who
were doing FDA trials from 1998) two years ago and even had an
appointment to get them in place. But I got pregnant and also wussed
out. My issues are: I very much worry they'll implant an incorrect
prescription. My prescription is quite hard to get and the place did
feel like an assembly line with some technician getting my prescription
in minutes (though it's supposedly one of the best places for Phakic). I
very much worry about my astigmatism. They were like: Oh, you can have
lasik if it bothers you. Also incredibly nervous about halos and glares.
With the gas permeable lenses they were terrible, terrible (I was
looking out the edges because of the way they sat on my eyes). I could
never, ever live with that. I was essentially blinded by the glare from
lights.

Also worry about aftercare. I've been treated crappily by opticians and
opthamologists in the past who don't want to deal with my "issues" and
to do the tedious and humiliating follow up necessary to properly fit my
glasses and contacts. So I have a perhaps paranoid fear of being treated
like that again. Another thing is I'd be made to wait two weeks between
eyes and, again, cannot wear contacts. How have people dealt with that?
ALSO the last thing, I am an avid runner and selfishly am not sure I
could handlle taking more than a month off from all exercise.

Questions: How would I evaluate Verisys versus that other, collamer one
I see Minnesota Eye Consultants now does? How would I decided which is
better?

I'd heard a toric IOL will be available in 2008. Anyone else hear this?
Anyone else have astigmatism? Pros and cons of toric? I hear they are
quite hard to place and can rotate. Obviously these are also questions
for the doctor. But just thought I'd throw them out. Also that cell
depletion thing worries me...anyone else have that fear?

Thank you again for this forum. It's just a load off to be able to type
this thing to people who know what I'm talking about. My pet peeve:
People who are all: Oh bad vision. I know. I'm blind without my glasses
too. And then I find out they're like -5 or something. To me that's
crystal clear vision!!

jean

Hi,

I've uploaded a picture in the "Photos" directory. It is a
picture of my Verisyse eye at night. Note, the iridotomy shows up
very well under infrared light.

My doctor used a laser.

I'm not sure why there are three wholes. I do recall my doctor
shooting the laser at least three times. Perhaps one of them
didn't work and he had to try again.

....Ken


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, mdwyer@... wrote:
>
> Ken says:
> > In preparation for the implantation of Visian lenses in my eyes,
> > I had an iridotomy performed in on both eyes in December 2006.
> > That evening I noticed a pair of fuzzy lights above each light
> > source. I contacted my doctor, and he had me come in for an
> > examination. It turned out that my upper eye lid does not cover
> > the top portion of my iris, therefore the iridotomy wholes are
> > exposed, and light leaks in.
>
> I was looking for my iridotomy holes, and couldn't find them.  I
have no
> idea where they are, and I cannot find any visual evidence of
them.  I
> fully expected to see them, too.
>
> Was yours done by laser?  I understand that the lasers make
smaller holes,
> although this means they are more likely to heal over, which is
why they
> blow two holes.  They can do it with something else, but the holes
are
> larger, then.
>

Ken says:
> In preparation for the implantation of Visian lenses in my eyes,
> I had an iridotomy performed in on both eyes in December 2006.
> That evening I noticed a pair of fuzzy lights above each light
> source. I contacted my doctor, and he had me come in for an
> examination. It turned out that my upper eye lid does not cover
> the top portion of my iris, therefore the iridotomy wholes are
> exposed, and light leaks in.

I was looking for my iridotomy holes, and couldn't find them.  I have no
idea where they are, and I cannot find any visual evidence of them.  I
fully expected to see them, too.

Was yours done by laser?  I understand that the lasers make smaller holes,
although this means they are more likely to heal over, which is why they
blow two holes.  They can do it with something else, but the holes are
larger, then.

Hi,

In preparation for the implantation of Visian lenses in my eyes,
I had an iridotomy performed in on both eyes in December 2006.
That evening I noticed a pair of fuzzy lights above each light
source. I contacted my doctor, and he had me come in for an
examination. It turned out that my upper eye lid does not cover
the top portion of my iris, therefore the iridotomy wholes are
exposed, and light leaks in. I have a low thyroid condition,
so the doctor speculated that the eyelid is slightly pulled
back by fatty buildup behind my eye ball. That is, a low
thyroid can cause a fatty buildup behind the eyeball, which
is pushed slightly forward by a fatty build up, causing the
upper eyelid to retract somewhat.

The lights don't really bother me too much. I can tip my head
slightly down, and my eyeball roles up slightly, causing the
iridotomy wholes to be covered. The problem also can cause
some haze in shadows during the day. For example, if I look
at an object located in a shadow during a bright sunny day,
the object looks to be slightly obscured by a haze. Again,
if I tip my head down, the haze goes away (i.e. the iridotomy
wholes are covered up, so I don't get the extra unfocused
light coming in).

Hi,

I asked my doctor about centering the Verisyse lens on the pupil,
and he said that the lens is supposed to be centered in the eye.

I've since asked another Ophthalmologist, via the web, and he
indicated that the lens can be centered on the pupil. The degree
to which the lens can be positioned off center in the eye is
of course limited by size of the lens and the diameter of your
eye. An article by David Hardten MD. entitled "Phakic Iris Claw
Artisan Intraocular Lens for Correction of High Myopia and Hyperopia"
also stated that he Artisan (Verisyse) lens can be centered on the
pupil.

I'll have to revisit this issue with my doctor, and see if
re-positioning is necessary and/or possible.

Regarding the Visian lens, I don't know if it can be placed
off center. My guess is that the centering of the lens is
dictated by the structure of the posterior chamber of the eye.
That is, the Visian lens fits snugly into the posterior chamber,
and that position determines the position of the optic in relation
to the pupil. That's just my guess.

.....Ken


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Dwyer" <mdwyer@...> wrote:
>
> Ami, who is still trying to get added to the group replied with
this:
>
> "I would assume the surgeon would be centering the lens on the
pupil,
> not the iris, so I am not sure how much this factor would impact
on
> being able to have the surgery."
>
> Michael again:  Ken's got a picture of his eye posted to the
group's
> photos section (http://health.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/piolusers/
> photos/view/3d73?b=1)
>
> I assumed that it was the LENS that was offcenter in that
picture.  I
> imagine that the surgeon has to be pretty careful in a case like
> that, because I assume the center actually moves as the iris
opens.
> Did your doctor say anything specific about it?
>
>
> --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "kensell33" <kensell33@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I thought I'd post what I've found out about off center pupils
and
> > PIOL/PICL's.
> >
> > I recently found out that my pupil is off center. This isn't an
> issue
> > when your pupil is not dilated (i.e. in the day time), but can
> become
> > a problem when your pupil is dilated. Even though you may have
small
> > dilated pupils (e.g. less than 6 mm), and the usable optical
> diameter
> > of the IOL/ICL is more than the dilated pupil size, if your
pupil is
> > off center, part of the dilated pupil can be outside the
IOL/ICL's
> > optic. This would allow unfocused light into you eye, which may
> cause
> > night time flares, halos, etc.
> >
> > I'd suggest you ask your doctor if your pupil is significantly
un-
> > centered before having the procedure done, and take this fact
into
> > account when making your decision about having the lens
implanted.
> >
> > I'm surprised that this issue is not mentioned in the criteria
when
> > determining a patient's suitability for a PIOL/PICL. I didn't
see it
> > mention in the FDA meeting notes either.
> >
> > ....Ken
> >
>

--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "amkaproblemka" <ami@...> wrote:
> And last, I asked if they could record my procedure, which they
did.
> If I get permission, I'll post what will probably be an edited
> version of it.

They filmed my procedure, too.  I was afraid to ask for a copy. :)  I
did put a link to a similar procedure on my own web page and copied
it here:

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4314566601407119722

Personally, I find the process terribly disturbing...

PS: Ami - still can't send you e-mail, but it looks like your posts
are getting through.  Welcome!

Back Story:

I was six years old when I got my first pair of glasses. Add a speech
impediment and general clumsiness to the mix and you can probably get
a good idea of what my elementary school career was like. Luckily, I
grew out of the impediment. Unluckily, I never really did get very
coordinated and I grew into glasses with thicker and thicker lenses.
When I inevitably broke my glasses, we couldn't afford to get them
replaced, so we taped them.

Getting the picture now? Yup. When they were making up stereotypes, I
was the female model they used for nerdiness.

When I did get my first pair of contacts at 14, I vowed I'd never
wear glasses again. At that immature age, I blamed glasses for all my
social awkwardness. It was a good thing that I'd grown up enough by
my late twenties to not freak out when I was told I'd need to limit
how long I wore my contacts to 12, then 10 hours a day.

Choosing refractive surgery wasn't a matter of should I do it, but
when will there be a safe technology for me? I guess even growing up
we are never quite able to shake our childhood insecurities. There is
also the matter of not being able to see even my husband's face at
night let alone once I take off my contacts or glasses. I've
accidentally fallen asleep with them contacts in, and often keep my
glasses under my pillow.

Deciding What to Do:

My doctor and I decided that the Verisyse lens would be best for me,
even though it is a more difficult procedure all the way around. From
what I gather, this is actually somewhat harder than a standard
cataract surgery to recover from. Unfortunately, there is also
no `wow' factor right after surgery.

It turned out that the my white to white measurements, which is
basically the diameter of my iris, is a little smaller than the
smallest Visian they make. This is probably not a huge problem, but
enough to conclude that the Verisyse was a better fit for me. There
was also the advantage that my doctor would be able to place and
anchor the Verisyse lens in such a way as to reduce my mild
astigmatism.

Day of Surgery:

This is the most dramatic and uninteresting part of the whole affair.
I went in, I went to sleep, and then I woke up with a patch on my
eye. They checked my eye. Then I went home and went to sleep.

Post Op:

The doctor and his fellow checked me the next morning. Things were
going well. I had five eye drops to put in, some two times a day and
some four times a day. I had scheduled a visit for Monday, but he
asked that I come in on Sunday instead, apologizing a great deal
about the inconvenience to us. Things looked good at that check up as
well.  Then again on Wednesday everything went well enough that he
felt he could remove one of the sutures a little earlier than usual.
Taking the suture out was not very difficult. The doctor put a couple
of numbing drops in, I positioned myself at the chin rest of the slit
lamp we are all familiar with, he fiddled a bit and then pulled out
the suture.

In the Here and Now:

I am now 10 days post op for my left eye. I still have a significant
amount of astigmatism as expected due to the 5 sutures that are still
in my eye. Even with this, I see much better in that eye than before,
and it continues to improve. I will be going in on Tuesday to have
two more sutures removed. The surgery for my right eye is scheduled
to happen on April 12th.

A Few Thoughts So Far:

I have been struck by the compassion and attention to detail my
surgeon has consistently displayed. It felt more like he was creating
a piece of art rather than performing a medical procedure.

When my surgeon actually implanted the lens in my eye, I was
sleeping, making it the least interesting part of the experience for
me. However, this is where he worked his craft.  The cuts he made in
my eye, the lens he chose to use, the way he chose to place it, the
way he sutured the incision will determine what I see in the future.

Still, even if everything was done perfectly, it still depends upon
me to follow my doctor's instructions. And there are always factors
not in anyone's control that will play into it.

Those of us in the forum now have already experienced it, but I hope
we attract those who are considering refractive surgery. We are
putting our vision into the hands of another person. I feel it is
very important that we become fully informed, choose carefully, and
then participate in our care fully.

And last, I asked if they could record my procedure, which they did.
If I get permission, I'll post what will probably be an edited
version of it.

Ami, who hopefully should be able to post soon, replied with this:

I've actually been working on a slightly more detailed account for
this group.

As far as the time between eyes, I think the reason is two fold:
Making sure I react well to the procedure, and letting me see. The
recovery from the Verisyse is very different. I still have
astigmatism significant enough that I would be unable to drive were
this the state of both my eyes. So the time between eyes gives me
time for my vision to rehabilite to the point where I'll be able to
see with one good eye.

Right now, I am using a contact in the eye they haven't worked on. I
have poor depth perception, but that is improving as my other eye
improves."

--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "mwoliveri" <matthewoliveri@...>
wrote:
>
> I'm going to end up waiting three weeks between my two surgeries,
but
> I can wear a contact lens in the other eye during that time.  My
> surgeon only operates on Wednesdays, so I'd have to wait at least a
> week.  And next week I'm closing on my house and moving, and the
week
> after he's on vacation.  I didn't expect to have both done in
> consecutive weeks, based on what the surgical coordinator said, so
I
> planned for the two weeks on either side of my move.  Little did I
> know he would be on vacation!  I don't know how it works with the
> Verisyse, though.
>
> --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, Michael Dwyer <mdwyer@> wrote:
> >
> > I'd like to welcome a new user to the group, but I can't send her
> any
> > emails.  Her spam blocking likes neither me nor Yahoo.
> >
> > When you sign up, Yahoo automatically sends back a couple
> responses.  If
> > you do not receive these responses, your ISP may be blocking your
> > e-mail, too.
> >
> > In the mean time, she's got her own blog of the Verisyse
experience
> that
> > starts at http://www.amichopine.com/blog/?p=153
> >
> > When they did my surgery, they did the two eyes within a day of
> each
> > other.  That day in the middle was MISERABLE.  Ami is supposed to
> wait
> > FOUR WEEKS with one corrected eye.
> >
> > During my half-eyed day, I tried wearing my old glasses with one
of
> the
> > lenses removed, but that didn't work well.  I wasn't sure if I
was
> > allowed to use a contact lens.  So I just suffered for the day.
> >
> > Has anyone else had to wait a long time between eyes?  Did you do
> > anything special to get through it?
> >
>

Ami, who is still trying to get added to the group replied with this:

"I would assume the surgeon would be centering the lens on the pupil,
not the iris, so I am not sure how much this factor would impact on
being able to have the surgery."

Michael again:  Ken's got a picture of his eye posted to the group's
photos section (http://health.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/piolusers/
photos/view/3d73?b=1)

I assumed that it was the LENS that was offcenter in that picture.  I
imagine that the surgeon has to be pretty careful in a case like
that, because I assume the center actually moves as the iris opens.
Did your doctor say anything specific about it?


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "kensell33" <kensell33@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I thought I'd post what I've found out about off center pupils and
> PIOL/PICL's.
>
> I recently found out that my pupil is off center. This isn't an
issue
> when your pupil is not dilated (i.e. in the day time), but can
become
> a problem when your pupil is dilated. Even though you may have small
> dilated pupils (e.g. less than 6 mm), and the usable optical
diameter
> of the IOL/ICL is more than the dilated pupil size, if your pupil is
> off center, part of the dilated pupil can be outside the IOL/ICL's
> optic. This would allow unfocused light into you eye, which may
cause
> night time flares, halos, etc.
>
> I'd suggest you ask your doctor if your pupil is significantly un-
> centered before having the procedure done, and take this fact into
> account when making your decision about having the lens implanted.
>
> I'm surprised that this issue is not mentioned in the criteria when
> determining a patient's suitability for a PIOL/PICL. I didn't see it
> mention in the FDA meeting notes either.
>
> ....Ken
>

Hi,

I suspect lots (most) people have had a good experience with
ICL/IOLs. A forum like this is going to attract people like me
who are having problems. From all I have read, the procedure has
a very good outcome in almost all cases.

...Ken


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "mwoliveri" <matthewoliveri@...>
wrote:
>
> OK, so I've been reading these messages, and have my own few days
of
> experience with one new eye.  Two questions:
>
> 1- Is anybody truly happy with one of these IOLs?  It seems that
> everyone is having some problems.
>
> 2- It's only been four days, but I have a distinct halo/ghosting
issue
> with my first lens.  Has anybody had issues like this get better
over
> time?  I know some of you still have these issues, but when my
wife had
> Lasik she had some halos for about a week but now they're all
gone, as
> if it was simply the eye trauma that caused them.
>
> Thanks,
> Matt
>

I am truly happy with my IOL.  I *am* having problems with it --
especially at night -- but the negatives of my experience are
insignificant compared to the positives.

When I was wearing contacts, I would get fuzzy halos around everything
at night.  My pupils would open wider than the corrective part of the
lens, and so I would see uncorrected ghosts surrounding every bright light.

With the Visian ICL lens, I no longer have these fuzzy halos.  I DO
sometimes see rays terminating in a sharp halo, but this is somewhat
rare and generally does not bother me.  It is nothing like the blaring
starbursts that people with other surgeries describe.

As for your second question, the halos seem to be related to dilation of
the pupils.  It got better for me after about 24 hours.  They use some
very powerful drops when they dilate you, and the effect can last more
than a day.  Once my eyes returned to normal, I only saw halos when I
was looking at bright points of light in a very dark environment.

Eg, driving in the country at night would show halos, but driving in the
city at night wouldn't, because my pupils were closed more due to the
extra ambient light.


mwoliveri wrote:
> OK, so I've been reading these messages, and have my own few days of
> experience with one new eye.  Two questions:
>
> 1- Is anybody truly happy with one of these IOLs?  It seems that
> everyone is having some problems.
>
> 2- It's only been four days, but I have a distinct halo/ghosting issue
> with my first lens.  Has anybody had issues like this get better over
> time?  I know some of you still have these issues, but when my wife had
> Lasik she had some halos for about a week but now they're all gone, as
> if it was simply the eye trauma that caused them.

OK, so I've been reading these messages, and have my own few days of
experience with one new eye.  Two questions:

1- Is anybody truly happy with one of these IOLs?  It seems that
everyone is having some problems.

2- It's only been four days, but I have a distinct halo/ghosting issue
with my first lens.  Has anybody had issues like this get better over
time?  I know some of you still have these issues, but when my wife had
Lasik she had some halos for about a week but now they're all gone, as
if it was simply the eye trauma that caused them.

Thanks,
Matt

i hear ya....i had two take two weeks off of work bcause they did one eye
each week.  its too bad they dont do them together but i can see their
reason in case there are complications like your body rejecting the lense.
i am finding out right now since i am back to work and driving again, that
during the day my vision is supercrisp...i can see all signs and license
plates while driving.  but when the sun goes down or its cloudy, my crisp
vision dies down and signs look blurry.  also i was at the mall today and in
vitamin world.  when looking at the items on the shelves, everything was
blurry.  it seems that these lenses have made me farsighted.  also natural
light plays a huge role on how crisp i see.  outside walking the dog i can
see all the neighbors street numbers and all the vegetation are clear, but
when i step in the house thats dim, i have trouble seeing the numbers on the
clock about 20 feet away....very odd.  night halos are still the same , but
i am noticing that if i dont strain my eyes, or if i close them for a split
second the glares and halos dissppear, until a i blink a few times and they
come back. i wish u luck and keep us posted on your experiences




>From: "mwoliveri" <matthewoliveri@...>
>Reply-To: piolusers@yahoogroups.com
>To: piolusers@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [piolusers] Re: My experience so far
>Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:39:09 -0000
>
>I didn't ask about the Toric ICLs because the website for STAAR said
>it was good for up to -2.5 cylinders of astigmatism.  I'm -1.25 so I
>didn't think much of it.  About a day before my first eye was done, I
>thought that I should have asked that question, but the die was cast
>at that point.
>
>So far, I'm not seeing any worse than I did in my toric contacts out
>of my left eye.  But because of my amblyopia, that eye only corrects
>to 20/40 on its best days.  So since I'm right eye dominant, that one
>will be the big test.  That's not until April 11th, though.  I'm
>ready now.  I wish they could do them both on the same day.  Stupid
>legalities.
>
>--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@...> wrote:
> >
> > Welcome Matt.  I too found out about these blogs after my surgery.
>I
> > wore Toric contact lenses like u did (and gas perms before that).
> > did u inquire about Visians Toric ICLs to your doctor prior to your
> > surgery?  I had quite the astigmatism and my surgeon said i didnt
> > need toric ICLs.  i am interested to see what your outcome is.  I
> > wish you luck and keep us posted.
> >
> > --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "mwoliveri" <matthewoliveri@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > I stumbled across Michael's blog while I was writing my own blog
> > about
> > > my experience with Visian.  Of course, I didn't find it until the
> > day
> > > before my first surgery, but better late than never!  Anyway, I
>had
> > my
> > > first eye done yesterday and so far I'm happy.  My experience was
> > > similar in some ways to Michael's, but also different, so if
>you'd
> > like
> > > another perspective, feel free to read about it.  I haven't
>written
> > > about teh day of surgery yet, but I will soon.  You'll have to
> > start at
> > > the bottom- I can't figure out how to go in chronological order.
> > >
> > > I look forward to hearing about others' experiences.
> > >
> > > Thanks!
> > >
> > > Matt
> > >
> > > http://myvisianexperience.blogspot.com/
> > >
> >
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
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I'm going to end up waiting three weeks between my two surgeries, but
I can wear a contact lens in the other eye during that time.  My
surgeon only operates on Wednesdays, so I'd have to wait at least a
week.  And next week I'm closing on my house and moving, and the week
after he's on vacation.  I didn't expect to have both done in
consecutive weeks, based on what the surgical coordinator said, so I
planned for the two weeks on either side of my move.  Little did I
know he would be on vacation!  I don't know how it works with the
Verisyse, though.

--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, Michael Dwyer <mdwyer@...> wrote:
>
> I'd like to welcome a new user to the group, but I can't send her
any
> emails.  Her spam blocking likes neither me nor Yahoo.
>
> When you sign up, Yahoo automatically sends back a couple
responses.  If
> you do not receive these responses, your ISP may be blocking your
> e-mail, too.
>
> In the mean time, she's got her own blog of the Verisyse experience
that
> starts at http://www.amichopine.com/blog/?p=153
>
> When they did my surgery, they did the two eyes within a day of
each
> other.  That day in the middle was MISERABLE.  Ami is supposed to
wait
> FOUR WEEKS with one corrected eye.
>
> During my half-eyed day, I tried wearing my old glasses with one of
the
> lenses removed, but that didn't work well.  I wasn't sure if I was
> allowed to use a contact lens.  So I just suffered for the day.
>
> Has anyone else had to wait a long time between eyes?  Did you do
> anything special to get through it?
>

I didn't ask about the Toric ICLs because the website for STAAR said
it was good for up to -2.5 cylinders of astigmatism.  I'm -1.25 so I
didn't think much of it.  About a day before my first eye was done, I
thought that I should have asked that question, but the die was cast
at that point.

So far, I'm not seeing any worse than I did in my toric contacts out
of my left eye.  But because of my amblyopia, that eye only corrects
to 20/40 on its best days.  So since I'm right eye dominant, that one
will be the big test.  That's not until April 11th, though.  I'm
ready now.  I wish they could do them both on the same day.  Stupid
legalities.

--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@...> wrote:
>
> Welcome Matt.  I too found out about these blogs after my surgery.
I
> wore Toric contact lenses like u did (and gas perms before that).
> did u inquire about Visians Toric ICLs to your doctor prior to your
> surgery?  I had quite the astigmatism and my surgeon said i didnt
> need toric ICLs.  i am interested to see what your outcome is.  I
> wish you luck and keep us posted.
>
> --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "mwoliveri" <matthewoliveri@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I stumbled across Michael's blog while I was writing my own blog
> about
> > my experience with Visian.  Of course, I didn't find it until the
> day
> > before my first surgery, but better late than never!  Anyway, I
had
> my
> > first eye done yesterday and so far I'm happy.  My experience was
> > similar in some ways to Michael's, but also different, so if
you'd
> like
> > another perspective, feel free to read about it.  I haven't
written
> > about teh day of surgery yet, but I will soon.  You'll have to
> start at
> > the bottom- I can't figure out how to go in chronological order.
> >
> > I look forward to hearing about others' experiences.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Matt
> >
> > http://myvisianexperience.blogspot.com/
> >
>

Hi,

Sorry if this is a duplicate reply. I thought I had already posted
the following, but I don't see it in the message list.

I ended up with two different lenses because first lens (i.e. the
Visian) wasn't working out (see my file in the Files folder).

I asked my doctor to put the Verisyse lens in my other eye, and
hoped it would work out better.

Day time vision in both eyes is good. I'd say the clarity is
about the same. Night vision (i.e. dilated iris vision), is
another story. I'm getting double images in both eyes, and
I see visual artifacts around lights. The visual artifacts
are much worse in the left eye than the right.

I've only had my astigmatism corrected in my left eye, which
completely corrects the double image problem, but does nothing
about the visual artifact problem. My right eye has not had
the astigmatism corrected, so I'm not sure how that is going
to turn out. I suspect the double image problem will be corrected
with correction for astigmatism, but I suspect my visual
artifact problem is related to the pupil in my right eye not
being centered (see picture in Photo folder).

It's interesting that centering of the pupil is mentioned in
the criteria for IOL/ICL implantation. It would seem logical
that the optical diameter is compromised by a non-centered
pupil, and should be part of the qualification criteria.

My plan is to wait and see how my right eye turns out.
If I can get good vision (both night and day) from my
Verisyse lens, I'll have my doctor replace the Visian
lens with the Verisyse.

A note about astigmatism. My astigmatism pre and post op was
about the same degree (i.e. doplers) but he axis was very
different. Maybe this is part of the double image problem
we are having. That is, your eye got used to the astigmatism
over the years. If the axis is suddenly changed, the eye
processes the new image as best it can, and it ends up being
a double image. Just a thought.

.....Ken




--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "kensell33" <kensell33@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I put a word document with answers to some of your questions
> in the Files folder. Let me know if you can't read it, and
> I'll scan it in and put a .pdf file there instead.
>
> Since the Visian lens wasn't working out for me, I decided
> to try the Verisyse in my right eye. I very much liked the
> fact that I could be corrected to 20/30, and wasn't willing
> to give up on ICL/IOLs just yet. If the Verisyse lens works
> out, then I'd replace the Visian with the Verisyse.
>
> I'll write more about what I've found out later. Got to
> go back to work right now :-).
>
> ....Ken
>
>
> --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@> wrote:
> >
> > Also Ken, you mentioned you had to put two Visian lenses put
in?
> New
> > prescription or a mess up?  did u have to do the pre-op eye drop
> > routine again?  My biggest worry is if i take the lenses out and
> go
> > back to glasses or switch brands...am i out $7000 or have to pay
> > addition 7000 for the new verisye lenses??
> >
> >
> > --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Ken, welcome to the boards and thanks for sharing your
> experience.
> > I
> > > always had bad eyes....but i always watched TV close up and
> always
> > > read books when i was younger, which might have contributed to
> my
> > > poor vision and myopia. I started wearing glasses when i was
> seven,
> > > then moved to the gas permeable contact lenses at 16 (which i
> > > hated...always popped out and they hurt like hell.  I tried to
> join
> > > the military out of college back in 2001 but got turned down
by
> > every
> > > branch because when they tested me i was 20/400 uncorrected
and
> the
> > > military's requirements are 20/100 uncorrected.  I moved on
with
> my
> > > life and then the  Bausch and Lomb Softlense 66 Toric contact
> > lenses
> > > came out shortly after and i went with them.  I loved the
vision
> > > quality with these toric lenses....not one problem visually,
> expect
> > > for minor halos at night.  the only thing is that i live and
> active
> > > lifestyle and had extremely dry eyes so after about 4 hours
they
> > > would dry out.  i was able to get a job doing security at a
> nuclear
> > > plant because my vision was alot better with the toric lenses
> and
> > > foroc didnt have a unccrected vision requirement like the
> military
> > or
> > > police do. As long as you had 20/40 corrected in each eye and
> you
> > > could run and shoot, your were good. Now recently at age 31 i
> didnt
> > > want to mess around with the incovienences of contacts anymore
> and
> > > decided to get LASIK.  I had dreams of now enlisting in the
> > military
> > > or maybe get a police job since i would now have perfect
> > uncorrected
> > > vision. Well i was turned down buy 4 surgeons because of my
high
> > > myopia and very thin corneas.  I also looked in PRK and LASEK,
> but
> > no
> > > one would perform this on me.  Then i did research on the
> Verisye
> > and
> > > Visian procedures that were pretty much new to the market.  i
> also
> > > read about everyones feedback who got it done and was excited
> that
> > i
> > > could be a potential candidate for this.  There were only 3
> doctors
> > > in the boston area who performed this since it was fairly
new.
> i
> > > chose a doctor who specialized in cataract surgery since this
> type
> > of
> > > surgery is similar.  I wanted to get the Verisye since people
> said
> > > the vision was more crisp, even though more healing time is
> > > involved.  The doctor steered me into getting the visian
however
> > > because the turnaroud time was quick and there is less of a
risk
> of
> > > cataracts.  I spoke to the doctor sbout my toric lense wear
and
> my
> > > astigmatism.  eye exams in the past told me tha i have a high
> > > astigmatism, but i dont know what the exact number is.  i know
> the
> > > max for both the verisye and visian is -2.5d of astigmatism. i
> > asked
> > > the doctor if i should get the Visian Toric that should be FDA
> > > approved by 2008.  He said my astigmatism is not that bad and
i
> > would
> > > not need the Toric version.  he said he would make
this "slice"
> > that
> > > would correct my astigmatism prior to the lense insertion.
Well
> on
> > > March 1st i got those hole lasered into my eyeballs (which
> > sucked..i
> > > hated it) to get the fluid drained.  Then on march 6 i got the
> > right
> > > eye done.  not a lof of pain...just felt like a speck of dirt
> > behind
> > > a contact lense for the whole day, but that subsided the next
> day
> > > after a long nap.  i could see fairly well but not signs or
> license
> > > plates from far away,  i thought to myself i need time to heal
> and
> > i
> > > shouldnt be in a rush.  Then on March 13 i had the left eye
> > > done....same results.  during the followup exams i could only
> see
> > the
> > > top line of letters on the snellen chart.  the doctors said i
> need
> > > time to heal and that 20/20 vision takes time because of the
> trauma
> > > to the eye. I work nuclear security and in order to return ot
> work,
> > i
> > > had to test at least 20/40 corrected in each eye (i ended up
> taking
> > 2
> > > weeks off from work).  I really had to squint and struggle to
> get
> > the
> > > 20/40 in each eye and 20/30 in both eyes.  As i type this
today,
> > > about 2 weeks after the surgeries, i am not satisfied and
regret
> > > doing it.  i am still using all those drops. I can see very
> clear
> > > when it is outside and sunny.  the treeline is clear, the
blades
> of
> > > grass are clear, and i can see signs.  When it is cloudy or
dim
> > > outside it is not as clear but i can still see better than i
did
> > > without contacts in.  when i go inside in a semi-lit room,
> > everything
> > > is not clear at all.  i have to hold a book right up to my
face
> to
> > > see the words and i have to sit inches in front of the
computer
> > > screen to see anything.  Driving at night is horrendous.
> > Everything
> > > far away is blurry and i get scared driving.  when i look at
> > lights,
> > > signs, reflectors, etc, i see halos, double vision, and
haziness
> in
> > > both eyes...more with the left eye though...probably because
it
> is
> > > still healing?  i see 4 lanes on a two lane street. i work
nighs
> > and
> > > cant see anything far away past the fenceline and i am suppose
> to
> > be
> > > guarding a nuclear plant.  i wanted to call the doctor and
tell
> him
> > > but my 2 week post op is on the 28th and i will just tell him
> then,
> > > since i still have hope that each day prior my vision will
> correct
> > > itself...but so far it hasnt.  i went back on the internet to
> get
> > > feedback from other people that had this done when i stumbled
on
> > > michaels site.  from what i hear some people get a lasik touch
> up
> > > even if they had thin coreas or high myopia prior to the ICL.
i
> > > really dont want lasik though since i think my eyes have been
> torn
> > up
> > > enough.  some people get glasses for distant viewing, but for
> $7000
> > i
> > > dont want to ever wear them again.  As of now, on my days off
i
> sit
> > > in bed and think on what i should do.  should i tell my doctor
i
> > want
> > > them removed?  Should i try the veriseye?  i think i am more
> > > depressed than i was prior to the surgery.  i think i was
> expecting
> > > perfect results and just didnt get them.  but is so cool to
wake
> up
> > > being able to see clearer than before. OH,,,but when i put dry
> eye
> > > drops in my eye i can see exceptionally clear both night and
day
> > (the
> > > halos are worse tho at night) but when the drops wear off, my
> poor
> > > vision is restored. i will keep u guys posted on what i decide
> to
> > > do.  right now i know if i decided to keep them i can kiss my
> > nuclear
> > > security career down the drain, as well as, any police jobs i
> apply
> > > to in the future.  i have also trying these excercises...
> > >
> > > http://www.eye-exercises-for-good-vision.com/
> > >
> > > there is a link there for chinese herbs that are suppose to
help
> > with
> > > night vision that i may try
> > >
> > >
> > > Ken, why did u end up getting two different lenses?  Which one
> do u
> > > like better?  do u get the poor night visian with the
verisye?
> > when
> > > you are in bright light and your iris is fully open is your
> vision
> > > distorted?...looks like in your pic the lense is small and
that
> the
> > > iris can open beyond the size of the lense.  anyfeedback will
> > help.
> > > Thanks Ken and Thanks Mike for the site and group!!
> > >
> >
>

Hi,

I thought I'd post what I've found out about off center pupils and
PIOL/PICL's.

I recently found out that my pupil is off center. This isn't an issue
when your pupil is not dilated (i.e. in the day time), but can become
a problem when your pupil is dilated. Even though you may have small
dilated pupils (e.g. less than 6 mm), and the usable optical diameter
of the IOL/ICL is more than the dilated pupil size, if your pupil is
off center, part of the dilated pupil can be outside the IOL/ICL's
optic. This would allow unfocused light into you eye, which may cause
night time flares, halos, etc.

I'd suggest you ask your doctor if your pupil is significantly un-
centered before having the procedure done, and take this fact into
account when making your decision about having the lens implanted.

I'm surprised that this issue is not mentioned in the criteria when
determining a patient's suitability for a PIOL/PICL. I didn't see it
mention in the FDA meeting notes either.

....Ken

I'd like to welcome a new user to the group, but I can't send her any
emails.  Her spam blocking likes neither me nor Yahoo.

When you sign up, Yahoo automatically sends back a couple responses.  If
you do not receive these responses, your ISP may be blocking your
e-mail, too.

In the mean time, she's got her own blog of the Verisyse experience that
starts at http://www.amichopine.com/blog/?p=153

When they did my surgery, they did the two eyes within a day of each
other.  That day in the middle was MISERABLE.  Ami is supposed to wait
FOUR WEEKS with one corrected eye.

During my half-eyed day, I tried wearing my old glasses with one of the
lenses removed, but that didn't work well.  I wasn't sure if I was
allowed to use a contact lens.  So I just suffered for the day.

Has anyone else had to wait a long time between eyes?  Did you do
anything special to get through it?

Welcome Matt.  I too found out about these blogs after my surgery.  I
wore Toric contact lenses like u did (and gas perms before that).
did u inquire about Visians Toric ICLs to your doctor prior to your
surgery?  I had quite the astigmatism and my surgeon said i didnt
need toric ICLs.  i am interested to see what your outcome is.  I
wish you luck and keep us posted.

--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "mwoliveri" <matthewoliveri@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I stumbled across Michael's blog while I was writing my own blog
about
> my experience with Visian.  Of course, I didn't find it until the
day
> before my first surgery, but better late than never!  Anyway, I had
my
> first eye done yesterday and so far I'm happy.  My experience was
> similar in some ways to Michael's, but also different, so if you'd
like
> another perspective, feel free to read about it.  I haven't written
> about teh day of surgery yet, but I will soon.  You'll have to
start at
> the bottom- I can't figure out how to go in chronological order.
>
> I look forward to hearing about others' experiences.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Matt
>
> http://myvisianexperience.blogspot.com/
>

Hello,

I stumbled across Michael's blog while I was writing my own blog about
my experience with Visian.  Of course, I didn't find it until the day
before my first surgery, but better late than never!  Anyway, I had my
first eye done yesterday and so far I'm happy.  My experience was
similar in some ways to Michael's, but also different, so if you'd like
another perspective, feel free to read about it.  I haven't written
about teh day of surgery yet, but I will soon.  You'll have to start at
the bottom- I can't figure out how to go in chronological order.

I look forward to hearing about others' experiences.

Thanks!

Matt

http://myvisianexperience.blogspot.com/

Hi,

I put a word document with answers to some of your questions
in the Files folder. Let me know if you can't read it, and
I'll scan it in and put a .pdf file there instead.

Since the Visian lens wasn't working out for me, I decided
to try the Verisyse in my right eye. I very much liked the
fact that I could be corrected to 20/30, and wasn't willing
to give up on ICL/IOLs just yet. If the Verisyse lens works
out, then I'd replace the Visian with the Verisyse.

I'll write more about what I've found out later. Got to
go back to work right now :-).

....Ken


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@...> wrote:
>
> Also Ken, you mentioned you had to put two Visian lenses put in?
New
> prescription or a mess up?  did u have to do the pre-op eye drop
> routine again?  My biggest worry is if i take the lenses out and
go
> back to glasses or switch brands...am i out $7000 or have to pay
> addition 7000 for the new verisye lenses??
>
>
> --- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@> wrote:
> >
> > Ken, welcome to the boards and thanks for sharing your
experience.
> I
> > always had bad eyes....but i always watched TV close up and
always
> > read books when i was younger, which might have contributed to
my
> > poor vision and myopia. I started wearing glasses when i was
seven,
> > then moved to the gas permeable contact lenses at 16 (which i
> > hated...always popped out and they hurt like hell.  I tried to
join
> > the military out of college back in 2001 but got turned down by
> every
> > branch because when they tested me i was 20/400 uncorrected and
the
> > military's requirements are 20/100 uncorrected.  I moved on with
my
> > life and then the  Bausch and Lomb Softlense 66 Toric contact
> lenses
> > came out shortly after and i went with them.  I loved the vision
> > quality with these toric lenses....not one problem visually,
expect
> > for minor halos at night.  the only thing is that i live and
active
> > lifestyle and had extremely dry eyes so after about 4 hours they
> > would dry out.  i was able to get a job doing security at a
nuclear
> > plant because my vision was alot better with the toric lenses
and
> > foroc didnt have a unccrected vision requirement like the
military
> or
> > police do. As long as you had 20/40 corrected in each eye and
you
> > could run and shoot, your were good. Now recently at age 31 i
didnt
> > want to mess around with the incovienences of contacts anymore
and
> > decided to get LASIK.  I had dreams of now enlisting in the
> military
> > or maybe get a police job since i would now have perfect
> uncorrected
> > vision. Well i was turned down buy 4 surgeons because of my high
> > myopia and very thin corneas.  I also looked in PRK and LASEK,
but
> no
> > one would perform this on me.  Then i did research on the
Verisye
> and
> > Visian procedures that were pretty much new to the market.  i
also
> > read about everyones feedback who got it done and was excited
that
> i
> > could be a potential candidate for this.  There were only 3
doctors
> > in the boston area who performed this since it was fairly new.
i
> > chose a doctor who specialized in cataract surgery since this
type
> of
> > surgery is similar.  I wanted to get the Verisye since people
said
> > the vision was more crisp, even though more healing time is
> > involved.  The doctor steered me into getting the visian however
> > because the turnaroud time was quick and there is less of a risk
of
> > cataracts.  I spoke to the doctor sbout my toric lense wear and
my
> > astigmatism.  eye exams in the past told me tha i have a high
> > astigmatism, but i dont know what the exact number is.  i know
the
> > max for both the verisye and visian is -2.5d of astigmatism. i
> asked
> > the doctor if i should get the Visian Toric that should be FDA
> > approved by 2008.  He said my astigmatism is not that bad and i
> would
> > not need the Toric version.  he said he would make this "slice"
> that
> > would correct my astigmatism prior to the lense insertion. Well
on
> > March 1st i got those hole lasered into my eyeballs (which
> sucked..i
> > hated it) to get the fluid drained.  Then on march 6 i got the
> right
> > eye done.  not a lof of pain...just felt like a speck of dirt
> behind
> > a contact lense for the whole day, but that subsided the next
day
> > after a long nap.  i could see fairly well but not signs or
license
> > plates from far away,  i thought to myself i need time to heal
and
> i
> > shouldnt be in a rush.  Then on March 13 i had the left eye
> > done....same results.  during the followup exams i could only
see
> the
> > top line of letters on the snellen chart.  the doctors said i
need
> > time to heal and that 20/20 vision takes time because of the
trauma
> > to the eye. I work nuclear security and in order to return ot
work,
> i
> > had to test at least 20/40 corrected in each eye (i ended up
taking
> 2
> > weeks off from work).  I really had to squint and struggle to
get
> the
> > 20/40 in each eye and 20/30 in both eyes.  As i type this today,
> > about 2 weeks after the surgeries, i am not satisfied and regret
> > doing it.  i am still using all those drops. I can see very
clear
> > when it is outside and sunny.  the treeline is clear, the blades
of
> > grass are clear, and i can see signs.  When it is cloudy or dim
> > outside it is not as clear but i can still see better than i did
> > without contacts in.  when i go inside in a semi-lit room,
> everything
> > is not clear at all.  i have to hold a book right up to my face
to
> > see the words and i have to sit inches in front of the computer
> > screen to see anything.  Driving at night is horrendous.
> Everything
> > far away is blurry and i get scared driving.  when i look at
> lights,
> > signs, reflectors, etc, i see halos, double vision, and haziness
in
> > both eyes...more with the left eye though...probably because it
is
> > still healing?  i see 4 lanes on a two lane street. i work nighs
> and
> > cant see anything far away past the fenceline and i am suppose
to
> be
> > guarding a nuclear plant.  i wanted to call the doctor and tell
him
> > but my 2 week post op is on the 28th and i will just tell him
then,
> > since i still have hope that each day prior my vision will
correct
> > itself...but so far it hasnt.  i went back on the internet to
get
> > feedback from other people that had this done when i stumbled on
> > michaels site.  from what i hear some people get a lasik touch
up
> > even if they had thin coreas or high myopia prior to the ICL.  i
> > really dont want lasik though since i think my eyes have been
torn
> up
> > enough.  some people get glasses for distant viewing, but for
$7000
> i
> > dont want to ever wear them again.  As of now, on my days off i
sit
> > in bed and think on what i should do.  should i tell my doctor i
> want
> > them removed?  Should i try the veriseye?  i think i am more
> > depressed than i was prior to the surgery.  i think i was
expecting
> > perfect results and just didnt get them.  but is so cool to wake
up
> > being able to see clearer than before. OH,,,but when i put dry
eye
> > drops in my eye i can see exceptionally clear both night and day
> (the
> > halos are worse tho at night) but when the drops wear off, my
poor
> > vision is restored. i will keep u guys posted on what i decide
to
> > do.  right now i know if i decided to keep them i can kiss my
> nuclear
> > security career down the drain, as well as, any police jobs i
apply
> > to in the future.  i have also trying these excercises...
> >
> > http://www.eye-exercises-for-good-vision.com/
> >
> > there is a link there for chinese herbs that are suppose to help
> with
> > night vision that i may try
> >
> >
> > Ken, why did u end up getting two different lenses?  Which one
do u
> > like better?  do u get the poor night visian with the verisye?
> when
> > you are in bright light and your iris is fully open is your
vision
> > distorted?...looks like in your pic the lense is small and that
the
> > iris can open beyond the size of the lense.  anyfeedback will
> help.
> > Thanks Ken and Thanks Mike for the site and group!!
> >
>

Also Ken, you mentioned you had to put two Visian lenses put in?  New
prescription or a mess up?  did u have to do the pre-op eye drop
routine again?  My biggest worry is if i take the lenses out and go
back to glasses or switch brands...am i out $7000 or have to pay
addition 7000 for the new verisye lenses??


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <RHankard@...> wrote:
>
> Ken, welcome to the boards and thanks for sharing your experience.
I
> always had bad eyes....but i always watched TV close up and always
> read books when i was younger, which might have contributed to my
> poor vision and myopia. I started wearing glasses when i was seven,
> then moved to the gas permeable contact lenses at 16 (which i
> hated...always popped out and they hurt like hell.  I tried to join
> the military out of college back in 2001 but got turned down by
every
> branch because when they tested me i was 20/400 uncorrected and the
> military's requirements are 20/100 uncorrected.  I moved on with my
> life and then the  Bausch and Lomb Softlense 66 Toric contact
lenses
> came out shortly after and i went with them.  I loved the vision
> quality with these toric lenses....not one problem visually, expect
> for minor halos at night.  the only thing is that i live and active
> lifestyle and had extremely dry eyes so after about 4 hours they
> would dry out.  i was able to get a job doing security at a nuclear
> plant because my vision was alot better with the toric lenses and
> foroc didnt have a unccrected vision requirement like the military
or
> police do. As long as you had 20/40 corrected in each eye and you
> could run and shoot, your were good. Now recently at age 31 i didnt
> want to mess around with the incovienences of contacts anymore and
> decided to get LASIK.  I had dreams of now enlisting in the
military
> or maybe get a police job since i would now have perfect
uncorrected
> vision. Well i was turned down buy 4 surgeons because of my high
> myopia and very thin corneas.  I also looked in PRK and LASEK, but
no
> one would perform this on me.  Then i did research on the Verisye
and
> Visian procedures that were pretty much new to the market.  i also
> read about everyones feedback who got it done and was excited that
i
> could be a potential candidate for this.  There were only 3 doctors
> in the boston area who performed this since it was fairly new.  i
> chose a doctor who specialized in cataract surgery since this type
of
> surgery is similar.  I wanted to get the Verisye since people said
> the vision was more crisp, even though more healing time is
> involved.  The doctor steered me into getting the visian however
> because the turnaroud time was quick and there is less of a risk of
> cataracts.  I spoke to the doctor sbout my toric lense wear and my
> astigmatism.  eye exams in the past told me tha i have a high
> astigmatism, but i dont know what the exact number is.  i know the
> max for both the verisye and visian is -2.5d of astigmatism. i
asked
> the doctor if i should get the Visian Toric that should be FDA
> approved by 2008.  He said my astigmatism is not that bad and i
would
> not need the Toric version.  he said he would make this "slice"
that
> would correct my astigmatism prior to the lense insertion. Well on
> March 1st i got those hole lasered into my eyeballs (which
sucked..i
> hated it) to get the fluid drained.  Then on march 6 i got the
right
> eye done.  not a lof of pain...just felt like a speck of dirt
behind
> a contact lense for the whole day, but that subsided the next day
> after a long nap.  i could see fairly well but not signs or license
> plates from far away,  i thought to myself i need time to heal and
i
> shouldnt be in a rush.  Then on March 13 i had the left eye
> done....same results.  during the followup exams i could only see
the
> top line of letters on the snellen chart.  the doctors said i need
> time to heal and that 20/20 vision takes time because of the trauma
> to the eye. I work nuclear security and in order to return ot work,
i
> had to test at least 20/40 corrected in each eye (i ended up taking
2
> weeks off from work).  I really had to squint and struggle to get
the
> 20/40 in each eye and 20/30 in both eyes.  As i type this today,
> about 2 weeks after the surgeries, i am not satisfied and regret
> doing it.  i am still using all those drops. I can see very clear
> when it is outside and sunny.  the treeline is clear, the blades of
> grass are clear, and i can see signs.  When it is cloudy or dim
> outside it is not as clear but i can still see better than i did
> without contacts in.  when i go inside in a semi-lit room,
everything
> is not clear at all.  i have to hold a book right up to my face to
> see the words and i have to sit inches in front of the computer
> screen to see anything.  Driving at night is horrendous.
Everything
> far away is blurry and i get scared driving.  when i look at
lights,
> signs, reflectors, etc, i see halos, double vision, and haziness in
> both eyes...more with the left eye though...probably because it is
> still healing?  i see 4 lanes on a two lane street. i work nighs
and
> cant see anything far away past the fenceline and i am suppose to
be
> guarding a nuclear plant.  i wanted to call the doctor and tell him
> but my 2 week post op is on the 28th and i will just tell him then,
> since i still have hope that each day prior my vision will correct
> itself...but so far it hasnt.  i went back on the internet to get
> feedback from other people that had this done when i stumbled on
> michaels site.  from what i hear some people get a lasik touch up
> even if they had thin coreas or high myopia prior to the ICL.  i
> really dont want lasik though since i think my eyes have been torn
up
> enough.  some people get glasses for distant viewing, but for $7000
i
> dont want to ever wear them again.  As of now, on my days off i sit
> in bed and think on what i should do.  should i tell my doctor i
want
> them removed?  Should i try the veriseye?  i think i am more
> depressed than i was prior to the surgery.  i think i was expecting
> perfect results and just didnt get them.  but is so cool to wake up
> being able to see clearer than before. OH,,,but when i put dry eye
> drops in my eye i can see exceptionally clear both night and day
(the
> halos are worse tho at night) but when the drops wear off, my poor
> vision is restored. i will keep u guys posted on what i decide to
> do.  right now i know if i decided to keep them i can kiss my
nuclear
> security career down the drain, as well as, any police jobs i apply
> to in the future.  i have also trying these excercises...
>
> http://www.eye-exercises-for-good-vision.com/
>
> there is a link there for chinese herbs that are suppose to help
with
> night vision that i may try
>
>
> Ken, why did u end up getting two different lenses?  Which one do u
> like better?  do u get the poor night visian with the verisye?
when
> you are in bright light and your iris is fully open is your vision
> distorted?...looks like in your pic the lense is small and that the
> iris can open beyond the size of the lense.  anyfeedback will
help.
> Thanks Ken and Thanks Mike for the site and group!!
>

Ken, welcome to the boards and thanks for sharing your experience. I
always had bad eyes....but i always watched TV close up and always
read books when i was younger, which might have contributed to my
poor vision and myopia. I started wearing glasses when i was seven,
then moved to the gas permeable contact lenses at 16 (which i
hated...always popped out and they hurt like hell.  I tried to join
the military out of college back in 2001 but got turned down by every
branch because when they tested me i was 20/400 uncorrected and the
military's requirements are 20/100 uncorrected.  I moved on with my
life and then the  Bausch and Lomb Softlense 66 Toric contact lenses
came out shortly after and i went with them.  I loved the vision
quality with these toric lenses....not one problem visually, expect
for minor halos at night.  the only thing is that i live and active
lifestyle and had extremely dry eyes so after about 4 hours they
would dry out.  i was able to get a job doing security at a nuclear
plant because my vision was alot better with the toric lenses and
foroc didnt have a unccrected vision requirement like the military or
police do. As long as you had 20/40 corrected in each eye and you
could run and shoot, your were good. Now recently at age 31 i didnt
want to mess around with the incovienences of contacts anymore and
decided to get LASIK.  I had dreams of now enlisting in the military
or maybe get a police job since i would now have perfect uncorrected
vision. Well i was turned down buy 4 surgeons because of my high
myopia and very thin corneas.  I also looked in PRK and LASEK, but no
one would perform this on me.  Then i did research on the Verisye and
Visian procedures that were pretty much new to the market.  i also
read about everyones feedback who got it done and was excited that i
could be a potential candidate for this.  There were only 3 doctors
in the boston area who performed this since it was fairly new.  i
chose a doctor who specialized in cataract surgery since this type of
surgery is similar.  I wanted to get the Verisye since people said
the vision was more crisp, even though more healing time is
involved.  The doctor steered me into getting the visian however
because the turnaroud time was quick and there is less of a risk of
cataracts.  I spoke to the doctor sbout my toric lense wear and my
astigmatism.  eye exams in the past told me tha i have a high
astigmatism, but i dont know what the exact number is.  i know the
max for both the verisye and visian is -2.5d of astigmatism. i asked
the doctor if i should get the Visian Toric that should be FDA
approved by 2008.  He said my astigmatism is not that bad and i would
not need the Toric version.  he said he would make this "slice" that
would correct my astigmatism prior to the lense insertion. Well on
March 1st i got those hole lasered into my eyeballs (which sucked..i
hated it) to get the fluid drained.  Then on march 6 i got the right
eye done.  not a lof of pain...just felt like a speck of dirt behind
a contact lense for the whole day, but that subsided the next day
after a long nap.  i could see fairly well but not signs or license
plates from far away,  i thought to myself i need time to heal and i
shouldnt be in a rush.  Then on March 13 i had the left eye
done....same results.  during the followup exams i could only see the
top line of letters on the snellen chart.  the doctors said i need
time to heal and that 20/20 vision takes time because of the trauma
to the eye. I work nuclear security and in order to return ot work, i
had to test at least 20/40 corrected in each eye (i ended up taking 2
weeks off from work).  I really had to squint and struggle to get the
20/40 in each eye and 20/30 in both eyes.  As i type this today,
about 2 weeks after the surgeries, i am not satisfied and regret
doing it.  i am still using all those drops. I can see very clear
when it is outside and sunny.  the treeline is clear, the blades of
grass are clear, and i can see signs.  When it is cloudy or dim
outside it is not as clear but i can still see better than i did
without contacts in.  when i go inside in a semi-lit room, everything
is not clear at all.  i have to hold a book right up to my face to
see the words and i have to sit inches in front of the computer
screen to see anything.  Driving at night is horrendous.  Everything
far away is blurry and i get scared driving.  when i look at lights,
signs, reflectors, etc, i see halos, double vision, and haziness in
both eyes...more with the left eye though...probably because it is
still healing?  i see 4 lanes on a two lane street. i work nighs and
cant see anything far away past the fenceline and i am suppose to be
guarding a nuclear plant.  i wanted to call the doctor and tell him
but my 2 week post op is on the 28th and i will just tell him then,
since i still have hope that each day prior my vision will correct
itself...but so far it hasnt.  i went back on the internet to get
feedback from other people that had this done when i stumbled on
michaels site.  from what i hear some people get a lasik touch up
even if they had thin coreas or high myopia prior to the ICL.  i
really dont want lasik though since i think my eyes have been torn up
enough.  some people get glasses for distant viewing, but for $7000 i
dont want to ever wear them again.  As of now, on my days off i sit
in bed and think on what i should do.  should i tell my doctor i want
them removed?  Should i try the veriseye?  i think i am more
depressed than i was prior to the surgery.  i think i was expecting
perfect results and just didnt get them.  but is so cool to wake up
being able to see clearer than before. OH,,,but when i put dry eye
drops in my eye i can see exceptionally clear both night and day (the
halos are worse tho at night) but when the drops wear off, my poor
vision is restored. i will keep u guys posted on what i decide to
do.  right now i know if i decided to keep them i can kiss my nuclear
security career down the drain, as well as, any police jobs i apply
to in the future.  i have also trying these excercises...

http://www.eye-exercises-for-good-vision.com/

there is a link there for chinese herbs that are suppose to help with
night vision that i may try


Ken, why did u end up getting two different lenses?  Which one do u
like better?  do u get the poor night visian with the verisye?  when
you are in bright light and your iris is fully open is your vision
distorted?...looks like in your pic the lense is small and that the
iris can open beyond the size of the lense.  anyfeedback will help.
Thanks Ken and Thanks Mike for the site and group!!

Hi,

I've put a picture of my eye in the photos folder.
It's less visable than a contact lens, but people
can see it if they are told it is there. You can
not see the Visian lens at all.

....Ken


--- In piolusers@yahoogroups.com, mdwyer@... wrote:
>
> > and a Verisyse lens implanted in my right eye in early March.
>
> I'm curious about your experience with the Verisyse lens.  This is
the
> lens I asked about when I went to my surgeon, but he directed me
towards
> the Visian one, instead.
>
> I realize it is still early in your healing, but can people SEE the
> Verisyse lens?  The way I understood it, this lens is tied into
place on
> top of the iris, but I wasn't certain.  I was a little concerned that
> people would think I looked like a robot or something.
>

> and a Verisyse lens implanted in my right eye in early March.

I'm curious about your experience with the Verisyse lens.  This is the
lens I asked about when I went to my surgeon, but he directed me towards
the Visian one, instead.

I realize it is still early in your healing, but can people SEE the
Verisyse lens?  The way I understood it, this lens is tied into place on
top of the iris, but I wasn't certain.  I was a little concerned that
people would think I looked like a robot or something.

Thanks for starting this group Michael.

Here is a quick overview of my situation. I'll try to write up
something more comprehensive soon.

My pre-op prescription was -18D left and -16D right with -1.75D
astigmatism left and -2.5D astigmatism right. My best corrected
vision was 20/40.

I had a Visian lens implanted in my left eye in January
(actually 2 Visian lenses, more about that in my future post),
and a Verisyse lens implanted in my right eye in early March.

Currently, my day time vision is excellent (20/40 in both eyes
without correction for the astigmatism. With correction for the
astigmatism, I can get 20/30 in my left eye. I haven't had the
right eye astigmatism corrected yet, but I expect similar results.

My night time vision is not so good. I get halos/starbursts in my
left eye. My right eye is still healing, and the vision is still
bad at night, so I can't make any conclusions yet, but I'm
also seeing some flaring.

That's it for now. I'll try to write up a more comprehensive
report on my experiences with ICL/IOLs.

.....Ken

Thank you for joining!

When I had my PIOL surgery, I documented my experience on my web
page.  In the mean time, I have talked to a number of people who have
either had the surgery, or were considering it and found my web page.

I think it might be useful if we got our communications out in the
open, and shared our experiences.

My whole story is written up on my web page, but the short version is
that I was wearing -9.5 diopter soft contact lenses, and wanted to
get rid of the hassle.

I had the Visian lens implanted in both eyes August of 2006.  I had
some loss of near sight initially, but that cleared up within the
first few days.  I have a small amount of astigmatism, and it seems
like this lens makes existing astigmatism worse.  When driving at
night with my contact, I would see fuzzy halos around headlights.
With the Visian lens, the halos were gone, but were replaced with a
dim but sharp second image.  I'm considering glasses to correct this
when driving at night, but haven't done this, yet.  Normally, this
doesn't bother me.

In very dark environments, I do get a little bit of starbursting and
halos around point sources of light.  I strongly suspect this is a
side-effect of the optical qualities of the lens, similar to lens
flare in cameras.

In general, I've been very happy with my surgery!