TECNIS Symfony Lens for all focal points: Cataract Surgery
Q. Â I have cataracts and will be scheduling surgery soon. Is there any way I can get rid of needing reading glasses?
By: Allen Zieker, M.D.
Board-Certified Ophthalmologist and Director of Cataract Surgery at Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region
A. Due to new technology, patients have more options to decrease the need for reading glasses. There have been great advancements in intraocular lenses (IOLs), the artificial replacement lenses used in cataract surgery. The new IOL technology now can provide an extended depth of focus instead of just a single focal point (monofocal) which typically was farsighted.
Because of the single focus, many patients had to use eyeglasses for vision at all focal points. Advanced technology IOLs function much like your eye’s natural lens, allowing you to see at near, middle and far focal points.
And the latest advancement in IOL technology, the TECNIS® Symfony lens, may significantly diminish your dependence on glasses after cataract surgery. By the time most people are in their late forties, their eyes begin to lose their ability to focus on near objects, creating the need for reading glasses. Studies performed by the manufacturer have shown the Symfony lens may allow you to do many close vision tasks without dependence on reading glasses. Also, the Symfony lens has a focusing ability so you can see objects at arm’s length and at a distance. The new Symfony lens can even be used to correct astigmatism that you may have had before your surgery.
The Symfony lens is approved in more than 50 countries around the world and has been widely studied with data from numerous clinical studies involving over 2,000 eyes.
“I was one of the first cataract surgeons in the United States to implant the TECNIS Symfony IOL. Both my patients and I are happy with the results. Many of them are no longer using reading glasses.“
-Dr. Allen Zieker
