Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S., a Lasik eye surgeon and medical director of Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center in San Diego, California, talks about the Symfony lens and why the results are better than just having regular cataract surgery.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in March 2017.
In today’s world we’re talking about Symfony IOL implant. What is different about Symfony than regular cataract surgery?
Dr. Feldman: I recommend the Symfony intraocular lens implant in Mark. It’s a new IOL design that uses an extended range of focus. The FDA recently approved this as a totally new class of implants. There hasn’t been anything like it before.
What’s so different about it?
Dr. Feldman: Today’s patient wants distance, intermediate and close. Cataract surgery is not the same as when our grandparents had it years ago. Why? We’ve got computers, tablets, smart phones and we want to see them without glasses. In addition, we want to see the menus when we go out, we want to play golf, to ski and to do all the types of activities that Mark does. Patients don’t want to wear glasses for any of those activities. One of the problems with prior generations of implants that allowed one to see distance and near is that they caused some glare and halos at night. The quality of vision also wasn’t quite as sharp or they didn’t correct astigmatism. The Symfony is the first class of an extended range of vision lens where it can give you the distance and intermediate and reading vision. It also corrects the astigmatism. People with astigmatism can have this lens implanted.
Who would be a candidate for this?
Dr. Feldman: People that don’t mind wearing glasses after implantable lens surgery, don’t have to have this premium intraocular lens implant product. However, I think there’s a universal desire to see better without glasses or contacts and to take us back when we were able to read. For most people, I think that it is something that we do want. It might not be wise to put this type of product in someone who flies planes at night. Why? Because there may be a little bit of glare and halo with this product. However, the Symfony lens reduces the glare and halo that prior generations of multifocal lens implants had. However, it’s not zero and the amount of glare and halo with the Symfony, which is really revolutionary, is about the same as what you get with a standard monofocal lens implant. If you are doing a very visually demanding job like flying a plane at night we can’t say under those circumstances, because the FDA studies may not have included those sorts of patients.
Why is this lens different?
Dr. Feldman: This is considered a premium intraocular lens implant. Premium lens implants are not covered by insurance. There’s an additional charge to it.
Is it significant enough that somebody wouldn’t do it?
Dr. Feldman: Yes, not everyone can afford to have premium implants placed. However, there are many affordable programs using financing that over time enable many and most people to pay for it.
Anything else about the Symfony that I haven’t asked you and you think is important to get across?
Dr. Feldman: Symfony is a new category of intraocular lens implant design recently approved by the FDA that gives an extended range of focus. Most people today are like Mark. They want distance, close, and intermediate vision. The previous generation of multifocal implants did not give the quality of vision that the Symfony lens does and did not correct astigmatism. That’s what is revolutionary and exciting about the Symfony lens.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Vanessa Martino George Mier
858-452-3937
vmartino@clearvieweyes.com George@clearvieweyes.com
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