Denton County Living Well Magazine March/April 2019 | Page 18

Innovative Lenses
Provide a Greater
Range of Vision
After Cataract
Surgery
Courtesy Key-Whitman Eye Center
I
n July 2016, the FDA approved the Symfony® intraocu-
lar lens, the first lens of its kind to offer extended depth
of focus for cataract patients. Throughout clinical trials,
researchers found the new lens consistently provided im-
proved visual acuity at near, intermediate and far dis-
tances, than previous multifocal lens technology. through laser cataract surgery using a lens implant like Sym-
fony. According to Dr. Whitman, “Most people with normal,
healthy eyes – and even most patients who have had LASIK
surgery – should be good candidates for laser cataract surgery
at Key-Whitman with Symfony intraocular lenses.”
Key-Whitman Eye Center is thrilled to provide this new ad-
vancement for cataract surgery patients because Symfony
offers the advantages of monofocal lens implants with no
disadvantages some patients experience with multifocal
lenses. “Folks with unhealthy eyes, retina problems, macular de-
generation, or scarring in the front part of the eye on the
cornea, those patients may not be good candidates for the
procedure. Unfortunately, they may have limitations in their
vision where they won’t experience the full benefits of the
lens,” says Dr. Whitman.
As Dr. Whitman explains, “Symfony was designed to re-
duce the weaknesses found in other multifocal lenses. The
goal was to create a lens to treat vision loss that would
be very strong for intermediate vision, where most of our
life is now (computer work, tablets, etc.), while maximizing
distance vision and providing good near or reading vision
as well.”
Symfony addresses side effects
and can resolve astigmatism.
Although cataract patients have had multifocal lens options
for many years now, some patients experienced side effects
that didn’t generally occur with traditional monofocal lens-
es – specifically halos and glare.
“The clinical studies revealed that the amount of halo and
glare with Symfony was similar to a standard lens as op-
posed to a high-technology multifocal lens, which is pretty
impressive. The new lenses also come in a toric or astigmat-
ic correcting model, so we can treat astigmatism with the
lens at the same time,” Dr. Whitman states.
Are you a good candidate for the Symfony IOL?
Throughout an eye health exam, the eye doctor will imple-
ment tests to decide if your eyes are healthy enough to go
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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2019
Who is not a good candidate for Symfony?
Not a candidate for Symfony?
Dr. Whitman’s top advice for individuals looking for vision
correction – cataract surgery, LASIK eye surgery, intraocu-
lar contact lenses, etc. – is to turn to an eye health practi-
tioner who offers the full spectrum of choices.
As Dr. Whitman describes, “At Key-Whitman, we offer a
full range of the latest technologies, so we can provide
a solution that maximizes each patient’s individual vision
correction needs. For example, patients with certain eye
conditions may benefit from options such as Crystalens®
multifocal lenses or traditional aspheric optic lenses that
can deliver the best quality of vision without side effects to
any ongoing eye disease.”
In addition to Symfony and Crystalens lens implants,
Key-Whitman Dallas offers cataract surgery patients other
advanced lens implant choices, including:
• TrulignTM accommodative lenses.
• Tecnis® multifocal lenses.
• AcrySoft® IQ ReSTOR® lens implants to treat presbyopia and more.
• Symfony candidates can save on drops with No-or-Low Drop Laser
Cataract Surgery, too.