New Lens Implant Offers Hope For Cataract Surgery Patients

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – There is new hope for millions of cataract sufferers around the country.

A new, FDA-approved lens implant offers near, intermediate and distance focus for patients who undergo cataract surgery.

Susan Poole recently underwent cataract surgery on both eyes.

"I couldn't believe how bright my kitchen was and how white my cabinets looked," she said.

At just 62, her cataracts developed earlier than most. A cataract happens when the natural lens of the eye becomes cloudy and scatters incoming light.

"I was putting my prescription glasses on top of my contacts so I could read, and without any of it, I just saw a bunch of grey lines," she said.

The only way to fix a cataract is to remove it and replace the natural lens with an artificial one.

The Symfony lens was approved by the FDA in July.

"It's the next generation of intraocular lenses that we put in after cataract surgery that allows you distance vision, intermediate vision, which is arms-length, and up-close with very minimal nighttime symptoms," Dr. Blake Williamson said.

The patient stays awake for the procedure and a numbing solution makes it pain free. The surgery to remove the cataract and insert the new lens only takes about 15 minutes. Poole had each eye done about two weeks apart.

Once the cataract is removed, the tiny lens is loaded into a special tool that places it in the eye. Doctors are guided by lasers to make sure the fit and prescription is a perfect match.

A series of rings makes the Symfony lens different.

"It's those rings that extend the light, So, they don't break up the light like previous generations of lenses that help you see far away and up close, but instead they have one light focus that's just longer or extended," Dr. Williamson said.

The result is better vision far away, up close and in low light.

Poole said she and her husband have already noticed the difference.

"We were looking at it to see what was in it and he couldn't read it and I did," she said.

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