Lenses for Perfect Vision Regardless of Age?

Extended Depth-of-Focus Lens

The Symfony lens is the world’s first intraocular lens with an extended range of vision, providing good vision without the use of glasses at all distances (near, intermediate – e.g. working on a computer – and distance). The implanted lens is not felt by the patient, remains permanently in the eye, and does not need to be replaced.

Who Is the Lens Intended For?

The lens is most commonly implanted during cataract surgery, but it is also suitable for people over the age of 40 who want to become independent of glasses or contact lenses.

Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in ophthalmology. During the procedure, our cloudy natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens that restores good vision. In cataract surgery performed within the public healthcare system, it is only possible to implant monofocal, i.e. standard lenses, which require patients to wear glasses for near vision and, if necessary, for distance vision, depending on astigmatism (the curvature of the cornea).

For people who do not have cataracts but are over the age of 40 and want to get rid of their refractive error, complete independence from glasses or contact lenses can only be achieved by implanting multifocal intraocular lenses or intraocular lenses with an extended range of vision. Age-related or reading vision (presbyopia) is an inevitable consequence of aging. It occurs because our natural lens becomes increasingly rigid with age, while the muscle responsible for changing its shape (and focusing vision at near distances) gradually becomes less able to perform its function

The Procedure Is Quick and Painless

The surgical procedure is quick, safe, painless, and effective. The surgery takes approximately ten minutes per eye on average, using local anesthesia administered in the form of eye drops, and the patient goes home after the procedure. Patients who choose to have Tecnis Symfony lenses implanted to correct their refractive error most often have both eyes operated on the same day, so that recovery and adaptation to the new lenses can take place as quickly as possible.

Advantages of the Symfony Lens

The special design of this lens is responsible for refracting light in a way that extends the eye’s focus, resulting in an extended range of vision, including distance, intermediate, and near vision. After implantation, the lens enables patients to read books or newspapers, read messages on their mobile phone, work on a computer, shave or apply makeup, watch television, drive a car, participate in sports, and perform similar activities without glasses.

Thanks to its achromatic technology, the Tecnis Symfony also provides better contrast sensitivity and image quality compared with previous lenses, while visual disturbances after surgery, such as glare, halos around lights during night driving, and the perception of a faded image, are significantly less pronounced. A toric version of the Tecnis Symfony lens is also available, which also corrects astigmatism.

Thanks to its design, the Symfony intraocular lens has also enabled patients who previously underwent laser vision correction to become free from glasses after cataract surgery. Patients with a minor degree of reduced vision or a mild form of macular disease may also be candidates for eliminating the need for glasses with the help of this lens.

Svjetlost Eye Clinic was among the first hospitals in Europe to begin implanting the latest intraocular lens with an extended range of vision. Together with 13 other European ophthalmology centers, Svjetlost participated in a European multicenter clinical study in 2014 that followed the initial results of Symfony lens implantation. Following excellent results, we introduced these lenses into our everyday practice and have since helped several thousand people become free from vision aids in this way.