Your Lens Replacement Options
Once your cataract is removed, a new lens implant is inserted to replace it. Your lens implant choice will determine your vision after cataract surgery. There are many different types of intraocular lens implants (IOLs) to choose from. In addition, many people with clear lenses are opting for lens exchange to improve near and distance vision. Lens replacement is the most frequently performed surgery in the U.S. and one of the safest. You have three categories of lens implant to choose from.
Correcting Distance Vision with a Monofocal IOL
A monofocal IOL is designed to provide clear distance vision. This means, after cataract surgery, you will be able to see objects far away. However, you will need glasses for reading and any type of close detailed work. Monofocal IOLs have been the standard implant used for decades to help patients see after a cataract is removed. Millions of monofocal IOLs have been successfully implanted providing cataract patients with clear distance vision.
Correcting Distance Vision and Astigmatism with a Toric IOL
Astigmatism Management is a vital new area of cataract surgery. Astigmatism is a common condition where your eye is out-of-round, shaped more like a football than a basketball. Your vision is potentially affected by two types of astigmatism — corneal and lenticular — and we can correct both with new astigmatism management tools. Today’s cataract patient demands excellent vision after surgery, and wants their astigmatism and refractive error corrected at the same time. There are two ways we correct pre-existing astigmatism during cataract surgery. The most advanced method uses a new type of lens implant, called a Toric lens, which incorporates unique optics to compensate for specific deficiencies in your vision. Toric lenses greatly reduce the likelihood of needing a second procedure to correct residual astigmatism. For those patients who suffer from astigmatism so pronounced that they are outside the power range of the Toric lens, we recommend a combination treatment of lens replacement and relaxing incisions that delivers both improved vision and astigmatism correction. Once we fully understand your level of astigmatism, and desire for improved distance vision and/or near vision, we will recommend the appropriate lens implant option for you.
Correcting Distance and Near Vision with Multifocal or Accommodating IOLs
Previous lens replacement technologies provided only one focal point – distance – leaving people dependent upon reading glasses or bifocals after cataract surgery. Recent advances in accommodative and multifocal technology now make it possible for you to read the words on prescription bottles, magazines, newspapers and computer screens, without magnifying glasses or bifocals, while still clearly seeing objects at a distance. These lenses have the ability to consistently offer improved vision at all ranges — near through distance. With the introduction of three advanced technology lenses — ReSTOR, Crystalens and Tecnis – the vision we can help you maintain as you age is better than ever before in the history of ophthalmology.