WHAT IS A LENS IMPLANT?

A lens implant replaces your natural lens. It is made of acrylic or silicone and will last for the rest of your life. Many different types of lens implants are used today, and your surgeon will recommend the best lens implant for your eyes. There are two categories of lens implants: standard and premium.

Standard lens implants correct for only one range of vision, either distance or near, but not both. If you choose to see well in the distance, reading glasses are necessary to see up close. Standard lens implants provide excellent quality of vision and are a good choice for patients who will not mind wearing glasses after surgery for certain activities.

Premium lens implants provide a continuous range of vision from near to far. In contrast to standard lens implants which require glasses for distance or near, premium lens implants expand your range of functional vision for distance and near with seldom use of glasses.

One of the most exciting and important developments in refractive cataract surgery is the use of premium bifocal (multifocal and pseudo-accommodating) lens implants. No other technology can provide distance and near vision in the same eye, and after removing the natural lens, implantation of the bifocal lens in both eyes provides remarkable, binocular (using both eyes) vision for both distance and near activities. This technology has been FDA approved since the mid 1990s, enjoyed by millions of happy, satisfied patients. Corrective eye wear may still be necessary for some activities, but the freedom from glasses and contact lenses is incredible.

HOW DOES THE HEALING PROCESS DIFFER IF A PREMIUM LENS IS USED?

While virtually everyone implanted with a premium lens will experience significant improvement in their uncorrected vision after surgery, some people might not see 20/20 at all distances. In some situations such as reading fine print in dim lighting, glasses will help. Patient who choose the premium lens implant may notice some glare and halos, but this will diminish over time as the eye and brain work together to adapt to your new lens. Preoperative measurements to choose your lens implant are accurate to a hundredth of a millimeter, but the final visual outcomes may be affected by your healing process. Any significant residual refractive error such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism may be improved with another procedure such as LASIK.