This month’s patient question was: “What are the different types of implants available during cataract surgery?”
Dr. Patel answered:
At the time of your cataract surgery, you will receive an intraocular lens implant (IOL) during the operation. Intraocular lenses vary from very simple, to highly sophisticated. It is up to you which design you choose. Over the past five years, technology within cataract surgery has experienced tremendous leaps and bounds; now, we are not only able to correct your cataract, but we are able to correct your vision at the same time. Every patient has options. Each lens provides different benefits depending on your needs and condition.
The first option that my patients have is the Standard Monofocal Lens Implant. Patients like this lens because it requires no period of adjustment and is covered by insurance. This basic design allows for improved vision at a set distance, so 90% of patients have to wear eyeglasses with this particular lens. Imagine wearing a pair of single vision glasses, these eye glasses will not assist you with reading or intermediate distances, and may still be blurry if a patient has pre-existing astigmatism.
Patients with conditions like astigmatism or presbyopia can choose Advanced Technology Lens Implants to correct their vision. During cataract surgery in patients with astigmatism, a Toric Lens Implant is used to restore focus to the eye by correcting the cataract as well as the pre-existing astigmatism. Using this technology, patients are able to see at a distance very clearly, but may require some “cheap” over-the-counter reading glasses for near vision.
Presbyopia is a normal part of aging and involves the loss of close-up vision. Patients with this condition have two implant options. The first is an Accommodating Lens Implant which not only treats cataracts, but reduces your dependence on eyeglasses by using the eye’s natural muscles to focus on subjects at various distances. Additionally, patients with presbyopia can choose Multifocal Lens Implants, which act as implantable “progressive lenses”. These lenses do not require any muscular activity in your eye for focusing and you can benefit from them the moment you leave the operating room. These lenses afford great “get-around” vision; meaning, a trip to the grocery store involving scanning your grocery list (near), the price of produce (intermediate), and the aisle markers at a distance without the use of spectacles.
At the end of the day, we tell our patients that there is no bad choice, but some choices may be better than others when considering cost, comfort, and convenience.
