Intraocular Lenses (IOL): When a patient has cataract surgery the doctor removes the natural lens and replaces it with an artificial lens called an Intraocular Lens (IOL). There are several IOL options available today, some involve the patient needing glasses after surgery, while others help a patient to be glasses free for most activities. The decision about which lens implant will be best for you, is made by both you and your surgeon and will depend on your medical and lifestyle needs. With new technologies, some patients can undergo cataract removal, and see clearly without glasses or contacts!

For many people in their late 40s and older, the dream of life free from reading glasses and bifocals is now a reality. This is due to the breakthrough advances in lens implant technology. Morris Eye Group is proud to offer the Alcon Acrysof® ReSTOR®, Tecnis Multifocal™, Toric®, and the Bausch & Lomb Crystalens® implants. These different lenses deliver a high level of glasses-free vision at distances near, far and in between.

*The images above are magnified images of lens replacements

Multifocal Lens (IOL): The Multifocal IOL is a lens with multiple focal points, designed to correct cataracts as well as providing the patient with a full range of vision at all distances: near, far, and everywhere in between! This IOL will give the patient vision for up-close, intermediate, and distance.  Most people will not need to use glasses or contact lenses after surgery.  At Morris Eye Group, we have the ability to also correct for astigmatism at the time of the cataract surgery to help the patient be as free from glasses as possible. This lens is excellent for those wanting to achieve vision at all ranges without the aid of glasses.

Previous to Multifocal Lenses, the only options for presbyopic patients were bifocals, bifocal contact lenses (which had a very low success rate), and CustomVue® Lasik for monovision. Monovision refers to having one eye corrected for distance vision and the other eye corrected for near or reading vision.

Toric Intraocular Lens (IOL): The Toric IOL is a lens with a single focal point, designed to correct both cataracts and large amounts of astigmatism.  This lens corrects the astigmatism and will give the patient excellent distance vision without glasses. Patients will most likely still require reading glasses for up-close vision. This is a great option for patients wanting crystal clear distance vision without wearing distance vision glasses.

Monofocal Intraocular Lens (IOL): The Monofocal IOL is a lens with a single focal point, designed to correct cataracts and provide distance vision correction. This lens will give the patient excellent distance vision providing that the patient does not have an astigmatism. This lens does not correct for up-close or mid-range vision, nor does it correct astigmatism. After monofocal IOL cataract surgery, patients should expect to need glasses for near and intermediate vision. If the patient has astigmatism or slight distance correction, the patient may need glasses at all times. This is a good option for patients that like wearing glasses.

Further Options

Patients with nearsightedness and farsightedness often also have astigmatism. Astigmatism is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea; instead of being round like a basketball, the cornea is shaped like a football. This can make your vision blurry even after cataract surgery.  The good news is that is can be corrected. Depending on the severity of the astigmatism, the doctor may recommend one of the following two procedures:

Limbal Relaxing Incision (LRI): In addition to the Toric IOL, astigmatism can also be reduced by a procedure called a Limbal Relaxing Incision (LRI). The LRI can accompany the Monofocal IOL or the Multifocal IOL.  This procedure can be performed at the same time as the cataract operation, or as a separate procedure at a later date. A Limbal Relaxing Incision (LRI) is a small incision that the ophthalmologist makes into your cornea to make its shape rounder. Alternatively, the surgeon may elect to perform PRK to further reduce the astigmatism if the LRI is unsuccessful. Healing time is usually about a week.

PRK: If needed, PRK is another treatment for patients looking to reduce or eliminate astigmatism after cataract removal. This treatment option can be accompanied with the Monofocal IOL or the Multifocal IOL. Once the patient has healed completely from the cataract procedure, and the doctor has deemed them a good candidate, a patient may proceed with PRK Laser Treatment.  Before the actual laser treatment takes place to reshape the cornea for the astigmatism correction, a tiny amount of tissue (the top surface lining called the epithelium) is removed. The epithelium grows back over the course of about a week. Because of this, healing time can vary from patient to patient.

» Contact us for more information on Multifocal Lens Implants