CATARACT
Correction

Like the lens of a camera, the eye’s lens focuses to keep the images of both close and distant objects clear. Over time, the lens becomes less transparent. Most often, this clouding takes place slowly as proteins within the lens degenerate.

The only effective treatment for a cataract is to remove the lens. Not all that many years ago, surgery to remove cataracts involved making a large incision in the eye—an incision that had to be closed with stitches, which made recovery lengthy and uncomfortable. Because the lens had been removed, the patient had to wear eyeglasses with thick lenses. That was then. Now, it is possible to restore clear vision and reclaim your life with relatively little discomfort or inconvenience.

This year in the United States, more than 3 million people will have this remarkably successful outpatient surgical procedure.

Standard IOLs vs. Premium Replacement Lenses

Before your cataract procedure, you can choose between a standard lens implant for distance vision with glasses for near vision, or a premium lens implant. Some of us can still recall the way cataract surgery was done in our parents’ and grandparents’ day. Because the eye’s cataract-clouded natural lens had been removed, the patient had to rely on thick, heavy “coke bottle” eyeglasses to provide the focusing power needed for good vision.

Since the FDA approved the first intraocular (“inside of the eye”) lens implant, eye surgeons removing a cataract have replaced the clouded natural lens with a crystal-clear artificial lens. The replacement lens provides very good monofocal (“single-vision”) focusing power, much like a single-vision pair of eyeglasses.

Cataract patients are generally delighted by the return of clear vision after surgery. However, while monofocal replacement lens implants have made those thick “coke bottle” glasses obsolete, they can provide good vision for distance only. If you select a monofocal replacement lens, you will still be dependent on reading glasses or bifocals for close-up vision. Cataract patients can now choose between a standard lens implant for distance vision, or a premium replacement lens for better vision at all distances.

Presbyopia-Correcting Replacement Lenses

Premium replacement lens implants currently available employ an advanced design that recaptures more youthful vision by compensating for presbyopic changes. Starting at about age 40, most of us need corrective eyewear to focus for close-up tasks, such as reading, threading a needle, or tying a fishing lure. Fortunately, a new generation of specialty multifocal lens implants makes it possible to restore your ability to focus on things at varying distances with less dependency on reading glasses or bifocals. Several brands of multifocal lenses are available. Each lens employs a different approach to reduce or eliminate dependence on corrective eyewear by providing a full range of quality vision, from near to far.

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