Modern day cataract surgery involves the implantation of lenses to correct vision. Depending on the patients needs and desires, different types of lenses allowing you to see at different distances can be implanted.
At Phoenix Ophthalmologists, we customize our cataract treatments to fit your lifestyle needs so that you may enjoy the best results possible. If your desire is to be free of glasses or contacts for clear, crisp distance vision, we can address your astigmatism during cataract surgery.
If your desire is to see a full range of sight with minimal or no dependence on glasses for distance, intermediate and near vision, we can address your presbyopia with a depth of focus lens which allows for a continuous range of high-quality vision
Intraocular Lens Biometry
While biometry, the method used to calculate the power of the Intra-Ocular Lens (IOL) which will be used to replace your clouded lens or cataract, is very accurate in the majority of patients, the final result may be different from what was planned for many reasons. Most commonly, as the eye heals the IOL can shift very slightly toward the front or the back of the eye. The amount of this shift is not the same in every patient and it may cause different results than predicted. Errors in measurement, machinery, or calculations can also cause the result to be different than expected. Patients who are highly nearsighted or highly farsighted have the greatest risk of differences between planned and actual outcomes. Patients who have had LASIK or other refractive surgeries are especially difficult to measure precisely and may have very different outcomes than planned. If the eye’s visual power after surgery is considerably different than what was planned, glasses or contact lenses may be needed, surgical replacement of the IOL might be considered, or refractive laser surgery may be used to correct the error. There may be additional costs for these procedures.
Types of Lens Implants
Monofocal Lens Implant
You can choose to have a monofocal (single focus) lens implant for distance vision and wear separate READING GLASSES. This is the conventional procedure – meaning costs are usually deductibles only, if you have insurance or Medicare.
Monovision Lens Implant
With this method, a different powered implant is placed in each eye- one for near vision and the other for distance vision. This combination of one distance eye and one reading eye is called monovision and would allow you to read without glasses. This technique has been employed quite successfully in many contact lens and refractive surgery patients; however, results of this technique cannot be guaranteed. There is an added out-of-pocket cost for this technique.
Multifocal IOL (Lens Implant)
These lens implants (IOLs) provide distance vision AND restore some or all of the focusing (accommodating) ability of the eye for near vision. Depending upon the technological features of these IOLs, they may be described as accommodating, apodized diffractive, or presbyopia-correcting. All of these lenses are multifocal, meaning they correct for both distance vision and some other ranges, such as near or intermediate. These lenses are referred to as a Premium lenses/ procedure and there is an added out-of-pocket cost for this technique.
Toric Lens Implant
An implant designed to correct astigmatism.