What are cataract lens implants?- BVA Advanced Eye Care

Have you been diagnosed with cataracts, or know someone who has? If so, you may be learning about cataracts – the causes, symptoms, and how a cataract is treated. While reading about the procedure you may have noticed lens replacements are frequent mentions. This is because cataract surgery is replacing your natural cloudy lens with a new lens . There are many different types of lenses; Throughout this article, I will explain what exactly the lenses are, and the different types.

Cataract Lens Implants

During surgery , a small incision in your eye is made to remove your natural cloudy lens and then replaced with an intraocular lens (IOLs). This lens is foldable and will be able to fit through the small incision made in your eye. The incision is self-healing and heals without stitches.

Cataract lens replacement remains the most frequently performed and safest surgery in the U.S. The FDA also requires a lens to last 100 years – making cataract surgery a one time fix for your eyes. Also, once paired with the right lens you may eliminate or reduce your dependence on glasses.

Lens Options

There are essentially 4 different types of lens options . Each offers advantages and disadvantages; you need to go over each option with your eye doctor to make the best possible choice.

Monofocal lens

A monfocal lens offers single-focus, which can be either distance vision or near vision. For many ophthalmologists, the monofocal lens is the standard implant. The monofocal lens is covered by most insurances. The lens offers great vision of either near or distance vision. If you undecided about choosing distance vision or near vision our eye doctors at BVA Advanced Eye Care recommend opting for distance vision.

However, because the monofocal lens only offers a one set distance you will likely need glasses. Our eye doctors work with each individual patient to find a monofocal that best fits your eye needs. In most cases are patients will only need reading glasses, but because of the complexity of the human eye, some patients may still need prescription glasses.

Multifocal IOL

Through offering focus with near and distance vision – patients who chose multifocal IOL  likely find that they can drive, watch television, read or do crafts-without the need for glasses. Multifocal IOL is a great option for patients, because the lens may decrease or eliminate a need for glasses.

Tecnis Multifocal

A top-end lens we offer at BVA Advanced Eye Care is the Tecnis multifocal. This lens has excellent near and distance vision. Actually, out of all the lens BVA Advanced Eye Care offers, the tecnis multi focal offers the best near vision.

There are some disadvantages with the tecnis multifocal – intermediate vision and night vision. Compared to other lenses the intermediate vision is not as good. Also due to the design of the lens, a patient may tend to see halos around lights at night time. Most patients state that the problem is minimal. However, if a patient does a lot of night driving, this may not be the best lens choice.

Tecnis Symfony IOL

The most popular lens in Europe is the first and only extended depth of focus lens: the TECNIS Symfony® IOL. This lens combines a unique diffractive pattern with achromatic technology to deliver outstanding visual acuity over a continuous range of distances while maintaining high image contrast. The design also allows the lens to correct astigmatism.

The tecnis symfony IOL is similar to tecnis multifocal because it offers great near and distance vision; the tecnis symfony can cause halos at night (not as much as the tecnis mulitfocal). Although, this lens is designed with depth focus and correct astigmatism. BVA Advanced Eye Care has had amazing results with the lens and it is now our most popular lens choice.

Accommodative IOL

Accommodative IOL works naturally with you by responding to your muscles movements in your eye. Accommodative IOLs are flexible, and as your eye muscles move the lens moves which changes the focus. Interestingly, when we are young are natural lens is very flexible, but over time (usually around mid-40s) the natural lens becomes less flexible. The Accommodative IOLs mimics that exact flexibility your natural lens had when you were younger.

Crystalens

The Bausch & Lomb crystalens accommodating lens is designed to give you great near vision, distance vision, and over time even intermediate vision. The Crystalens has the great advantage of allowing virtually all patients to see at both distance and intermediate distance without using glasses. In addition, most patients are able to read without glasses for all but the finest of print. In practice, the Crystalens is able to satisfy the visual needs of most patients for most of their daily activities without glasses. It is particularly good for driving, computers, cell phones, and newspaper-sized print.

The downside of the cystalens the very close distance vision is not as good. Objects closer than computer vision (approximately 12in.) you will not receive as good vision as some of the other lens choices.

Trulign Crstalens

This accommodating lens is very similar to the crystalens, but there is a slight design difference. The difference in design allows the lens to correct astigmatism.

Toric Lens

Toric Lens is designed for patients with astigmatism. The lens is specifically crafted for your eyes to reshape your cornea. Also during surgery there are extra incisions and steps to correct your astigmatism.

Acrysof Toric Lens

The design has proven to correct both your cataracts and astigmatism simultaneously. Implanted in the eye to restore distance vision after cataract surgery, the AcrySof Toric lens has a unique patented design that provides both spherical and astigmatic correction.

Talk with Your Eye Doctor

There are multiple lens choices , and they are all uniquely designed with advantages and disadvantages. It is important to know the different types of lenses out there to be knowledgeable with speaking with your doctor, but before you can make a decision your eyes must be examined to know what lens will work best with your eye.

The first step in creating a better vision is to speak with an eye doctor. You can contact  BVA through our website or give us a call at 1-888-323-3937

Want to learn more about Cataract surgery? Find more information here: https://bva20-20.com/cataract-surgery-okc/