Lens Replacement Options After Cataract Surgery
Jeffrey Liegner, MD is a nationally-recognized cataract surgeon and leader in dropless cataract surgery, specializing in advanced lens replacement. Once you decide to have cataract surgery, you will have a choice to replace your clouded lens with either a traditional single-focus lens or an advanced lens implant ( multifocal IOL ) that provides a fuller range of vision.
Older-style lens implants provide clear vision at a single focus point, usually in the distance. Newer lens implants provide a fuller range of vision, improving your sight at a fuller range of near, intermediate and distance objects. Most patients who choose this lens type for their surgery do so because they’d like to be free of glasses the majority of their day.
Choosing the Optimal Lens Implant
Until recently, cataract patients had few choices of implants used to restore their vision. With the Lifestyle IOL procedure offered by Dr. Liegner, you now have several choices based on your individual visual needs and lifestyle.
The Tecnis multifocal intraocular lens is the most recently-approved FDA multifocal intraocular lens. Manufactured by Advanced Medical Optics, the Tecnis lens offers patients high-quality vision day or night and at a full range of distances. Its unique lens design gives patients superior near vision and reading speed. Learn more about the Tecnis multifocal lens here.
The AcrySof ReSTOR multifocal lens provides good vision at all distances. Alcon’s patented technology combines the strengths of apodized diffractive and refractive technologies which are similar to the technologies used in microscopes and telescopes, allowing for good vision near and far. Learn more about the ReSTOR multifocal lens here.
Bausch & Lomb’s Crystalens is an accommodating intraocular lens that provides enhanced depth of focus and increased contrast in a variety of lighting situations. This lens is designed to improve near vision without compromising intermediate and distance vision. Learn more about Crystalens here.
Astigmatism is a condition where the shape of the cornea is shaped more like a football, rather than round like a basketball. The irregular shape causes light rays to scatter when entering the eye, resulting in blurry vision instead of providing a single focal point. At Eye Care Northwest, we use corneal topography to diagnose all levels of astigmatism. The technology uses a special camera to photograph the corneal pattern, then produces a detailed map showing the shape and steepness of the cornea. The test is fast and painless and will be performed prior to your cataract surgery.
The results from the corneal topography will determine how we treat your astigmatism. There are two options available to correct astigmatism during cataract surgery. The first is an Intraocular Lens (IOL) specifically designed for astigmatism. This is the preferred approach if your astigmatism falls within the treatable range. The second option is a procedure called Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI), performed at the same time as cataract surgery using a standard IOL. Dr. Liegner uses information from corneal topography to determine exactly where to make a carefully planned, tiny surgical incision. This is a self-sealing technique, so no stitches are needed. After the LRI procedure, the cornea’s shape is rounded, reducing your dependence on glasses after surgery.