Multi-focal Implant Lenses
Cataract surgery has been performed since ancient times. This was first done with a sharp thorn which was inserted into the eye, pushing the cataractous lens down and out of the way (called couching) so that a little sight could be regained. Of course, the eye was badly out of focus and everything was very blurry. Later, cataract patients used very thick lenses to achieve clear vision. There are still patients around today with this type of lens in their glasses but the quality of vision is not ideal. The first implant lenses were developed by Dr. Riddley in England after he noticed that fighter pilots in WWII who had pieces of plastic airplane canopy embedded in their eyes tolerated the plastic well with no inflammatory reaction after their eyes healed. In the late 1940’s, he devised a plastic implant lens to insert into the eye at the time of surgery which could correct most of the refractive error and give a much improved quality of vision for patients. These implant lenses have undergone continuous development and have been improved greatly over the years.
Until very recently patients with implants still needed glasses for best vision especially for reading and when there was astigmatism present. Today we have several advanced implant lenses which can give good vision for distance, intermediate and near tasks with no dependence on glasses or contact lenses! It is true that some patients will use glasses for certain things such as reading very small print or driving at night but our experience at Refractive Solutions is that 90% or better of our multifocal lens patients never use glasses and the other 10% use them only occasionally. What a great feeling of freedom!
We most commonly implant the ReSTOR and ReZOOM multifocal lenses and we have had terrific success with them. We have recently been using the new Crystalens 5.0 with excellent results. We will be happy to discuss which lens will work best for your particular visual needs at your consultation. As new designs come along, rest assured we will keep up with what is the best for our patients, but the lenses available today are really excellent. Multifocal implants can be used for almost all cataract surgery patients and we have had equally good success on all ages, even those in their 90’s.
Medicare and private insurance usually pay for about half the cost of multifocal lenses but not the full amount. We can let you know about costs and financing options at the time of your consultation.
If you have cataracts you owe it to yourself to get more information about these remarkable new lenses. Call today for a complimentary screening consultation at 1-877-EYE-6655.