Intraocular Lens Options

Intraocular Lens Options come in a variety of materials and designs. Your surgeon generally chooses a lens made of a material that is best suited to your individual situation. Feel free to consult your surgeon here at Eye Health Northwest and discuss the best implant for your vision. Some intraocular lenses used in our practice are coated with UV filters. These lenses are theoretically better at blocking the light rays in the blue spectrum. UV radiation is thought to be related to the development of macular degeneration in some patients. Some intraocular lenses are designed to be multifocal, which may enable patients to see both at distance and near without the aid of glasses. Additionally, we also offer accommodating lens implants, which actually move inside the eye to emulate the natural process of the eye’s crystalline lens.

It is important for patients to realize that while cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation frequently results in a reduced dependency on eye glasses it is never guaranteed to eliminate this need totally.

ReSTOR

FDA Clinical Trials Show 80% of Patients Are Spectacle FREE after surgery.

The AcrySof ReSTOR lens is a foldable IOL that represents breakthrough technology because of its unique, patented optic design, which allows patients to experience the highest level of freedom from glasses ever achieved in IOL clinical trials.

The AcrySof ReSTOR IOL uses a combination of three complementary technologies: apodization, diffraction and refraction, to allow patients to experience a full range of high-quality vision without the need for reading glasses or bifocals. This range of vision without glasses is achieved through the optical properties of the IOL.

The benefit for patients is a high level of spectacle freedom. Alcon has patented the application of apodization technology to an IOL, making the AcrySof ReSTOR lens the first and only apodized diffractive IOL.

During U.S. clinical trials, the results with ReSTOR were remarkable:

1. 80% of patients reported that after lens implant surgery with ReSTOR lenses, they no longer needed glasses or contact lenses to see clearly at all distances.
2. 94% said they could drive and read the paper without contacts or glasses.
3. Nearly 94% were so satisfied that they would have the procedure again.

What is the Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens?

The Crystalens® accommodating intraocular lens is an intraocular lens used after cataract surgery or as a lens alternative in presbyopic lens exchange. The concept of the lens was engineered with a hinge design to allow the optic, or part of the lens that you see through, to move back and forth as your focus on an image changes. The Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens is permanently implanted with a surgical process and functions in a similar fashion as the natural eye. Once the surgery has been completed your eyes can focus on far or near objects in a comfortable way with no discomfort. If you are experiencing presbyopia or cataracts please feel free to consult us about the possibility of utilizing the new Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens.

FDA Clinical Trial Information

• 100% could see intermediate (24" to 30") without glasses, the distance for most of life's activities
• 98.4% of patients implanted with crystalens in both eyes could pass a driver's test without glasses
• Some patients did require glasses for some tasks after implantation of the crystalens
• 98.4% could see well enough to read the newspaper and the phone book without glasses.
• Significantly more patients implanted with a crystalens (88.4%) could see better at all distances then patients implanted with a standard IOL (35.9%)

HOW DOES THE Crystalens® IOL WORK?

After the age of 40 people will often start to experience difficulty reading as the eye’s natural lens starts to harden. Prior to this many people often experience excellent vision and are typically confused as to what is happening with their eyes. Because their vision may have been perfect they have never consulted an ophthalmologist as to what is naturally occurring. This inability to see at close distances or difficulty for the muscles in the eye to auto-focus can be very discouraging. This is known as loss of accommodation, or presbyopia. The crystalens was engineered with a hinge design to allow the optic, or part of the lens that you see through, to move back and forth as your focus on an image changes.