Intraocular Lenses (IOLs) at McMann Eye Institute
The lens of your eye goes through many changes as you age. The two
most notable changes are the loss of flexibility and a change in the
chemical composition. When the lens of your eye loses flexibility, it is
called Presbyopia. This change can begin to occur after the age of 40
and it reduces your ability to see close up with clarity.
The
chemical composition change is referred to as cataracts which happen
when the protein in the lens of your eye begins to bunch together. When
light passes through this clump, you may notice a yellow haze or tint to
images.
There is a solution to both of these conditions through
the use of a synthetic lens, called an Intraocular Lens (IOL). The
synthetic lens works just like a natural lens, but you can eliminate
both cataracts and Presbyopia from ever happening again. For patients
who also suffer from refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness,
or astigmatism) prior to surgery for IOLs, some surgeons can provide
LASIK surgery in addition to the IOL surgery to correct these errors.
Both procedures can provide good to excellent vision quality for
patients and can reduce or eliminate the need for glasses.
Technological advances have produced a variety of IOLs, which also help
to correct refractive error. These IOLs are: monofocal, multifocal,
toric, and accommodating. |
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Monofocal IOLs
The most traditional IOL is a Monofocal IOL. Mono means one and focal means focus of the lens
of an eye. This means that Monofocal IOLs will only provide vision for
one distance. This distance, or power, for the lens is calculated prior
to surgery and is usually selected to give you good distance vision.
When monofocal IOLs are used, the patient will still require glasses for
reading and near vision.
Multifocal IOLs
Multifocal IOLs are
referred to as Lifestyle IOLs or Presbyopia-Correcting IOLs because they
are designed with multiple focusing properties. This means the lens can
focus near, far, and in between, which can eliminate the need for
reading glasses.
Toric IOLs
Toric IOLs are also considered
Lifestyle IOLs, as they were designed for people suffering from
astigmatism. These IOLs are perfect for people suffering from cataracts
and astigmatism if they do not wish to or are not a good candidate to
have LASIK to correct the astigmatism.
Astigmatism is when a
cornea has an oblong shape rather than a round shape. This causes light
to focus on multiple points on the retina, which results in blurred
vision. The Toric IOL is designed to off-set the shape of the cornea so
that light focuses on the retina and vision is clear.
The Journal
of Cataract and Refractive Surgery reported in March 2009 that Toric
IOLs can correct astigmatism substantially better than other options,
and that after three months, 70% of the patients in the study who
received Toric IOLs achieved 20/40 vision or better.
Accommodating IOLs
Accommodating IOLs are Lifestyle IOLs that are
designed to work with the muscles of the eye to focus upon whatever
distance is needed. These IOLs provide sharp vision for multiple
distances.
The staff at McMann Eye Institute will counsel each
patient about their best IOL option according to lifestyle, medical and
eye health history, and after performing a comprehensive consultation. |
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The McMann Eye Institute is a comprehensive ophthalmology practice
offering a full spectrum of vision correction and treatment services.