Intraocular Lenses (IOLs)
The new multifocal and accommodating IOLs offer the possibility of seeing well at more than one distance, without glasses or contacts. Here are a few examples (note: this is not a complete list):
Presbyopia, is the breakdown of the ciliary muscle (which allows focusing from near to far). The ciliary muscle contracts in its effort to move the lens forward, bending it slightly for closeup focusing; but the lens resists because it is not as flexible as it was when the eye was younger.
AcrySof ReStor. This lens uses apodized diffractive technology — a design that responds to how wide or small the eye’s pupil might be — to provide near, intermediate and distance vision. Aspheric lenses, because they are somewhat flat near the edges, are thought to improve contrast sensitivity and provide better night vision than other types of multifocal IOLs.
Clinical studies show 80 percent of people who received the lens didn’t use glasses for any activities after their cataract surgery. Eighty-four percent who received the lens in both eyes had distance vision of 20/25 or better, with near vision of 20/30 or better.
AcrySof Toric Intraocular Lens. This lens is an advanced technology that now makes it possible to correct the cataracts clouding your vision — and the corneal astigmatism distorting your vision — at the same time.
The technology behind the AcrySof Toric IOL offers precise astigmatic correction that reduces or eliminates corneal astigmatism and delivers significantly improved distance-vision without glasses or contacts for cataract patients with pre-existing astigmatism.