IOL Options
What Is An IOL?
An IOL, or intraocular lens, is a medical device implanted inside the eye to replace the eye’s natural lens. This is commonly done during cataract surgery when the natural lens becomes cloudy. IOLs can also be used in some cases of refractive surgery to correct vision.
Cataract surgery, the most commonly performed surgery in the United States, is highly effective and one of the safest procedures available. During the procedure, your surgeon removes your cloudy natural lens and replaces it with a clear lens implant.
Given that you can choose how you want to use your vision post-surgery, it’s crucial to educate yourself about your options. The type of lens you select will affect your vision for the rest of your life. That’s why Vance Thompson Vision provides a full range of lens implants to help you achieve your vision goals.
Monofocal Lens Implant
If you prefer using glasses for various tasks, monofocal lenses—also known as traditional “single vision” lenses—focus on one specific point, which can be set for distance, intermediate, or near vision. These implants provide the sharpest possible vision at the chosen point, typically distance. However, standard monofocal lenses do not correct for astigmatism.
Since monofocal lenses are generally set for distance vision, trifocal glasses are often needed to achieve clear vision at other distances. For those who are comfortable with wearing glasses after cataract surgery, our standard monofocal lenses offer the most advanced technology available in their category.
Multifocal Lens Implant
If you prefer doing many activities without glasses, advanced lens implants might be a good choice for you. These advanced or multifocal lens implants are designed to help the eye focus at multiple distances. They enhance clarity and reading range and have the potential to reduce or even eliminate the need for glasses after surgery.
Multifocal lenses feature concentric circles with varying powers, allowing the eye to focus at different distances. The center of the lens is optimized for distance vision, while the surrounding rings provide clear vision at intermediate and near ranges.
Additionally, these lenses can correct astigmatism, which occurs when the cornea has an oval or “football” shape. Toric multifocal lenses are specifically designed to reduce or eliminate astigmatism while offering excellent vision across distance, intermediate, and near ranges without the need for glasses or contacts. They may also enhance contrast sensitivity in low-light conditions and improve vision in challenging environments such as fog and night glare.
It’s important to note that some people may take longer to adapt to multifocal lenses. Issues such as halos and glare, particularly at night, can occur initially. However, these problems are generally limited and tend to improve over time. Most patients find that their vision is significantly better compared to before the lens implantation.
Light Adjustable Lens Implant
The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is the world’s first lens implant that can be truly customized to your eye and visual requirements. With the LAL, you can test different vision settings, allowing you to achieve your personal ideal eyesight and reducing or even eliminating the need for eyeglasses in most daily situations.
The unique feature of the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is that the shape and focusing characteristics can be changed after implantation in the eye using an office-based UV light source called a Light Delivery Device or LDD. The Light Adjustable Lens itself has special particles (called macromers), which are distributed throughout the lens. When ultraviolet (UV) light from the LDD is directed to a specific area of the lens, the particles in the path of the light connect with other particles (forming polymers). The remaining unconnected particles then move to the exposed area. This movement causes a highly predictable change in the curvature of the lens. The new shape of the lens will match the prescription you selected during your eye exam.
