Cataract Surgery
How can Cataract surgery help eliminate glasses?
At Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center, we perform a variety of cataract surgery procedures to help our patients solve 4 main vision problems:
Nearsightedness
When an eye is nearsighted, the cornea and lens are too strong for the length of the eye, causing blurry vision when the light comes into focus before it hits the retina.
Farsightedness
When an eye is farsighted, the cornea and lens are not strong enough for the length of the eye, causing blurry vision when the light comes to a focus behind the retina.
Astigmatism
When an eye is astigmatic, the cornea is oval instead of spherical, creating two focal points and resulting in blurred vision.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the inability to see objects such as print in books, phones, or computers and becomes more prevalent with age. This occurs because the lens stiffens with age. Presbyopia also occurs in all people after cataract surgery.
See clearly after cataract surgery WITHOUT GLASSES
Techniques of Cataract Surgery to Reduce the Need for Glasses
Monofocal IOL`s
Monofocal intraocular lenses (IOL`s) bring the light to one sharp focal point. Monofocal IOL`s give the best quality of vision.
LIMBAL RELAXING INCISIONS (LRI’S) FOR ASTIGMATISM
Limbal relaxing incisions (LRI`s), sometimes referred to as corneal relaxing incisions (CRI`s) are used for small amounts of astigmatism correction. During the LRI’s procedure one or two tiny relaxing incisions are made at the edge of the cornea to help round out the cornea and decrease the amount of astigmatism.
The cost of LRI’s are not covered by insurance and will be billed separately to patients who receive the procedure. After cataract surgery, Laser Vision Correction may be performed if even clearer vision is desired.
Toric IOL For Astigmatism
A Toric IOL is a special astigmatism correcting monofocal intraocular lens implant. The results of Toric IOLs are more accurate than LRIs, but not as accurate as LASIK, PRK, or the Light Adjustable Lens.
The cost of Toric IOLs is not covered by insurance and will be billed separately to patients who receive the procedure. After cataract surgery, Laser Vision Correction may be performed if even clearer vision is desired.
LASIK or PRK
These two laser vision correcting procedures are typically performed on patients who do not have cataracts. These procedures reshape the corneal window of the eye, reducing refractive errors including nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. LASIK and PRK can also be performed after cataract surgery to eliminate residual refractive errors.
Blended Vision for Presbyopia
One approach to address presbyopia (the inability to see up close) after cataract surgery is to set the dominant eye for distance vision and the non-dominant eye for near vision without eyeglasses. This technique is called BLENDED VISION, which allows the brain to blend the two images from each eye together and avoids the hazy vision and halos that can sometimes exist with multifocal and extended depth of focus IOL’s such as Panoptics and Symphony (see below). Blended vision utilizes the excellent optical quality of monofocal IOL`s.
Light Adjustable Lens
The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is an amazing new technology that provides exceptionally clear vision and is highly recommended by our doctors. In an FDA study, those who received the LAL were twice as likely to achieve 20/20 vision without eyeglasses than those who received a standard IOL. No LRI’s or Torics IOL’s are needed to correct astigmatism, because the UV light delivery device used after surgery can eliminate or greatly reduce nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Since The LAL is the only IOL that is adjustable after cataract surgery you can adjust the amount of blended vision that is right for your individual lifestyle. The LAL is a monofocal IOL providing excellent quality of vision, however the LAL also provides a mild amount of extended depth of focus providing a greater range of near focus than when other monofocal IOL`s are used for blended vision.
Extended Depth of Focus IOL’s For Presbyopia
Extended Depth of Focus IOL, such as Symphony, enables each eye to see without glasses at distance and intermediate (computer range). Low power over the counter reading glasses will usually be required for reading small print. The Symphony EDOF IOL gives a better quality of vision than Multifocal IOL (Panoptics), however, approximately 5% of patients can still experience severe starbursts around lights at night.
Multifocal IOL’s For Presbyopia
Multifocal IOL’s, such as Panoptics, enable each eye to see without glasses both near and far. For patients who want the most independence from glasses, Multifocal IOL is an excellent choice.
Some patients experience hazy vision or halos around lights which can make driving at night difficult. For approximately 5% of patients, these halos can be severe. Most patients adapt over time to these symptoms and enjoy their life without much need for glasses. For patients who are not able to adapt, the IOL may need to be surgically exchanged. Patients who have even small residual refractive errors may require LASIK or PRK after cataract surgery to fine tune the results and enable them to see clearly.