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Great news for people with cataracts
Great news for people with cataracts: New lens implant technologies allow unprecedented flexibility of vision and freedom from glasses.
Scott A. Thomas, M.D.
 As an ophthalmologist, I see many patients who are experiencing visual impairment from cataract. Cataract is a progressive clouding of the natural lens of the eye that may be caused by aging, sun exposure, certain medical conditions, and certain medications. In addition to blurring one’s vision, cataracts can also cause glare and haloes from car headlights, streetlights, and illuminated signs, making night driving difficult. Cataract is still the leading cause of blindness in the world today.
Cataract surgery has developed into a highly refined procedure, with low risk and high success rates. After the cloudy lens is removed, an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) implant is placed in the eye to provide focusing power. Traditional lens implants are monofocal, meaning that they provide clear vision at only one distance, and glasses are needed to see well at other distances. For example, a patient may have excellent distance vision after surgery with a monofocal lens implant and not need glasses for activities like driving, but still require reading glasses for near work such as reading or computer use.
Recently, new FDA-approved multifocal lens implants have been developed that overcome limitations of monofocal implants and allow patients to see well without glasses for many different daily activities. Most patients with these lenses report using any type of glasses never or occasionally.
Not everyone is a good candidate for these implants, and surgery does bring a measure of risk that should be discussed with an ophthalmologist, but people who are in need of cataract surgery and dislike being dependent on glasses or contact lenses should be aware of this option. In addition, people in their 40’s and 50’s who are considering LASIK should consider these lens implants instead. First, as cataracts develop in this age group, the effect of LASIK can be short-lived and a person may require laser re-treatment or even cataract surgery shortly after their first LASIK treatment. Secondly, in people who already use reading glasses or bifocals, LASIK cannot provide both clear distance and near vision without employing the principle of monovision, whereby one eye is corrected for distance, and the other is corrected for near.
Because of innovations, such as multifocal lenses, people with cataracts are enjoying a high quality of vision with increasing freedom from glasses and contacts.
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