Intraocular Lenses (IOLs)
During cataract surgery, your eye doctor removes and replaces your natural lenses. Cataracts form inside them and eventually block light from flowing to your retina.
Without treatment, cataracts can cause complete vision loss. But they are treatable.
Cataract surgery is an effective medical procedure. It restores vision after cataracts have formed.
Intraocular lenses or IOLs are responsible for your crisp eyesight after cataract surgery. The eye doctors at Tri-State Ophthalmology use the newest IOLs to restore your vision during cataract surgery.
Depending on the IOL you choose, you could get the best vision of your life!
What is an IOL?
Intraocular lenses or IOLs are replacement lenses used in cataract surgery. They take the place of your natural lens after you have cataracts.
IOLs come in a wide range of styles and capabilities. The most basic IOLs are standard or monofocal IOLs.
They are set to focus eyesight at one distance. Most people correct their distance vision with a monofocal IOL. The sight a monofocal IOL gives you is exceptional.
But, they only correct vision at one distance. You still need glasses for the other distances.
You still need reading glasses if you correct your distance vision with a monofocal IOL. If you would like to avoid glasses, you need a premium IOL.
There is a large variety of premium IOLs. Two of the best are the PanOptix trifocal IOL and the Vivity IOL.
They both provide exceptional vision but in slightly different ways.
The PanOptix Trifocal IOL
The PanOptix trifocal IOL is the only FDA-approved trifocal IOL. It contains three built-in refractive zones.
Each zone focuses light entering your eye from different ranges. It allows you to see things far away, up-close, and in between.
Its most significant advantage over other IOLs is its intermediate focal point. Most premium multifocal IOLs contain two refractive zones and focal points. They give you clear vision at near and far distances.
But, they leave a gap in your vision between these distances. This gap creates disturbances in your sight as you transition between near and far.
The PanOptix trifocal IOL eliminates this gap visual disturbance. Crisp, seamless vision at all focal ranges makes the PanOptix trifocal a lifestyle-friendly IOL.
The Vivity IOL
The Vivity IOL is the first non-diffractive extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOL. EDOF IOLs provide longer focal points than traditional multifocal IOLs, giving you a more comprehensive range of seamless vision.
The Vivity IOL takes this to another level by being a non-diffractive lens. That means it does not split light entering your eye like other premium IOLs.
Most premium IOLs have focal points etched into the lens material. When you transition between distances, the focal points split the light at each ring in the lens.
This splitting creates a slight break in your vision. The Vivity IOL, instead of splitting the light, bends and shifts it. Shifting light gives you seamless sight, even as you transition between distances.
It does this using something called X-WAVE technology. Combined with the extended focal points, it gives you superior far and intermediate sight.
It also gives you practical up-close sight. You may need reading glasses for fine text like a prescription label or reading the newspaper.
Toric Model IOLs
Cataract surgery gets rid of your cataracts and can also get rid of your astigmatism. Toric model IOLs are monofocal lenses that counteract the effects of astigmatism.
Astigmatism comes from a misshapen cornea. It causes light to scatter inside your eye instead of focusing on your retina.
Toric model IOLs can correct this scattering to focus light onto your retina. If your IOL comes in a toric model, you can fix your astigmatism during cataract surgery.
Are you tired of cataracts interfering with your life? Get crisp eyesight with cataract surgery. Schedule a cataract screening at Tri-State Ophthalmology in Ashland, KY. See if it’s time to have yours removed!