Implant Options
Prespyopic Implants
Prespyopic implants are after-cataract implants whose aim is to achieve clear distance as well as near vision without glasses. Examples of this technology are the Panoptix (trifocal) implant and Vivity (extended depth of focus) implant. Many patients who have cataract surgery with a presbyopic implant enjoy spectacle free vision after surgery. By comparison, with a standard monofocal implant, a patient who has a clear distance vision will need glasses for near work.
Multifocal implants use the brain’s natural ability to focus on one image while suppressing another to achieve clear vision at all distances. The brain can attend to one image (a cinema screen, for example) while ignoring another image (the back of fellow cinema goers’ heads). A multifocal implant utilizes this ability by providing multiple images and allowing the brain to attend to one and suppress the others.
Concentric rings of various focusing power on the Panoptix Trifocal implant focus light onto the retina from different distances. Stronger power rings on the implant with focus near images clearly onto the retina, such as for reading or sewing. Weaker power rings on the implant focus far images clearly onto the retina, such as for driving or watching television. The brain then attends to the image of interest while suppressing the rest. Your Nashua Eye cataract surgeon can help decide if a presbyopic implant is right for you. Patients who are the best candidates for multifocal implants have cataracts with otherwise healthy eyes and a lifestyle that significantly includes near vision tasks such as reading or computer.
Toric IOL
Toric cataract implants are new technology that allows patients who have astigmatism to see clearly without glasses after cataract surgery. Astigmatism is a common focusing error where the cornea is shaped somewhat more like a football, than perfectly round like a basketball. Most patients with astigmatism depend on glasses or contact lenses to see clearly.
Traditional cataract implants correct for nearsightedness or farsightedness. However, they do not correct for astigmatism. Patients who have astigmatism and have cataract surgery with a traditional implant are dependent on glasses after surgery for clear vision. A toric implant corrects for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, reducing the need for glasses after surgery.
Toric implants are comprised of the same material and have the same excellent safety record as traditional implants. The surgery is performed generally the same way as any cataract surgery; with the exception that special attention is paid to the orientation of the implant to treat astigmatism. The precise implant shape and accurate surgical placement provide excellent post-operative vision without glasses or contact lenses.
In many ways, modern cataract surgery is more sophisticated than simply clearing the line of vision from a cloudy cataract lens. Technology borrowed from laser vision correction surgeons allows cataract surgeons to not only improve vision clarity but also enhance the quality of vision.
Traditional cataract lens implants may induce so-called ‘higher order aberrations’. Higher-order aberrations may cause visual symptoms including night-time driving glare, haloes, and reduced contrast sensitivity. Aspheric lens implants take into account an individual’s eye anatomy, particularly the shape of the front clear part of the eye, the cornea. Aspheric implants reduce higher-order aberrations and maximize the quality of vision. Many patients report that the reduced symptoms of glare and halos afforded by an aspheric lens provide vision similar to twenty years before surgery.
