Having Cataract Surgery? How to Restor® your Youthful Vision.
Cataract surgery is no longer just to help restore vision from a cloudy lens. With new advances in the development of lenses, it can be an opportunity to restore the vision one had before the need for reading glasses. A new class of multifocal intraocular lenses can be the answer to lost or forgotten glasses.
Here is how the eye loses its ability to focus at near distances: the lens sits in a bag connected to ligaments called zonules. These zonules are connected to a muscle called the ciliary muscle. The muscle and zonules flatten or condense the bag to allow light to focus on the retina. This change in the shape of the lens is called accommodation. Accommodation decreases in themid-40s and progresses as one ages. Once cataract surgery is performed, accommodation is completely lost and patients are dependent on reading glasses at all times. With the advent of the new multifocal lenses, this accommodation can bereplicated in the design of the lenses implanted in the eye. One of the implantable lenses now available is the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL, which uses a unique patented apodized diffractive technology. Apodization is the gradual tapering of layered steps from the center to the outside edge of a lens in order to create a smooth transition of light between the distance, both intermediate and near focal points. Diffraction involves the bending or spreading of light as it passes through the lens. On the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL, the center of the lens surface is an apodized diffractive optic. This means that the series of tiny concentric steps in that center area work together to focus light for both near and distance vision. This design has been proven to help enhance patients’ lifestyles and reduce the need for glasses. Clinical studies have shown that four out of five people never wear glasses after having the lens implanted in their eyes. Additionally, there is a 94% satisfaction rate among patients with the ReSTOR® lens.
Multifocal lenses are not for everyone. If you have glaucoma, diabetes, or macular degeneration the multifocal lenses may not be an option for you. However, the surgeons at Eye Doctors of Washington will discuss in detail other options that may benefit you most.
