Cataracts can cause serious visual difficulties. A cataract involves the progressive clouding of the eye’s crystalline lens. This clouding blocks the passage of light and, when left untreated, can lead to blindness. Thankfully, through the implantation of modern intraocular lenses (IOLs), cataract patients can replace affected lenses and improve their visual abilities. At our Carlsbad practice serving all of San Diego County and beyond, Crystalens®, ReSTOR®, ReZoom™, TECNIS/MF™, and TECNIS Symfony® IOLs are available to cataract sufferers. With these lenses, many people experience vision at a level unfamiliar to them since young adulthood. In addition, new accommodating, multifocal, and extended depth-of-focus IOLs provide an effective alternative to traditional monofocal IOLs for some patients. While monofocal IOLs restore focusing abilities and a single range of vision without glasses, multifocal IOLs restore unassisted focusing abilities at distances from near to far. Each of our IOLs is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If you would like to learn more about IOLs, or the eye care professionals at our San Diego-area practice, contact North County Laser Eye Associates.
Crystalens®
The Crystalens® IOL bends and flexes just like the natural lens of the eye. It is provided at our San Diego areas practice to treat both cataracts and presbyopia. The ability to bend and flex provides the Crystalens® patient with accommodation abilities; that is, the ability of the eye to accommodate to changing focusing needs and see at distances from near to far. In a healthy eye, ciliary muscles successfully bend and flex the surface structures of the eye, changing its curvature and providing dynamic focusing abilities. As we age, however, the lens of the eye can become more rigid as a result of a condition known as presbyopia. This condition, which typically occurs in a person’s late 40s, can dramatically reduce focusing abilities. Crystalens® IOLs at our Carlsbad practice serving San Diego and other areas treat both cataracts and presbyopia by replacing the eye’s faulty natural lens.
Alcon Acrysof® IQ PanOptix®
PanOptix is a trifocal lens. Rather than one discrete focal point, it has three – set for distance, intermediate, and near vision. After implantation, the brain learns to switch seamlessly between these, giving most patients the ability to complete their daily activities without corrective lenses. Previous generations of multifocal lenses usually had just two focal points, leaving patients with good distance and near vision but needing corrective lenses to complete tasks at the intermediate range (such as looking at a computer screen). With PanOptix, engineers were able to add a third focal point in order to solve this probem. 83% of patients report never needing glasses for any activity after having PanOptix implanted.
TECNIS Symfony®
The TECNIS Symfony® was the first IOL with an extended depth-of-focus to be FDA-approved. This means that it offers patients good visual acuity over a continuous range of distances. Unlike a multifocal lens, which has several distinct focal points, the Symfony® offers a continuous range, including near, intermediate, and far distances. This allows it to correct for presbyopia, so that many patients no longer require reading glasses. In studies, 85% of patients who received this lens reported wearing glasses seldom or not at all. In addition, the advanced engineering of this lens has significantly reduced the incidence of problems with glare and halos, so patients can see better in low lighting conditions and visual contrast is enhanced. For patients with astigmatism, there is also a toric version of the Symfony® available, which offers astigmatism correction along with the other benefits of this lens.
Alcon Acrysof® IQ Vivity™
Vivity is an extended-depth-of-focus (EDOL) lens. Instead of one small focal point, the focal point is spread out into a wider band, giving patients excellent distance vision and very good intermediate and near vision as well. While previous generations of EDOL lenses tended to create issues like glare, halos, and starbursts, the technology used to create Vivity was able to greatly reduce the chances of these issues, with just 2% of patients reporting that they have problems with these types of visual aberrations. After implantation with Vivity, most patients have good enough vision to complete all of their daily tasks without corrective lenses.
Learn More about Crystalens®, PanOptix®, Symfony®, and Vivity™ IOLs at our San Diego-area Practice
If you suffer from cataracts or presbyopia, our eye care professionals can help you restore your vision. We are proud to offer the lastest technology in IOLs, including Crystalens®, PanOptix®, Symfony®, and Vivity™ lenses, at our San Diego-area practice located in Carlsbad. To see if any of these treatments are right for you, contact North County Laser Eye Associates.
