Lens Implant Options
Modern innovations in lens technology have created more options than ever before to give you the exact vision you desire after your cataract procedure. Choosing the lens implant most likely to provide the visual outcome you are seeking is of the greatest importance.
Basic lens implants are designed to improve your vision in conjunction with corrective lenses in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
For people seeking the most independence from eyeglasses following their cataract procedure, Southern Eye Center offers the most advanced technology lens options available in the United States. These options include lenses designed to correct astigmatism (toric lens implants) and lenses designed to enable people to see at near, far, and distances in between without glasses and without increased glare (the PanOptix lens).
Your surgeon will help you to determine which lens implant and which procedure package is most likely to help you to achieve the vision you are seeking.*
Basic Lens
A basic lens implant is designed to offer improved vision at one point of focus (usually for distance).
Basic lens implants will help you see objects more clearly at a distance, for example when driving or watching sports, but you will also likely need bifocals or some form of reading glasses for near vision tasks, such as reading or intermediate vision tasks, such as using your smartphone, laptop computer and for sports and hobbies. It is the ideal choice for people looking for clearer distance vision and who don’t mind wearing glasses for most of their daily activities.
If you have corneal astigmatism, a basic lens implant without astigmatism correction will not fully improve your vision and you will likely need to wear eyeglasses for both distance vision and for close up activities.
Basic Lens
Toric Lens
For people with a moderate to significant amount of corneal astigmatism who desire to see clearly at a distance, a toric lens implant may be a good choice.
Astigmatism is a common condition that results when a person’s eye has a more oblong curve (like a football) instead of a spherical curve. This longer curve results in blurry or distorted vision due to how the curve affects the eye’s ability to focus properly.
For people with blurry vision due to astigmatism, a toric lens may be the best choice. It will adjust the curve of the cornea, fixing the astigmatism at the same time as fixing your cataract. Prior to the development of this advanced lens, patients suffering from astigmatism would require an additional procedure or glasses to achieve clearer distance vision. While this lens implant is designed to correct your astigmatism and improve your distance vision, reading glasses may still be required for near and intermediate vision tasks.
Toric Lens
PanOptix® Lens: The Most Complete Vision
As the first provider of the PanOptix lens to the Pine Belt, Southern Eye Center has performed more PanOptix implants than any other practice in the region as of November 2019. For those who want to have the most freedom from glasses or contacts, the PanOptix lens is the solution for you.
One common reason for choosing to receive a multifocal IOL is presbyopia. Presbyopia occurs naturally as people age. Over time, the natural “flexing” and movement of the lens by the eye muscles is reduced. Once the eye is no longer able to adjust the lens properly, we lose the ability to focus on near vision objects (such as reading). For many people, presbyopia begins occurring naturally between the ages of 40-50 and continues to get worse over time. Glasses are usually required by people suffering from presbyopia.
The PanOptix lens is truly game-changing technology. In a clinical study across 12 American states, patients demonstrated exceptional, uninterrupted vision with more than 99 percent stating they would choose the lens again!
Seems too good to be true? It’s not! Here are a few things you need to know about PanOptix:
All the Vision That Matters
Most people report having 20/20 near, intermediate, and distance vision giving them the most complete vision.
Reduced Need for Glasses
Cataract procedures all carry the same goal of improving someone’s corrected vision. The PanOptix lens’ ability to provide clear vision at all distances reduces the need for prescription glasses or contacts following your procedure.
Active Lifestyle Approved
With the active person in mind, this technology was designed to provide optimal vision in a variety of lighting conditions so that you can transition from your day-to-day activities flexibly. From high-quality distance vision to your computer screens to your mobile phone, PanOptix was designed for today’s active and digitally-connected lifestyles.
Talk to your surgeon about whether PanOptix is right for you. Many people tell us they rarely or never need to use their glasses!
Additional Options
LRI Incisions
For patients on a limited budget, a limbal relaxing incision (LRI) may be performed during your cataract procedure to reduce astigmatism and improve vision. This small incision, available to patients at a small additional fee, helps correct the curvature of the eye and reduce or eliminate the symptoms of astigmatism.
YAG Laser
A cataract never grows back once it is removed. However, there are occasional situations where the small sac that surrounds and supports the new lens inside your eye becomes cloudy after your procedure. This cloudiness is not the same as a cataract, and Southern Eye Center offers a simple laser treatment to address this cloudiness. Using an advanced YAG laser, we can create a clear opening in the sac which allows light to pass through, restoring your clear vision.
LASIK Fine Tunes
As the eye adjusts to the new lens after your cataract procedure, some patients desire a fine-tune for their vision to achieve the clearest vision possible. Because of the quality and precision of our cataract procedures, most of our patients do not need a LASIK fine-tune; your surgeon will be able to help you determine if a fine-tune is necessary to optimize your vision.
Southern Eye Center is proud to offer LASIK fine-tunes for cataract patients as part of our Precision Vision and Ultimate Vision packages. LASIK fine-tunes are available to other patients at an additional fee.
*Not everyone is a candidate for each lens and each procedure package. Your surgeon will determine which options correspond to the health of your eye, medical history, and your visual goals and will help guide your selection process.