Before undergoing cataract surgery, you may have questions about the procedure. You may also wonder about the kinds of intraocular lenses that will help restore your vision.
Keep reading to learn more about IOLs and how they help correct your vision during cataract surgery!
What Causes Cataracts?
The most common cause of cataracts is aging and can start to occur around the age of 40. By the age of 60, many people have some clouding of their lenses because the normal proteins in the eye’s natural lens start breaking down.
If other family members had cataracts, then you may be more likely to get them as well. Some medical factors, including having diabetes, being a smoker, or if you’ve ever had an eye injury, can also contribute to cataracts.
Will I Need Cataract Surgery?
Cataracts will not go away on their own. Some people can manage them at first with stronger lighting and glasses, but eventually, a person with cataracts notices that their vision is now impaired.
Having impaired vision interferes with everyday activities. Cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the world.
Fortunately, cataract surgery is safe, effective, and common, and is a successful way of restoring vision. It involves removing the eye’s clouded natural lens and replacing it with a clear, permanent, state-of-the-art lens implant.
The first step in finding out if someone needs cataract surgery is to schedule a consultation with an experienced eye doctor, like those at Metro Eye Care.
What Can I Expect During Cataract Surgery?
Intraocular lenses, or IOLs, replace the cloudy lenses of your natural eyes once they become damaged from cataracts. No one feels the IOL once it’s implanted in the eye.
It simply becomes a permanent part of the eye, ensuring that light can enter the retina of your eye to keep vision clear. IOLs are a safe and practical way to restore vision through cataract surgery.
Before cataract surgery, an eye doctor will conduct an eye exam and determine the amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism that needs correcting. They will measure your eyes to determine the length and curvature. This helps the surgeon select the best intraocular lens to give the best possible vision after surgery.
What Types of Intraocular Lenses Can I Choose From?
Your eye doctor will consider your lifestyle and visual needs when recommending an IOL. A person who spends a lot of time working on a computer or digital device may want to consider getting a monofocal IOL for near vision and use glasses for distance vision.
IOLs have been used by eye surgeons for decades and are safe. Vision results vary from person to person.
Some people no longer need contacts or glasses after surgery, but some still use them to enhance their new clearer vision. Once an IOL is implanted in the eye to replace the cloudy lens, it becomes a permanent part of the eye, and you don’t need to have it removed.
A monofocal lens is the most common kind of intraocular lens. It will correct vision at one distance – either near or far.
People who use monofocal IOLs get them for distance vision and use reading glasses for up-close tasks. Most monofocal IOLs are covered by Medicare and other vision insurance.
Multifocal lenses can correct both far and near vision, and some can even correct intermediate vision. Multifocal lenses are considered premium lenses.
Your insurance may not cover a premium lens, meaning you’ll have to pay out of pocket. Patients with astigmatism may do best with a toric lens that eliminates their cataracts and reduces their astigmatism since toric lenses have an extra built-in correction for astigmatism.
Want to learn more about cataract surgery? Schedule a cataract screening at Metro Eye Care in Paramus, NJ, today!
