Premium Intraocular Lenses

What is an intraocular lens?

Cataracts are clouded areas of lenses of the eye. Cataract surgery removes the cloudy lenses and replaces them intraocular lenses. Traditional intraocular lenses are monofocal which means they correct for only far vision and the patient will require glasses for near and intermediate vision.

What is a premium intraocular lens?

With advancements in intraocular lens technology, today patients can restore near and far vision with a single premium implanted IOL. Premium lenses are designed to achieve the best possible vision by allowing the patient to regain the ability to accommodate. Accommodation is the term that defines the capacity of the eye to actively change its refractive power to focus on objects at different distances.

What is a multifocal IOL?

Multifocal Intraocular lenses can provide continuous variation in refractive power to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and in some cases, also presbyopia (slow, age-related loss of elasticity of the lens which impairs the ability to focus actively on nearby objects). Research has shown that multifocal IOLs provide improved near, intermediate and far visual acuity (sharper vision), without glasses.

What is an extended focus IOLs?

Extended focus IOLs treat presbyopia. Presbyopia is the inability to sufficiently accommodate vision to focus clearly on close objects. Symptoms include difficulty reading small print, holding reading material farther away, eyestrain and headaches. It is an age – related condition that until the development of extended focus IOLs was treatable only with reading glasses, bifocals, progressive lenses, contact lenses and Lasik surgery.

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a common vision problem that causes blurred vision. It is the result of an irregularly shaped or curved cornea or lens inside the eye that interferes with the ability to properly focus light on the retina. It often occurs along with nearsightedness and farsightedness. Symptoms include blurred vision regardless of distance, eye strain and headaches. It can be treated with glasses, contact lenses, orthokeratology, and Lasik. A Toric IOL can correct astigmatism during cataract surgery.

Premium Intraocular Lenses

• Toric IOL –The toric or astigmatic intraocular lens is the choice to correct astigmatism. A toric IOL improves vision by offsetting the irregularly shaped cornea. Implanted at the time of cataract surgery, its unique design makes it possible to significantly improve uncorrected distance vision while eliminating corneal astigmatism.
• ReSTOR^™ Multifocal IOL – This implant has multiple overlapping segments that each provide a different range of focus, similar to bifocal, multifocal, or “progressive” lenses in glasses. This multifocal lens optimizes vision quality in all lighting conditions.
• Symfomy Extended Focus/ReStor IOL – These implants have specially designed rings that can afford the patient distance vision as well as near vision without glasses. These implants can be wonderful, as they greatly reduce the need for any glasses, but they have some drawbacks and not every patient is a good candidate. The doctors at Union Square have an impeccable reputation for carefully selecting those patients who are good candidates, so patients feel confident that the implant they receive is the one best suited for their needs.

Union Square Eye Care is an ophthalmic practice of leading eye experts in New York City founded by Dr. Jay Wisnicki MD who was previously the chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the prestigious Beth Israel Medical Center. Contact USEC to schedule a consultation at our Union Square practice or our Harlem location and enjoy top quality eye care.