Intraocular Lens (IOL) for Cataracts
When your eye's normally clear natural lens becomes cloudy, it is called a cataract. An eye doctor with the Reingold Eye Center in Los Angeles can remove your cloudy lens and replace it with an intraocular lens that lets you see again. There are several types of these lenses, and your eye surgeon will replace your cataract with the one you choose and that is right for you.
What is an Intraocular Lens?
If you've developed a cataract, you may notice problems with your vision like glare while driving at night, difficulty reading street signs. At this point your vision has been compromised. In a surgical procedure we’ve done thousands and thousands of times, an eye doctor with our Center will create a tiny incision (1.2mm) through which your clouded lens can be removed and the artificial lens inserted.
Insertion of a IOL
Implanted Intraocular Lens (IOL)
This lens may be made from plastic, silicone or acrylic and works to focus incoming light onto your retina, just like your natural lens did. Intraocular lenses can also be used to minimize nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Some newer lenses even allow you to increase your visual range.
What Types of Intraocular Lenses are Available?
The most common one is a monocular (single focus) lens that gives excellent distance vision but require reading glasses to see clearly up close. Advances in technology have resulted in multifocal intraocular lenses that correct vision at distance and near, or distance and midrange. An accommodative or variable focus lenses use your eye's intraocular muscles to achieve the same results. Toric lenses are an intraocular lens that is used to correct astigmatism. To find out what is best for you, speak with your eye surgeon at the Reingold Eye Center.
What Should I Expect if I Have an Intraocular Lens Implanted After Cataract Surgery?
In most cases, you won't feel a thing or any different. After your procedure, you can usually go home and resume any non-strenuous activities. You will have a series of follow-up visits where your eye doctor will monitor your recovery, and your previously impaired vision that was due to the cataract, will gradually return or improve in a matter of days or weeks; for some patients, improvement will be immediately noticeable.
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