Lens Implants at Spector Eye Care
For 20 years Dr. Spector has been offering patients Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL) to correct vision after cataract surgery. However, until recently, choosing the type of Lens Implant was exclusively within the scope of the cataract specialist’s recommendations. Today at Spector Eye Care, there are many types of Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL) that Dr. Spector can use in order to provide you with the best results to match your lifestyle. As with any surgical procedure, there are always risks as well as benefits. During your visit to our office we will perform a cataract examination and review the everyday activities that are most important to you to determine which lens implant will best suit your specific needs.
- Monofocal Lens Implants
- Multifocal (Presbyopia Correcting) Lens Implants
- Toric (Astigmatism Correcting) Lens Implants
Monofocal Lens Implants
A Monofocal lens implant is the most basic type of lens implant used to correct vision after cataract surgery. A monofocal lens implant can provide great vision after cataract surgery, but only at one set distance and usually for seeing things far away, such as for driving or going to the movies. A monofocal lens implant does not correct intermediate or arms length vision for doing things like playing cards, seeing the golf ball on the tee, or seeing computer screens clearly.
Monofocal lens implants also do not correct near vision for doing things up close such as seeing medicine bottles or reading your golf score, as these tasks require the correction of presbyopia. Thus in about 70% of cases, patients electing to have monofocal lens implants will be dependent on glasses either some or most of the time. Monofocal lenses are normally covered by Medicare.
Multifocal Lens Implants
Near vision presbyopia correcting lens implants provide excellent vision after cataract surgery at the full range of distances- far or distance vision, arms length or intermediate vision, and up close near vision. Depending on your specific vision requirements, there are several types of presbyopia correcting multifocal lens implants that Dr. Spector may recommend. These include the Tecnis® Multifocal intraocular lens implant and the ReSTOR® lens implant.
Each of these lens implants work in a different way to help you achieve your vision correction goals. Patients choosing multifocal lens implants typically experience a greater overall freedom from glasses, allowing them to participate in most everyday activities without dependence on, or the hassle of, glasses.
If you decide to have a near vision presbyopia correcting multifocal lens implant, our staff will review your questions and fully explain any additional fees related to the implant. Medicare and most insurances cover the cost of the cataract surgery, the surgical facility fee and the surgical fee, but not the cost of the presbyopia correcting multifocal lens and implantation. In most cases, Medicare or the insurance provider asks us to bill you for the additional cost of the necessary testing, the multifocal lens itself, and its implantation. Our staff will be pleased to review any costs should you decide that the multifocal lens is the best choice. Financing is available.
Toric Lens Implants
Toric lens implants are a type of lens implant that can correct astigmatism. Astigmatism is an optical aberration that is caused by the cornea being shaped more like a football than spherical like a baseball. For cataract patients who have astigmatism and who do not wish to wear eyeglasses to see clearly at a distance, choosing a Toric lens implant can help them be independent of glasses for tasks such as driving. Toric lens implants do not correct presbyopia, thus most patients still require reading glasses or bifocals to be able to comfortably perform near vision tasks, such as reading, and intermediate vision tasks, such as computer work.
