Cataract Education
Cataract surgery & lens options
What are Cataracts?
A cataract is when your eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy, causing vision to become blurred. Symptoms include blurry vision, seeing double or a ghosted image out of the eye with cataract, being extra sensitive to light (especially with oncoming headlights at night), poor night vision, and seeing bright colors as faded or yellow instead.
Discover Your Lens Options for Cataract Surgery
At our clinic, we believe that informed patients make the best decisions for their vision. That’s why we’ve created this page to help you explore the various lens options available for cataract surgery. Watch the videos below to learn how each type of lens can enhance your vision and fit your lifestyle.
Our goal is to help you see clearly—both now and into the future.
Monofocal Lens - Standard
A monofocal IOL offers improved vision for distance OR near (patient’s choice) after cataract surgery. This lens does not correct astigmatism. Patients should expect to wear glasses to refine both distance and near vision.
Monofocal Lens - Toric
A Toric Lens in monofocal configuration corrects astigmatism to achieve the sharpest possible vision at distance OR near (patient choice). Need for glasses is significantly reduced at targeted range (usually distance) but may be occasionally required to enhance vision. Glasses will be required at the alternate range (usually near).
Monovision Configuration
Monovision refers to a configuration of lenses (either standard lenses or toric lenses) in which one lens is focused for good distance vision and the other lens is focused for near vision. The objective is to reduce the need for glasses at near and distance by having one eye focused at each distance. Some patients will not tolerate monovision well. A two-week trial with contact lenses to simulate monovision is required before surgery. Patients may require glasses to refine distance and/or near vision.
Multifocal Lens
A multifocal lens corrects vision for near, intermediate and distance. It is intended to significantly decrease dependence on glasses at all distances.
Need for glasses is significantly reduced but glasses may be needed occasionally to enhance vision at all distances. Glare and halos will be present at night (greater than for extended depth of vision IOL). Contrast sensitivity and visual acuity (sharpness of vision) are frequently reduced. Reading is more difficult in low light conditions. Patients with prior laser refractive surgery or retinal diseases (such as macular degeneration and glaucoma) are generally NOT good candidates for this lens.
Enhanced Range of Vision Lens
An extended range of vision lens significantly decreases dependence on glasses at distance and intermediate ranges. Glasses will be required at near.
Need for glasses is significantly reduced at far and intermediate distances but glasses may be required to enhance the vision. Contrast sensitivity and visual acuity (sharpness of vision) are occasionally reduced. Reading is more difficult in low light conditions. Patients with prior laser refractive surgery or retinal diseases (such as macular degeneration and glaucoma) are generally NOT good candidates for this lens.
