Advanced Cataract Surgery in NYC
All About Cataract Surgery
Our doctors and staff will discuss with you the details of cataract surgery, and will always be available to answer any questions or concerns.
Your eyes and quality of vision is important to us.
Cataract Surgery: Intraocular Lens Implants
Once you have made the decision to undergo cataract surgery with your eye doctor, you will have a series of decisions to make related to the type of artificial lens implant you will have. These IntraOcular Lenses, or IOLs, not only correct cataracts, but can also correct pre-existing vision conditions, all in the same procedure. At Laser & Corneal Surgery Associates, we are here to help you make the best possible decision for you vision. Choosing the right IOL can not only correct cataracts, but can also give even better vision than you had before cataracts! There are many options, and we recommend you can talk to your surgeon about which IOL will best suit you, your lifestyle and your needs.
If you are considering cataract surgery, and you also have a condition such as astigmatism, myopia or hyperopia, you are a good candidate for these revolutionary IOLs that not only correct cloudy, cataract lenses, but can give you the sight you’ve always wanted!
According to a survey conducted by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, more than 98% of cataract patients had their vision successfully improved after surgery. Many patients experience vision that is actually better than before they developed cataracts.
At Laser & Corneal Surgery Associates, we offer many options for cataract lens implants. Our doctors can help you determine which premium lens implant is best for you and your lifestyle.
What are the different kinds of lens implants?
In general, cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens in the eye, and replacing it with an artificial prosthetic lens implant. Once you have made the decision to undergo cataract surgery with your eye doctor, you will have a series of decisions to make regarding the type of artificial lens implant you would like to have. These IntraOcular Lenses, or IOLs, come in different varieties. Trying to figure out what type of lens implant best suits you, can be difficult, intimidating, and scary. At Laser & Corneal Surgery Associates, we are here to help you make the best possible decision for you vision. Choosing the right IOL can not only correct cataracts, but can also give even better vision than what you had before cataracts! There are many options, and we recommend you can talk to your surgeon about which IOL will best suit you, your lifestyle and your needs.
The standard lens covered by insurance is a single-focus lens implant; with this lens, patients experience improved quality of vision at distance but may still need to wear glasses or bifocals. We also offer the latest in advanced-technology lenses, which offer an enhanced range of focus from distance to near, and reduce your need for glasses for computer work and/or reading permanently. As these advanced implant technology lenses are considered a premium upgrade, insurance companies do not cover the cost and patients have to pay out-of-pocket for this upgrade beyond a standard single-focus lens.
In general, intraocular lenses come in three varieties:
Monofocal
Toric
Multifocal
The most common type of lens implant is a monofocal; this is a clear lens that replaces a cataract, but does not correct for astigmatism, presbyopia, or other vision conditions. This is considered the standard type of lens, and is the most commonly used type of lens. Medicare and most health insurance plans will cover the cost of this single-focus lens. With this type of IOL, you will have clear vision when wearing a pair of prescription glasses, and you will need either separate glasses or bifocals/progressives when switching between distance activities (like driving) and reading.
A toric lens will correct for astigmatism. This will grant you very precise vision at a single focal point, most often set with distance vision. With this type of IOL, You will have clear vision without glasses at a distance, such as when driving, but you will still need to wear over-the-counter reading glasses for reading. Laser-assisted cataract surgery is also able to correct for astigmatism, and with low to moderate levels of astigmatism, is often a cheaper option for a patient. Your surgeon will discuss with you whether a toric lens is appropriate for the anatomy of your eye.
A multifocal lens implant is ideal for someone who doesn’t want to wear glasses at all. In general, these lenses are ideal for patients who have active lifestyles, and dramatically reduce your need for glasses in almost all daily activities. With a multifocal IOL, you are able to achieve very precise vision for sporting activities, watching movies, driving a car, taking digital photographs, navigating a cell phone and reading off of a computer screen - all without glasses!
We offer the most advanced toric and multifocal IOLs for our patients. As these advanced implant technology lenses are considered a premium upgrade, insurance companies do not cover the cost and patients have to pay out-of-pocket for this upgrade beyond a standard monofocal lens. Our doctors can help you determine which premium lens implant is best for you and your lifestyle.
Varieties of advanced technology “premium” lens implants include:
Toric Lens Implants:
AcrySof IQ Toric IOL
Tecnis Toric IOL
Multifocal Lens Implants:
JnJ Tecnis Symfony Diffractive IOL
Alcon PanOptix Trifocal IOL
JnJ Eyehance Extended Depth of Focus IOL
Alcon Vivity Extended Depth of Focus IOL
Crystalens Accomodating IOL
Note: based on the anatomy of your eye, you may not be a candidate for every type of lens. Your surgeon will advise you as to what kind of lens best suits the anatomy of your eye.
Because cataract surgery is an important decision, you may have some questions. Be sure to address any questions or concerns you have with your doctor before proceeding. This is the best way to get clear answers that apply specifically to your vision and cataract surgery.
More about Toric lens implants:
During cataract surgery, the natural lens is replaced with an artificial intraocular lens. IOLs are generally made of a flexible material, making it easy for your surgeon to insert via a small incision in the cornea. When the IOL replaces the cataract-affected lens, light is able to travel through the lens uninhibited and vision is restored! Cataract patients will generally receive a monofocal IOL, which corrects cataracts but does nothing to correct existing vision problems like astigmatism. If you have astigmatism, you will still experience the blurriness associated with astigmatism after cataract surgery. Unless astigmatism is also corrected, high quality vision will not be gained.
Toric lens implants are astigmatism correcting IOLs for a single focal point. This is a special type of monofocal lens designed to correct for cataracts and pre-existing astigmatism. These lenses will provide distance vision while glasses will be required for near vision activities such as reading.
More about multifocal lens implants:
Multifocal lens implants are lenses with multiple focal points, designed to replace cataracts and correct presbyopia in order to provide a full range of vision - for near, intermediate and distance vision. At the same time these lenses offer enhanced image quality at all distances. In general, multifocal lenses come in two different varieties:
Trifocal Lens
Extended Depth of Focus Lens
In general, these lenses are ideal for patients who have active lifestyles, and do not want to wear glasses in most daily activities. You are able to achieve very precise vision for sporting activities, watching movies, driving a car, taking digital photographs, navigating a cell phone and reading off of a computer screen - all without glasses!
Trifocal lenses may have a side effect of some glare and halos, especially at nighttime. However, they are not very prominent or bothersome for most people (unless you really like stargazing).
Extended Depth of Focus lenses do not have side effects of glare and halos at nighttime, however the range of focus is not quite as large as a trifocal lens. After surgery, you will still need to wear over-the-counter reading glasses to read really small fine print; however there are fewer compromises with quality of vision, and rarely do patients notice nighttime glare and halos.
Types of Multifocal IOLs:
Trifocal Intraocular Lens
Alcon PanOptix Trifocal IOL
JnJ Synergy Trifocal IOL
Extended Depth of Focus Lens
Alcon Vivity Extended Range of Vision IOL
JnJ Tecnis Symfony Extended Depth of Focus IOL
Trifocal IOLs
Alcon PanOptix | JnJ Synergy
Alcon Vivity Extended Depth of Focus Lens
We at Laser and Corneal Surgery Associates are honored and pleased to offer the Alcon Clareon IQ Vivity extended vision intraocular lens (IOL) amongst our repertoire of advanced technology, premium intraocular lenses. We are amongst the first practice in the New York tri-state area to offer this new and innovative lens technology for our patients. This recently approved extended range of vision IOL is the latest advancement in IOL technology, with the goal of granting excellent vision at all ranges of focus, without glasses.
There are many multifocal IOLs today, what makes the Alcon Vivity lens different?
The Vivity IOL is the first-of-its-kind, non-diffractive multifocal IOL. The lens makes use of Alcon's proprietary non-diffractive X-Wave technology, comprising of two smooth surface transition elements on the anterior surface of the IOL that work simultaneously to create continuous, extended range of vision rather than separate focal points.
Presently, diffractive multifocal IOLs are designed with multiple concentric rings that split and diffract light to multiple focal points. This lens technology allows a patient to have clear vision at different focal points: at a distance (for driving), intermediate range (using a computer, cooking), and near vision (reading, knitting). However, due to the concentric ring design, patients have a mild decreased quality of vision in low-light, high-contrast conditions, and may see some glare and halos around lights at nighttime. For most patients, this is an acceptable compromise; having excellent daytime vision at all distances, while contending with some mild visual aberration at nighttime that doesn't interfere with most activities.
However, for patients who have had a history of LASIK/PRK, retinal conditions, diabetes, glaucoma, or simply care about having a no-compromise, excellent quality of vision solution, the Vivity Lens fills an unmet need.
According to patient-reported outcomes, the Alcon Vivity enables high-quality vision at far and intermediate ranges as well as functional up-close vision. Recent clinical trials found Vivity provides very good quality of vision at distance and intermediate ranges in bright and dim light. Without glasses, 94 percent of patients reported good or very good vision at distance, and 92 percent reported good or very good vision at arm’s length. Additionally, patients using Vivity reported such low levels of starbursts, halos and glares that Vivity’s visual disturbance profile is comparable to a monofocal lens.
Attributes of this lens include:
Provides a continuous extended focal range to deliver distance, intermediate, and some functional near vision for patients
Delivers excellent quality of vision with minimal visual disturbances, higher order aberrations, on par with a monofocal IOL
Does not diffract or “split” incoming light into the eye
Provides a "no-compromise" multifocal range of vision to correct for Presbyopia, without halos or glare
Available with astigmatism correction
About Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a common, age-related vision condition in which people have difficulty focusing on things up close. It involves the gradual loss of the eye’s ability to focus on close objects, such as smart phones, computers, books and menus. Almost everyone will experience presbyopia to some degree as they age, with symptoms often first appearing as an individual enters their 40s and continues to worsen into their 60s. The condition is not a disease, so it cannot be cured; however, there are safe and effective ways to correct presbyopia, including eye glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.
Extended Range of Vision IOLs
Alcon Vivity, JnJ AMO Eyehance
