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New Intraocular Lens Technology
Multifocal Implants
Premium Multifocal Lens Implantation
When you have a cataract, the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. Light cannot pass through the lens easily, and your vision becomes blurred. During cataract surgery, Dr. Palmer removes the cloudy, natural lens and replaces it with a clear, artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL helps your eye regain its focusing ability and allows you to see clearly again.
The most common type of IOL is the monofocal or fixed-focus IOL. The monofocal lens helps you attain clearer vision at one distance. Note that eyeglasses and contact lenses are still required in order for you to see clearly at all ranges of distance.
Another type of IOL is the multifocal IOL. The multifocal lens has several rings of different powers built into the lens. The part of the ring you look through will determine if you can see clearly at far, near, or intermediate distances.
Implanting an IOL takes about 20 minutes and is an outpatient procedure. In addition to a preoperative eye exam, Dr. Palmer will take some measurements of your eyes and give you topical or local anesthesia. He makes a few small incisions close to the edge of the cornea and then inserts a small, ultrasound instrument to break up the center of the eye’s natural lens. The lens is then vacuumed out through one of the incisions. Dr. Palmer folds and inserts the IOL through the same incision. These incisions are usually self-sealing, requiring no stitches. Once implanted, a multifocal or accommodative IOL allows you to focus on near or distant objects.
Risks associated with implanting IOLs include overcorrection or under-correction, infection, increased floaters, retinal detachment, dislocation of the implant, halos, glare, dry eye, decreased contrast sensitivity, clouding of a portion of the IOL, and loss of vision.
If you are going to have cataract surgery, Dr. Palmer will discuss which IOL may be best for your vision needs. Please feel free to read about some of the lens implant options available to you through the Palmer Eye Center.
Restor™Lens: (Download the ReSTOR IOL Brochure)
Restoring Vision For Cataract Patients in Florida
FDA Clinical Trials Show 80% of Patients Are Spectacle FREE after surgery.
ReStor LensThe AcrySof ReSTOR lens is a foldable IOL that represents breakthrough technology because of its unique, patented optic design, which allows patients to experience the highest level of freedom from glasses ever achieved in IOL clinical trials.
The AcrySof ReSTOR IOL uses a combination of three complementary technologies: apodization, diffraction and refraction, to allow patients to experience a full range of high quality vision without the need for reading glasses or bifocals. This range of vision without glasses is achieved through the optical properties of the IOL.
The benefit for patients is a high level of spectacle freedom. Alcon has patented the application of apodization technology to an IOL, making the AcrySof ReSTOR lens the first and only apodized diffractive IOL.
During U.S. clinical trials, the results with ReSTOR were remarkable:
- 80% of patients reported that after lens implant surgery with ReSTOR lenses, they no longer needed glasses or contact lenses to see clearly at all distances.
- 94% said they could drive and read the paper without contacts or glasses.
- Nearly 94% were so satisfied that they would have the procedure again.
The Technis IOL is an intraocular lens that is implanted within the eye following cataract surgery. Unlike other IOLs, the Technis IOL allows patients to see with more functionality following surgery.
The Technis IOL provides patients with the ability to perform normal, everyday activities in different lighting. Which means a patient can see and do things regardless if it is sunny, foggy, rainy or cloudy. Other IOLs may still limit the ability of a patient in certain lighting conditions.
During cataract surgery, the natural lens of the eye is removed because of the cloudiness. The lens is replaced by an intraocular lens (IOL). Most IOLs are designed to be a spherical shape similar to the natural lens that was removed from the eye. The Technis IOL has been designed to be an aspheric shape which allows user to see with better functionality.
The Technis was designed to help compensate for the aberrations that a present on most people's corneas. The aspheric design and compensation for the aberrations, the Technis is able to refract light more accurately and helps patients see more details in lower lighting settings. The Technis used Wavefront technology which help to correct a majority of the corneal aberrations.
Alcon Toric IOL - AcrySof® Toric lens (Download the Toric IOL Brochure)
For patients with cataracts and astigmatism there is the AcrySof® Toric lens, which corrects for both conditions simultaneously. The design of this new Alcon Toric IOL is really quite amazing and makes it possible reduce or potentially eliminate astigmatism after cataract surgery. Because this is a premium lens implant it is not completely covered by medicare or insurance. Please consult with our staff regarding payment options if you are interested in the Alcon Toric IOL.
Accommodating Intraocular Lens Implant Technology - Crystalens®
Have you heard of the NEW Crystalens® accommodating IOL technology?
Dr. Palmer is now a certified Crystalens® surgeon in Florida.
If you have heard of the hassles of developing cataracts and are concerned about seeing an ophthalmologist to correct this vision condition please contact Palmer Eye Center immediately. Dr. Palmer at Palmer Eye Center now has the technology, experience and capability to insert a revolutionary lens implant technology known as Crystalens®. This advancement is lens technology will benefit senior aged patients who may be developing cataracts. When a cataract does occurs in the eye, one of the biggest issues is that the lens hardens and does not flex or move to accommodate your vision. This new lens technology is a man made IOL that can actually react more like your natural crystalline lens. The end result is better vision at not only one distance, but multiple distances.
What is the Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens?
The Crystalens® accommodating intraocular lens is an intraocular lens used after cataract surgery or as a lens alternative in presbyopic lens exchange. The concept of the lens was engineered with a hinge design to allow the optic, or part of the lens that you see through, to move back and forth as your focus on an image changes. The Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens is permanently implanted with a surgical process and functions in a similar fashion as the natural eye. Once the surgery has been completed your eyes can focus on far or near objects in a comfortable way with no discomfort. If you are experiencing presbyopia or cataracts please feel free to consult us about the possibility of utilizing the new Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens.
FDA Clinical Trial Information
- 100% could see intermediate (24" to 30") without glasses, the distance for most of life's activities
- 98.4% of patients implanted with crystalens in both eyes could pass a driver's test without glasses
- Some patients did require glasses for some tasks after implantation of the crystalens
- 98.4% could see well enough to read the newspaper and the phone book without glasses.
- Significantly more patients implanted with a crystalens (88.4%) could see better at all distances then patients implanted with a standard IOL (35.9%)
