After the cataract is removed, a lens implant is put in the eye to reduce the need for glasses. There are different types of lenses that can be used to replace the natural lens. The choice of lens depends on various factors, including the patient’s lifestyle, vision needs and overall eye health. At the Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana, we offer three types of lenses:

Standard, monofocal lenses
The lenses are clear and provide many patients with sharp vision either for distance, near, or intermediate (in the middle) vision. However, since the lenses are only set for sharp focus at one distance, patients who choose to have this lens will still be dependent on glasses to some extent; for example, if you decide you want to have a reduced need for distance vision for driving, your surgeon will pick a lens for distance vision, but this means you would still need glasses for near tasks such as reading. This is the standard lens that insurance companies normally pay for and it is a great option for most patients.

Toric monofocal lenses
Some patients have a curvature called astigmatism in the cornea (the window at the front of the eye). For these patients, the traditional monofocal lens may result in improved vision but these patients will still have significant dependence on glasses for near and distance vision. Toric lenses are specifically designed to correct astigmatism in addition to addressing cataracts, and may not be covered by insurance in full. However, toric lenses are “monofocal”, meaning they only treat distance vision or near vision, not both, and thus patients will still have some dependence on glasses.

Lifestyle lenses (“multifocal” or “extended depth of field” lenses)
Lifestyle lenses give many patients the possibility to have clear vision at all distances after cataract surgery, either reducing or completely eliminating the need for any glasses. When we are young, the eye is able to focus on objects at different distances because it has a flexible lens inside that can change focus; this is the lens that becomes clouded by cataracts and is removed during cataract surgery. Standard monofocal and toric monofocal replacement lenses do not flex the same way that the natural lens does, so the lenses commonly used in cataract surgery only give good vision at one range and are typically designed to give good vision while driving or when outdoors as this is what most patients prefer; in those situations, the patient may not need glasses for distance, but they will need glasses for near tasks such as reading. Lifestyle lenses allow your eye to focus at different distances to give you good distance, intermediate and close vision. Many people can go through their daily life without glasses after receiving them. However, it is important to know that even with lifestyle lenses, the technology is not perfect and thus some patients may still require a minor glasses prescription to make the vision as sharp as possible. In addition, these lenses are not covered by insurance, and thus add to patient expense at the time of surgery.