Cataract Surgery

Cataract Surgery

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is the progressive clouding of the natural lens of the eye. This can occur from many different causes (age, disease, genes etc.). When the cataract becomes cloudy enough to interfere with one's vision such that it interferes with daily activities is when it is time to consider cataract surgery to restore functional vision and thus a return to normal daily activities. Our patients should consider cataract surgery in light of the fact that once cataracts are a problem, they will only get worse, and once they are removed, they are gone forever.

What is Cataract Surgery?

Cataract surgery never has to be repeated and the implants last forever. On rare occasions, implants can be exchanged for various reasons but this is a very rare event.

The surgeons of ECVA us state-of-the-art technology when performing cataract surgery.

Learn more about cataract surgery from eyesmart.org.

Lens Implants

What is an Intraocular Lens (IOL)?

Like your eye's natural lens, an IOL helps you see by focusing the light that comes through the cornea and pupil, focusing the light onto the retina. The retina converts the light rays into signals that are sent through the optic nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted as the images we see.

What is the difference between Traditional and Premium (Accommodating) Intraocular lenses (IOLs)?

There are several types of artificial lenses that are available to cataract patients today. These include:

Premium or Accommodating Lenses - those that flex like the eye's natural lens
Multifocal Lenses - designed to see near, intermediate and far through their lens' optics
Toric Lenses - designed to treat astigmatism

When your cataract is removed, you will have the opportunity to correct the need for prescription glasses. Depending on the type of implant chosen, some patients may not require glasses ever, even to read!

Premium Lens Implant

Has your ECVA doctor told you that you are in the early stages of developing cataracts or suggested that refractive lens exchange would be a good vision correction option? If so, you might want to consider premium lens options. Premium lens implants have been helping people over 40 and cataract aged patients have the active lifestyle they has when they were younger. The surgeons of ECVA have been trained in the latest intraocular surgery techniques involving lens implantation with multifocal, accommodating, and toric lens implants also referred to as premium lens implants.

Emerging Lens Implant Technology

This intraocular lens technology has advanced swiftly to dramatically improve a patient's ability to see with lens implants after cataract surgery or even as refractive lens exchange before the development of cataracts. Some of these new intraocular lens implants might even be a better vision correction option than LASIK eye surgery depending on your prescription and age. In the past with LASIK eye surgery our doctors could correct myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Now with the advent of premium multifocal IOL lens implants the giant burden of presbyopia can now be corrected. Presbyopia affects a vast part of our aging population and often requires bifocal glasses. People in their mid-forties that have trouble with reading and typically experiencing the first effects of presbyopia.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism causes a distortion or can blur when viewing both near and far objects. A Toric lens can be used to round and smooth the cornea to improve vision.

Traditional Lens Implants

Prior to the new premium lens implant technologies enabling people to see at all distances the only option for lens implants after cataract surgery were known as MONOFOCAL. This meant that the lens implant is only capable of one distance (FAR, MIDDLE, OR NEAR). For years patients would have monofocal lens implants but the require eyeglasses after cataract surgery. In many cases patients would option for a good distance lens and just use glasses for reading or when needed in close proximity.

ECVA offers a comprehensive choice of Intraocular lenses (IOLs) depending on your vision needs and recommendation of your ECVA surgeon.

Learn more about Intraocular lenses (IOLs) from eyesmart.org.

What are my choices for Premium IOLs?

ECVA offers several options for IOLs. Your surgeon will discuss options and with the assistance of ECVA's highly trained IOL counselors help you understand the choices you have to achieve the best vision possible.