Elective Eye Surgery

61 year old Winnie Herman savors every moment with her 20 month old granddaughter, Katie. But, she says, her glasses have been a definite hindrance on their time together. “It became very, very frustrating and seemingly the glasses were taking over my life. I had various pairs and sometimes I would forget where they were and I would start to get nervous if we were going out if I didn’t have them. I started to lose some independence,” says Winnie. Initially, Winnie was considering Lasik surgery, but, instead she received a multifocal intraocular lens implant. “The multi-focal lens approaches the challenge of spectacles independence. In other words, it allows the patient to see distance, intermediate, and near, most of the time, without wearing glasses, or spectacles,” says ophthalmologist, Dr. Kenneth Rosenthal. Lasik surgery, which uses a laser to sculpt and re-shape the corneal tissue for vision correction, was all the rage in the 90’s…it successfully freed millions from their glasses, but, medical experts now believe that particularly, for baby boomers, multifocal lens technology will soon be the treatment of choice.

“If we do this procedure, the multi-focal lens implant, the patient will never develop a cataract because we’re removing the lens of the eye and therefore saved themselves from needing this procedure later on. If we do Lasik the patient is still going to need a cataract procedure later on,” says Dr. Rosenthal.

Multifocal intraocular lens implants replace the eye’s natural lens. A small incision of 3mm is placed at the periphery of the cornea and the eye’s natural lens is aspirated by ultrasound through this incision. The multifocal lens is then implanted. The procedure is performed routinely to treat cataracts…which occurs when the eye’s lens becomes cloudy and interferes with vision.

“The classic candidate, if you will, is the person who can’t see distance or near without putting on a pair of glasses or wearing a contact lens. This is typically a patient over the age of 45, although, they can be younger. It’s also a very, very good procedure for a patient who already has the beginning of a cataract,” explains Dr. Rosenthal. For Winnie, the procedure has given her new found freedom and it’s made the joy of being a grandmother that much sweeter.

“I can take her out and drive, and not be worried about my vision and endangering her. Playing with her is wonderful, she’s not pulling the glasses off from my head. So it’s really given me a boost that way, being able to play with her, do anything, take care of her.” In some cases, multifocal synthetic lenses can lead to a decrease in vision contrast. Halos around light sources can also occur at dawn and dusk.

And the implants are not for everyone…patients with chronic and progressive disorders of the eye such as glaucoma and certain retinal disorders, and patients younger than 18 years old should not get multifocal lenses. When it comes to recovery, Dr. Rosenthal says that after iol surgery, the patient doesn’t need to wear a patch or coverings over the eye. 90% of patients see 20/40 and 80% of patients can see 20/20 after the first day.

Related Stories

 - Understanding Conjunctivitis
 - New Cataract Procedure
 - Iris Prosthetic