Advances in lens implant technology by Ms Laura Crawley

Ms Laura Crawley,
BSc (Hons), MB ChB (Hons) MRCP, FRCOphth

Ms Crawley is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Cataract and Glaucoma Specialist at Clinica London. She continues her short series on cataracts in this third piece on intraocular lens implants.

I will have my cataract surgery

You have made the decision to have your cataract surgery and now you need good advice on the type of lens implant that would be right for you.

What is a lens implant?

Cataract surgery involves removing the aged cloudy human lens and replacing it with a plastic lens implant that is designed to stay in forever and completely individual to you and your eye. At Clinica London, we carry out biometric measurements of the eye to detail the length of the eyeball and the curvature of the surface alongside imaging of the retina and contour maps of the ocular surface to ensure you have access to the most suitable lens technology at the time of your cataract surgery.

Which lens implant?

The most commonly implanted lens is a high-quality distance lens implant designed to make your vision crisper, sharper and enhance your appreciation of colour and shade for distance vision. You still need glasses for reading and computer work but often your glass prescription is less complicated.

There is no lens replacement that will guarantee that you don’t need glasses but multifocal or ‘enhanced depth of focus’ lenses try to reduce our dependence on glasses for computer or reading and make us less dependent on spectacles.

Will I need glasses after cataract surgery?

You should be wary of any surgeon or practitioner who ‘guarantees’ that you will not need glasses after surgery as it simply isn’t possible to make that promise however an excellent cataract surgeon will explain all of the options that are suitable for you and perhaps, more importantly, those that aren’t suitable and may give you problems after surgery.

Think about your options

I strongly advise that patients considering cataract surgery take some time after the consultation to reflect on the possible types of lens implants that may be suitable for them before making a final decision and just remember that the lens implant your friend or relative had may not be right for you so really take the time to discuss with your surgeon at Clinica London all of the options available. This is time well spent.