If you depend on eyeglasses, you may have experienced the inconvenience of not being able to find your glasses when you really need them. Eyeglasses are easily lost or damaged, expensive to replace, and inconvenient to clean and maintain. The more active you are, the more eyeglasses interfere with your lifestyle by complicating your participation in daily and recreational activities.

Surgery to treat cataracts is an outpatient procedure in which we remove the clouded natural lens and replace it with an artificial lens. Traditionally, surgeons implant a monofocal artificial lens, commonly called an “intraocular lens” (IOL). If you have astigmatism, however, you may still experience blurred and distorted vision because a standard IOL cannot correct corneal astigmatism. To achieve quality distance vision with a standard IOL, you may still require eyeglasses, contact lenses, or further surgery.

Dr. Birchansky and Fox Eye offer several options for special lenses to combat the frustrations of cataracts and astigmatism.

AcrySof® ReSTOR® Lens

Dr. Birchansky offers the ReSTOR® lens implant, which is a breakthrough lens for cataract surgery that lets patients see from near to far, usually without glasses. An innovative optical technology called “apodization” makes the ReSTOR® lens uniquely effective, especially when placed in both eyes. A similar technology has been used for years in microscopes and telescopes to improve the image quality and has now been patented for use in IOLs by Alcon.

AcrySof® Toric Lens

The AcrySof® Toric lens is a foldable, single-piece lens that an eye surgeon implants during cataract surgery to replace the clouded lens. The unique design of the AcrySof® Toric IOL makes it possible to reduce or eliminate corneal astigmatism and significantly improve uncorrected distance vision. AcrySof® Toric lens provides quality distance vision, independent of eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Crystalens® Accommodating Lens

See near, far, and everything in between with less dependence on spectacles. The Crystalens® accommodating lens delivers comprehensive vision quality. Unlike other lens technologies that may ask you to sacrifice near or intermediate vision, Crystalens® uses 100% of the available light rays at all distances – near, intermediate and far – so your life is always in focus. Crystalens® flexes to accommodate near, intermediate and distance subjects.

TRULIGN Toric IOL

TRULIGN Toric IOL is a premium IOL that can treat not only your cataracts, but your astigmatism, too. It is designed to provide you with a broader range of vision. TRULIGN Toric IOL is an IOL that replaces the eye’s natural lens after cataracts have been removed. Unlike a standard toric IOL, it is designed to both correct your cataracts and give you back a broader range of vision. In many cases, it is designed to reduce your dependence on glasses after cataract surgery.