Choosing a Lens
The lenses used in cataract surgery come in a wide range of powers. By taking special measurements of the eye we can determine what power is required so that you are less dependent on your glasses after surgery. If you have cataracts your options fall into two basic categories, monofocal or multifocal. Monofocal lenses can give you clear vision at a single point without glasses. Patients having a monofocal lens will have to choose between seeing well without glasses at distance, or up close, and they will need to use glasses for the other activity.
If you have astigmatism your doctor may recommend a special type of a monofocal lens called a toric intraocular lens. It works to correct the abnormal curvature of your cornea to correct astigmatism and cataracts in a single step. By addressing your astigmatism with this toric lens, a patient’s distance vision can be much clearer without glasses. However glasses will still be needed for reading.
If your eyes are healthy your decision to choose between a monofocal or a multifocal lens will be based on your lifestyle. What activities are most important to you? Are you active and motivated to be independent of glasses and contacts in most situations? Would you like to read without needing glasses all the time? These are a few key questions your doctor and their team will discuss with you, and together you can determine if a multifocal lens might be right for you.