All About Cataracts

The use of premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) in cataract surgery performed in the United States is increasing, according to recent surveys.

Premium IOLs include multifocal lens implants and accommodating IOLs. Both types of presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses give patients a broader range of vision, reducing or eliminating the need for reading glasses after cataract surgery.

According to a recent survey of cataract and refractive surgeons reported by the eyecare industry research firm Market Scope, 71 percent of U.S. eye surgeons offered their patients the option of premium IOLs in 2008, up from approximately 59 percent in 2007. The company also estimates that 210,000 presbyopia-correcting IOLs were implanted during cataract surgery or other vision correction procedures in the U.S. in 2008, up from 153,000 in 2007.

Eye surgeons also say they prefer premium IOLs for the correction of high myopia. In a 2008 member survey of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) more eye surgeons responding to the survey reported preferring premium IOLs (40 percent) to LASIK (23 percent) for the correction of large amounts of nearsightedness in patients desiring elective refractive surgery.

Among ASCRS surgeons using presbyopia-correcting premium IOLs, their top three lens choices in 2008 were the AcrySof ReSTOR multifocal IOL (Alcon), the Crystalens accommodating IOL (Bausch & Lomb) and the ReZoom Multifocal IOL (Abbott Medical Optics).

Other premium intraocular lenses include toric IOLs that correct astigmatism and aspheric IOLs designed to reduce glare and improve night vision.

Premium IOLs cost more than standard IOLs, and the added expense of these lenses typically is not covered by vision insurance and must be paid out-of-pocket, increasing your cataract surgery cost. However, most people who choose premium IOLs are very pleased with the added visual benefits the lenses provide, according to eye surgeons who offer them.

Most people undergoing cataract surgery with implantation of a multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) require approximately six months to fully adapt to the IOL and achieve maximum visual benefit, according to new research from Spain.

Researchers at Hospital Quiron in Madrid evaluated the visual performance of patients receiving the Tecnis Multifocal IOL (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, Calif.) over time after their cataract surgery. A total of 250 eyes of 137 patients received the multifocal IOL, and patients were evaluated at intervals of one to three days, 30 to 90 days and 150 to 210 days after surgery.

Results of the study revealed that the patients demonstrated a significant improvement in uncorrected and spectacle-corrected visual acuity at both distance and near over the course of the seven-month study period.

At the last follow-up visit (roughly six months after surgery), eye chart testing of the visual acuity (VA) of eyes receiving the multifocal IOL revealed:

• 77.6 percent had uncorrected distance VA of 20/30 or better.
• 98.4 percent had best spectacle-corrected distance VA of 20/30 or better.
• 96.8 percent had uncorrected near VA of 20/25 or better.

More than 90 percent of the patients rated their near, distance and overall vision as good or excellent, and 88.4 percent of the patients did not wear eyeglasses or reading glasses.

Over the course of the study, most patients experienced an improvement in their visual acuity at all distances and a decrease in the intensity of glare and other undesired visual phenomena.

The researchers concluded that the Tecnis Multifocal IOL provides excellent uncorrected near vision and good distance vision when used to treat cataracts. Most patients, however, required an adaptation period of approximately six months to experience the full visual benefits of the lens, they said.

You can learn more about the Tecnis Multifocal IOL by visiting this Abbott Medical Optics website.