Posted by: Aker Kasten Eye Center in Lenses on April 15, 2015
Not everyone gets to pick the lens they see everything through. I suppose if you have cataracts and are getting laser cataract surgery, that is one of the pros about your condition. Your old lens might have let you down, but now you get to choose a new one. Your doctor will help you make the decision, but here are the basics to get you started.
Standard Intraocular Lenses
A standard IOL is nothing new. Having been on the market for decades, these lenses are great for giving you effective and clear distance vision. However, your near vision will be not quite as soon, meaning that you will need to wear reading glasses. In addition, if you have an astigmatism, you will need to wear classes for all distances. This may seem counterintuitive to pick a lens where you will still need glasses, but this new lens can’t fix all your eye problems. It will merely help your eyes be clear from a lens clouded by cataracts.
This is, of course, a cheaper option, as it does only fix the immediate cataract.
The Premium Lens Option
When I hear the word “premium,” I think of special treatment or the best of the best, and that is what this lens is. If you choose to pay for a premium IOL, not only will your cataract be gone, but your lens will be custom designed to fix all of your eye problems. These lenses are designed to significantly reduce your need for glasses or contacts in any circumstance. Reading? Driving? Working on your computer? No problem. These lenses correct astigmatism and correct a multiplicity of vision problems.
There are two types of premium lenses: the Toric lens, which is specially for correcting astigmatism, and Crystalens or Multifocals, which both help with close vision.
Although any of these options would be slightly more expensive, it’s a question of personal preference. Do you want to be chained to your glasses forever or do you want some optical freedom? Perhaps money is a bigger issue to you than wearing glasses, in which case you should probably go with the standard IOL. But if you want to break free from the shackles of wearing your reading glasses around your neck, a premium lens is right for you.