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KENNETH MISELIS, MD: Intraocular lenses, or implants, or IOLs--all similar terms for each other--are a plastic lens that’s implanted into the eye to replace the natural lens of the eye when it’s removed through cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange.

There are several different varieties available, and they’ve gone through a tremendous evolution over the course of time in the past 30 years. Thirty years ago, we didn’t have implants in practical use. Now we have them as a standard part of cataract surgery and we even do specialized surgery in order to restore better vision independent of glasses in those folks that are desirous of not having to wear their glasses without having to wait for cataracts to develop.

There are several types of implants that we utilize nowadays. The standard lens is called a monofocal lens. Monofocal is one focus, and we would implant that so that the patient could see for distance, or see for close, but need glasses for the other alternative distances.

Aspheric monofocal lenses, which give better visual performance in poor lighting, for example, they’ve shown to be an improvement over our standard lens for night driving and low-contrast environments. So any of our patients that we provide standard cataract surgery for really gets an upgraded lens by virtue of the aspheric lens that we put in everybody.

Multifocal lenses come in two categories. There is a restore and a resume. The restore is excellent for distance and excellent for close. Is a little weak for intermediate. Resume is excellent for distance, has some intermediate correction and is pretty good for close as well.

So again, we try and fit these different technologies in with the particular needs of that patient, depending on what they need to do and what they like to do.

And then there’s the accommodating lens, which is called a Crystalens, and that’s a lens that’s actually a monofocal lens that flexes or moves within the eye as the person uses their focusing muscles. And that allows the patient to have excellent distance vision, intermediate vision, maybe a little on the weak side for reading vision in some certain cases, but provides a tremendous independence of glasses compared to prior to cataract surgery.