Cataract Surgery in Smithtown and Riverhead...My Lens Choice

When having cataract surgery at North Shore Eye Care in Smithtown and Riverhead New York in Long Island, you have to choose an intraocular lens implant for vision restoration.  Which one you choose matters.  At North Shore Eye Care, we go over your options with you and our board certified cataract surgeons let you know why choosing each intraocular lens might be important to you.  Cataract surgery is a quick and painless procedure that takes only a couple of minutes in most cases.  We typically do not use needles around the eyes, stitches or even an eye patch.    Our patients stay in their own clothes and return home the very same day.

In cataract surgery, the cloudy or defective lens is removed from the eye.  That is what a cataract is... a cloudy lens in the eye.  After the lens is removed, we replace it with an intraocular lens made of plastic.  These implants are good for life in most cases and never need to be changed.  The standard intraocular lens will correct distance vision in patients that do not have astigmatism.  These implants correct nearsightedness and farsightedness in addition to correcting the cataract.  With these implants, patients are not able to read or see things up close.

Multifocal Implants

With a multifocal implant, the lens is designed with rings in it that allow a patient to see far and near.  Many people that elect a multifocal implant do not need glasses at all.  These implants have worked well, but there is a side effect to the lens.  Patients with multifocals will see rings around lights at night when driving.  These rings usually improve with time and only about 5 % of people are really bothered by them. 

Accommodating Implants

The only FDA approved accommodating implant is Crystalens.  This implant is designed with hinges so that it moves slightly in the eye when the natural muscles of focus in the eye engage.  By moving forward and backward, the depth of vision is increased so that patients can see far and near.  One upside of Cystalens is that patients do not get rings around lights at night so night driving may be easier.  However, patients with Crystalens do not get as much near vision so they sometimes need some help for reading.

Toric Implants

For patients with astigmatism, there is the Acrysof Toric implant that corrects astigmatism. Astigmatism is a condition when the cornea is shaped in an oval manner rather than being spherical.  When this is the case, seeing clearly without glasses or contact lenses becomes difficult.  With the Toric implant, astigmatism is corrected so that the visual system is more spherical and patients are less dependent on glasses and contact lenses.

So why wouldn't every patient choose one of the premium implant lens technologies.  Well, some patients are fine with wearing glasses so that they do not feel a need to stray from the standard package.  Cost is also an issue because the premium lenses are not covered by insurance.  North Shore Eye Care offers zero percent financing for two years to help our patients be able to choose whatever they would like.  We also include enhancements with Bladeless Custom LASIK if it is necessary.  Our practice is unique because we have a LASIK center right at the practice.  These implants are highly sophisticated so if there is variation in prescription, it must be corrected for best vision.  We do that at no charge right in our Smithtown location.

Come in to North Shore Eye Care and see what makes us better.  Choose the right technology for you.