Premium Lens Technology | Crystalens® | ReSTOR® | Corneal Associates of New Jersey

Premium Lens Implants

Surgery to treat cataracts is an outpatient procedure where an eye surgeon removes the clouded natural lens and replaces it with an artificial lens. Traditionally, the surgeon implants a monofocal artificial lens, commonly called an "intraocular lens" (IOL).

There are many intraocular lens implant (IOL) options available for the treatment of both cataracts, astigmatism, and presbyopia, which include primarily monofocal and multifocal lenses. Multifocal premium lens implants are designed for patients with a strong desire for greater independence from glasses or contacts. These lenses often grant the patient clear vision at near, far and in between.

If you have astigmatism, you may still experience blurred and distorted vision because a standard IOL cannot correct corneal astigmatism. To achieve quality distance vision with a standard IOL, you may still require eyeglasses, contact lenses, or further surgery.

Alcon AcrySof IQ ReSTOR®

The Restor® intraocular lens implant is manufactured by one of the leading eye care company, Alcon Technologies. For patients with cataracts and presbyopia there is the ACRYSOF® IQ RESTOR® lens, which corrects for both conditions at the same time, eliminating the need for spectacles after surgery in most patients.

The AcrySof Restor® premium lens implant uses a combination of three complementary technologies: apodization, diffraction and refraction, to allow patients to experience a full range of high quality vision without the need for reading glasses or bifocals. This range of vision without glasses is achieved through the optical properties of the intraocular lens (IOL). Alcon Technologies has patented the application of apodization technology to an IOL, making the AcrySof Restor® lens the first and only apodized diffractive IOL.

During the FDA clinical trial for the AcrySof Restor® lens, it was determined that out of the test cases 80% of patients were spectacle or glasses free after surgery. Additionally over 94% of patients reported that they were so satisfied with the results that they would opt for the surgery again. The most impressive statistic from these FDA trials to many is that 94% of patients did not require glasses to read the newspaper or magazine. If reading vision has been a problem for you perhaps its time to investigate premium lens implants with a qualified ophthalmologist. However, even with the tremendous number of spectacle free patients the Restor® has produced, this may not be the best lens implant option for you. The doctors at Corneal Associates will be able to determine if this lens is a good option for you after a through eye examination.

Alcon Acrysof® IQ Toric Aspheric IOL

For patients with cataracts and pre-existing cornea astigmatism, there is the ACRYSOF® IQ Toric aspheric IOL, which corrects for both conditions simultaneously by delivering precise astigmatic correction, predictable outcomes and quality distance vision without glasses for cataract patients with astigmatism.

Many people do not like the "look" of glasses and prefer another type of vision correction, such as contact lenses. “Toric” contact lenses designed to correct astigmatism are an option; however, some users find them uncomfortable and experience difficulty in adjusting to wearing them.

There are several surgical options your surgeon may choose to treat astigmatism, such as LASIK laser vision correction, astigmatic keratotomy (AK), or limbal relaxing incisions (LRI). However, if you are planning to have surgery to remove a cataract, you now have an additional option... the Alcon Acrysof® IQ Toric implantable lens that makes it possible to treat the cataract and correct the corneal astigmatism at the same time. Your eye doctor will recommend the option that is best for you.

What are your options for correcting astigmatism?

If you depend upon eyeglasses, you may have experienced the inconvenience of not being able to find your glasses when you really need them. Eyeglasses are easily lost or damaged, expensive to replace, and inconvenient to clean and maintain. The more active you are, the more eyeglasses interfere with your lifestyle by complicating your participation in daily and recreational activities.

If freedom from eyeglasses for distance vision is important to you, you now have a better option. The unique design of the AcrySof® Toric lens provides significantly improved distance vision and may reduce the need for corrective lenses.

Bausch & Lomb Crystalens®

The Bausch & Lomb Crystalens® is a premium lens implant approved by the FDA for the visual correction of adults with cataracts, with or without presbyopia. The Crystalens® is modeled after the human eye to use the tiny interior muscles to flex and accommodate in order to focus on objects in the environment at all distances. The Crystalens® dynamically adjusts to your visual needs.

The Crystalens® accommodating intraocular lens is made with hinges on each side that are designed to allow the optic, or the part of the lens that you see through, to move back and forth as you constantly change focus on images around you. Crystalens® is a small lens enabling it to flex or bend as you focus your vision.

The first and only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens
The only lens that uses the natural focusing ability of the eye
The only lens that provides a single focal point throughout a continuous range of vision from far to near, and everything in between
Few patients with Crystalens® have experienced glare, halos and night vision problems. Crystalens® focuses only one image to the back of the eye, unlike a multifocal lens that projects multiple images that are not entirely in focus, requiring your brain to "adjust" to the differences. In addition, Crystalens® vision is sharp and crisp because 100% of the light rays are available and distributed - when you need it.

While we expect our patients to wear glasses part time for refinement, the following shows what many patients were able to see with Crystalens®:
98.4% of patients implanted with Crystalens® in both eyes could pass a driver's test without glasses.
100% could see intermediate (24" to 30") without glasses, the distance for most of life's activities.
98.4% could see well enough to read the newspaper and the phone book without glasses.

Significantly more patients implanted with a Crystalens®(88.4%) could see better at all distances than patients implanted with a standard IOL (35.9%).

Long-term experience means a safe and effective procedure - some patients have continued excellent vision 7 years after implantation with the Crystalens®. More than 100,000 Crystalens® have been implanted worldwide.