BEST IOL IMPLANT

[Chepe]

I am a woman in my mid 70¨s. I have had excelent vision throughout my life. In fact, for years I used 1.5 reading lasses and for the last five years I no longer need any reading aid; I can read very well with my left eye...but cataracts have caught up with me.  I have been diagnosed with cataracts in my left eye and incipient catacracts in my right eye. I live in Mexico and my Doctor tells me that I should have an IOL monocal implant in my left eye; set to be able to read without any glasses since I am already doing that and my brain has adjusted quite well for that. In a few tyears, when the right eye cataract evolves the doctor says that I shall have an IOL monofocal implant set to be able to see far away, as I currentlyam doing.  That is, if I understand correctly, the Doctor´s recommendation is to emulate what my brain is already doing today: read with my left eye and focus far away with my right eye.

What should I do? Should I have Multi-focal IOL instead of Mono-focals?

[Chepe]

Would I be a candidate for Crystalens HD? Would I be able to see near and far away?

[Chepe]

Thank you for your prompt response.

So, if monofocals are the the best way to have ¨crisp¨ vision, which I do enjoy, shouldn´t I just eventually get monofocals on both ayes and het reading glases?

What sort of patients use multifocals?

Roughly, how much is a surgery like these in the US?

[Joan M Pernoud, MD]

There are a variety of choices as you seem to understand.

There are truly no "right or wrong" answers but only thoses dependent on your needs.

I think your doctor's recommendation for your left eye is good considering your reading history and pleasure in having very excellent near vision. I might warn that perfect imitation of your present focus distance may not be possible as it may be a little closer or further away due to slight variabilities in individual optical systems.

I am less sure about giving you distance vision in your second eye. If you do this you will be somewhat independent of glasses but your binocularity will be diminished to some degree. It seems to me that this will be the more critical decision.

In my opinion, if you like really "crisp" vision, I would steer you away from multifocal lenses at this time. Check out the section on them at this site.

I do not know what quality surgery or implants can be obtained in Mexico. I would have surgery done in the United States for strict quality controls.