Will Cataract Surgery Eliminate Glasses?

Improvements in the lenses implanted in the eye during cataract surgery have led to a new surgical option for treating people with farsightedness and other refractive-lens exchange surgery.

Multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOL)--which have been implanted since 1986--enable people to see objects at varying distances by shifting their eyes slightly. MIOLs are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only for patients undergoing cataract surgery. Some ophthalmologists are also implanting them into the eyes of people without cataracts in order to correct presbyopia, a common form of farsightedness that typically develops in middle age. However, in many cases the surgery will not result in clear 20/20 vision, and other problems, such as reduced contrast perception and increased glare, may be complications of the surgery.

The surgery requires removing the eyes' natural lenses, as is done in cataract surgery, and replacing them with artificial lenses. However, while many ophthalmologists are reluctant to perform this procedure in people without cataracts because of the risks involved in any eye operation, many people are considering this option, despite lack of information about long-term safety and effectiveness. Risks of the operation already known include a very small chance of infection that may lead to blindness.

Both the surgical procedure and its dangers are discussed in a new report called "The Aging Eye: Preventing and Treating Eye Disease” that reviews all the options for treating presbyopia and other common conditions affecting people as they grow older, released by clinical instructors in ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School (Cambridge, MA, USA). Other conditions discussed are new medications for macular degeneration, treatments for glaucoma, prevention of diabetic retinopathy, and ways of dealing with watery eyes, dry eyes, and other age-related problems.



Related Links:
Harvard Medical School