Cataract Surgery and Lens Implant Confusion

Question: Two cataract surgeons are confusing me about choosing a lens implant. I had cataract surgery last November with a lens implant for distance vision. Now the eye doctor suggests Crystalens® for the cataract in the other eye, but another cataract surgeon says to have both eyes corrected for distance. I am very lost and in need of help.


Answer: Crystalens® is a type of Lens Implant that is used to correct distance vision and provide clarity for a greater range of intermediate or "arm's length" vision as well as help for near vision after Cataract Surgery. The choice of a Lens Implant for vision correction after Cataract Surgery really depends on what types of things you like to do in your daily activities-AND whether you would like to be able to do them without being totally dependent on eyeglasses. Since your first eye was corrected only for distance vision after the Cataract was removed it is highly likely that you would need to wear eyeglasses to see up close and for tasks that require arm's length vision. The Cataract Surgeon who suggested Crystalens® for the second eye is doing so with the thought that this will help you somewhat with arm's length and near vision without eyeglasses. If you are comfortable having to wear eyeglasses for arm's length and near vision tasks then your simplest solution is to have the second eye corrected for distance and just wear the glasses. If you want to reduce your dependence on eyeglasses after the second eye Cataract Surgery, one option is to consider having a presbyopia correcting lens implant like Crystalens®-however, the full benefit of these lenses is NOT typically experienced unless they are implanted on BOTH eyes. If you are in certain need of having greater arm's length vision after Cataract Surgery on the second eye another option could be using a monovision correction whereby the second eye is corrected for intermediate and near vision-however you should not consider this unless you sure that you have a real need for arm's length clarity without eyeglasses. The decision you make should be after considering what you want to achieve-specifically whether you need to be free of eyeglasses for those arm's length tasks. Then your Cataract Surgeon can help you make the right decision.

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