Intraocular Lenses

Full Service Eye Doctors Serving Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazelton, and Surrounding Areas in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Other Counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania

An intraocular lens (IOL) replaces the eye’s natural lens in a procedure to treat either cataracts or refractive errors including presbyopia, a condition that requires the use of reading glasses.

Since there is no way to remove a cataract from the lens, the lens itself is extracted and the IOL takes over its function.  In presbyopia, the lens is unable to give clear close-up vision, and by replacing it with an artificial lens, a full range of vision is restored.

IOLs have been used since the mid-1960s, although the FDA did not begin approving them until 1981.  The first IOLs were monofocal, meaning that they gave clear vision only within one range of distances – near, intermediate, or far.  This meant that if the IOLs were set to distance vision, a person still had to use reading glasses (or contact lenses) and computer glasses.  This was typical for cataract patients. 

There are now several approved IOLs that offer clear vision at all distances.  They provide this functionality using two types of technologies – multi-focal and accommodating.

AcrySof ReSTOR®
This IOL is multifocal and was approved by the FDA in 2005.  It uses technology that responds to the size of the eye’s pupil, known as apodized diffractive technology.  FDA trials showed that about 80% of people who were implanted the ReSTOR lens did not need eye glasses following cataract surgery.  Of those who had this IOL in both eyes, about 84% had 20/25 distance vision or better and 20/32 near vision or better. 

ReZoom™
This is another multifocal IOL, also FDA-approved in 2005.  It has five optical zones that distribute light to provide clear vision at near, intermediate, and far distances.  It was first used in Europe in the 1990s and the FDA-approved ReZOOM is a second-generation version.  In a European study, 93% of people receiving this IOL seldom, if ever, needed reading glasses.

Crystalens™
Approved by the FDA in 2003, this is an accommodating IOL.  When the natural lens is removed, the eye’s accommodative ability is also lost, and the Crystalens was designed to restore vision for the correction of Presbyopia. The term accommodation refers to the ability to switch focus instantly when the eye moves from far to near distances and everything in between. The lens does this by changing its curvature.

Toric IOLs for Astigmatism and Cataracts
Astigmatism is a common refractive error, and most people have it to some extent, although it may not need correction for some.  In a perfect eye, the cornea and lens are both spherical. In an astigmatic eye, one or both have a more oval or oblong shape like a football instead of a soccer ball.  This causes light to be focused at more than one point on the retina. When this astigmatism is moderate or severe, correction is needed.

If you have both cataracts and moderate to severe astigmatism, a Toric IOL can be used to replace the natural lens. In one procedure, that natural lens, which is both clouded up (cataracts) and irregularly shaped (astigmatism) is replaced with a clear, spherical lens, eliminating both problems.

After the age of about 40, the lens becomes less naturally able to switch focus.  The tiny ciliary muscles which control curvature of the lens are not able to increase such curvature for close-up distances; hence, reading glasses become necessary.

After cataract surgery, there is no guarantee that every individual will be able to see clearly at all distances, even with a multifocal or accommodating IOL.  There are factors which can reduce the IOL’s effectiveness, such as pre-existing astigmatism, poorly-positioned IOLs, and halos around light sources experienced by some people.  However, these IOLs do usually provide good vision with little need for glasses or contact lenses, and sometimes there is no need at all for these aids.

Please see our Cataracts page for more detail on the ReZoom IOL and our EyeMotion Education pages for more on cataracts and cataract surgery.

Apart from cataract patients, other patients who wear glasses or contact lenses can also selectively benefit from such IOLs, particularly those who are non-candidates for laser vision correction and others with ocular injuries.  Please consult with your NEI eye doctor if you or a loved one has been deemed a non-candidate for LASIK in the past or present so that you can be evaluated for IOL implantation.  

At Northeastern Eye Institute, we have eight Board-certified eye surgeons who perform IOL procedures:

Jerome W. Jordan, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Thomas S. Boland, M.D.
William J. Jordan, Jr., D.O.
Mary J. Frattali, M.D.
Christopher S. Jordan, M.D.
Arthur J. Jordan Jr., D.O.
David A. DeRose, M.D.
Michael W. Rosiecki, M.D.

Please call us at 1-800-334-2233 or send us an email if you would like to know more about the different types of IOLs and whether or not you or loved ones could be a candidate for this revolutionary technology.

We would be glad to schedule a personalized consultation for you at any one of our centers throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.