New Technology IOLs

Why is Cataract Surgery an Opportunity?

Cataract surgery replaces your clouded, aging natural crystalline lens with a new artificial intraocular lens or "IOL".  IOL options vary and your Ophthalmologist will discuss which is best for you.  Your eyes are carefully measured in a pre-operative visit to determine the IOL power that is specific for you.  Monofocal IOLs correct for one distance.  In most instances, you will need to use reading glasses after cataract surgery, even if you did not use them before.  If your cornea has a significant amount of astigmatism, you will require distance glasses as well.

At Progressive Ophthalmology, we are dedicated to offering the latest technological advances in monofocal IOLs.  We strive to offer New Technology Intraocular Lenses (NTIOLs) when possible for all our monofocal IOL patients. An NTIOL is defined as an IOL that CMS (Medicare) determines that the FDA approved for labeling and advertising claims of specific clinical advantages and superiority over existing IOLs. These may include reduced risk of intra-operative or postoperative complication or trauma, accelerated postopera­tive recovery, reduced induced astigmatism, improved postoperative visual acuity, more stable postoperative vision, or other comparable clinical advantages.

TECNIS® Aspheric IOL

Traditional lenses can restore vision, but they are not designed to bring the balance of youthful eyes.  Images are not as sharp as they could be, and you are left with functional vision of a healthy older person, not of a young adult.  Using innovative wavefront lens technology, the TECNIS Lens can restore your vision to that of a younger patient (based on average cataract patient).  The TECNIS Lens can improve contrast so you can see well, even in low-light situations like driving at night, dining by candlelight or walking in a morning fog.

One of the most important benefits of improved functional vision with the TECNIS Lens is safety. With compromised functional vision, even patients who have no problem reading the letters on an eye chart can be at a serious disadvantage in low-light situations because the lack contrast sensitivity.  The TECNIS Lens is the only lens with FDA-approved claims for improved functional vision and night driving simulator performance.  The improvement in functional vision may also improve safety in other low-visibility situations.

ACRYSOF® IQ IOL

ACRYSOF® IQ IOL compensates for spherical aberration by addressing the effects of over-refraction at the periphery. This is accomplished without increasing edge thickness. Human corneal characteristics were analyzed to create a design that provides improved image quality. MTF (measured in the laboratory) stands for modulation transfer function. It is a highly accurate optical measurement designed to demonstrate the ability of a lens to produce a quality image with high contrast. This measurement is used to demonstrate the optical efficiency of the ACRYSOF® IQ IOL.

The AcrySof IQ IOL is an aspheric lens that is designed to reduce spherical aberration and has been shown to improve night driving performance versus a conventional spherical IOL. In order to gain inclusion in the NTIOL category, AcrySof IQ demonstrated the same or greater clinical benefit as the lens that established the NTIOL subset.

All currently available artificial lenses filter UV light, but the AcrySof IQ IOL filters both UV and blue light. The AcrySof IQ lens is transparent yellow - the color necessary to filter blue light. The patented yellow tint does not alter the natural colors of the things you see or the quality of your vision.  The AcrySof IQ IOL is designed to conform to the natural shape of the lens capsule. This helps it stay stable and centered in the eye. But what makes the AcrySof IQ IOL unique is its ability to filter blue light.