Cataracts

If you enjoy living in the beautiful Castro Valley, a premium intraocular lens (IOL) can help you experience it with greater clarity after cataract surgery! With the right premium IOL, cataract surgery can be a chance to both restore clear vision and improve the clarity of your vision.

Keep reading to learn how you can maximize your cataract surgery outcome in Castro Valley with a premium IOL.

What is Cataract Surgery?

Cataracts are a common eye condition where the proteins within the natural lens of the eye break down, typically due to aging, and form clumps that cause blurry, cloudy vision. Cataract surgery is the only treatment that permanently removes cataracts and restores your vision.

Batra Vision Medical Group offers both traditional and laser cataract surgery. While they achieve similar results, their methods vary.

During traditional cataract surgery, your eye surgeon makes tiny incisions on the eye with specialized tools. They then use ultrasonic energy and suction to break up and remove the natural lens. 

Laser cataract surgery is a more advanced form of the procedure that uses specialized lasers and real-time refractive measurements to provide more precise, personalized results. During the procedure, your cataract surgeon at Batra Vision will use the LensX Cataract Laser system to make the incisions and break up the natural lens.

In both procedures, once the eye’s natural lens has been removed, your cataract surgeon implants an IOL in its place. Once implanted, IOLs usually do not need to be replaced and prevent cataracts from returning.

What are IOLs?

IOLs, or intraocular lenses, are artificial lenses that replace the natural lens after cataract surgery. They come in various types to suit different budgets, lifestyles, and vision needs.

The standard IOL covered by Medicaid and most insurances is a monofocal IOL. This type of IOL restores clear vision and can improve vision at a single distance.

However, most patients still need to rely on visual aids like contacts and glasses to achieve a full range of vision. For many years, monofocal IOLs were the only option for cataract surgery.

Thanks to advancements in IOL technology, premium IOLs are available today that have the potential to improve vision at multiple distances. While they are not typically covered by insurance or Medicaid, they offer excellent visual benefits that make them popular choices for many cataract surgery patients.

The premium IOLs offered at Batra Vision Medical Group include:

Multifocal IOLs

Multifocal IOLs can give you clear vision at multiple distances, utilizing concentric rings of different focusing powers. This makes them great for patients who live an active lifestyle and enjoy activities like hiking, playing sports, and traveling.

These lenses are usually unable to improve close vision, so you might still have to wear reading glasses with a multifocal IOL. They also come in toric versions if you have astigmatism.

Trifocal IOLs

Trifocal IOLs can improve vision at near and intermediate distances, like a multifocal lens, but can additionally improve close vision. Clear vision at all three distances allows you to switch from tasks like driving that require distance vision to working on a computer at an intermediate distance to reading a newspaper at close vision without relying on glasses and contacts.

Trifocal IOLs also use concentric rings to adjust focus like multifocal IOLs and come in toric versions for patients with astigmatism.

Toric IOLs 

A toric IOL can improve blurry vision after cataract surgery if you have astigmatism, a refractive error typically caused by a misshapen cornea. These specialized IOLs have a unique design that allows them to fit over irregular corneas and refract light to properly focus on the retina, giving you clearer vision.

Accommodating IOLs

Unlike other IOLs that use rings of different focusing powers to improve vision, an accommodating IOL corrects vision by mimicking the movement of the natural lens of the eye. They are designed to change shape as they shift to adjust focus at different distances.

Many patients who choose an accommodating IOL for their cataract surgery find that they don’t need to use visual aids for continual clear, crisp vision.

Light Adjustable Lenses

The Light Adjustable Lens is the only IOL that lets you customize your vision after cataract surgery. It allows you to adjust and preview your vision until it fully meets your personal preferences and lifestyle requirements.

A Light Adjustable Lens is implanted like any other IOL, but vision optimization is achieved after surgery with a series of light treatments. These treatments use a non-invasive UV Light Delivery Device to adjust the shape and power of the lens to reach your desired vision.

How Do I Know Which Premium IOL Is Right for Me?

Your eye doctor at Batra Vision Medical Group will help determine the best premium IOL for you at your pre-cataract surgery consultation. Using factors like your lifestyle, refractive errors, budget, and medical history, your cataract surgeon will recommend the best IOL to suit your needs.

From golf at Redwood Canyon to hiking in Five Canyons to wine tastings on the TwiningVine Estate, life in Castro Valley is full of possibilities! With clear, crisp vision from a premium IOL after cataract surgery, you can take advantage of them all.

Are you ready to enjoy Castro Valley with clearer vision after cataract surgery? Schedule an appointment at Batra Vision Medical Group in San Leandro and Castro Valley, CA, today to learn more about how a premium IOL could improve your cataract surgery outcome!