November 2006

Cataract surgery has undergone tremendous technological changes in recent years, and the Eye Department at the Palo Alto Clinic is using new intraocular lens (IOL) technology to help some patients who undergoing cataract surgery reduce their need for reading glasses.

Before the new intraocular lens technology was introduced, most patients experienced improved eyesight with traditional monofocal IOLs, which only corrected distance vision. Although the quality of most patients' distance vision was excellent after the procedure, many needed reading glasses to see print at short distances. In recent years, new lens technology has been developed that enables patients who are appropriate candidates for the procedure, such as individuals with cataracts, to see clearly at most distances without bifocals or reading glasses.

"Many patients are asking about multifocal IOLs," said Mary Ann Lloyd, M.D., an ophthalmologist at the Palo Alto Clinic. "This is an evolving technology, and there can be some drawbacks," she said, such as a decrease in the sharpness of a patient's vision, although such side effects are rare. "The vast majority of my patients who have received (multifocal IOLs) have been extremely pleased."

Dr. Lloyd added that the department performs more than 1,500 surgical and laser procedures each year, and cataract surgery accounts for many of the procedures.

According to Julie Burlew, R.N., clinical manager of the Eye Department (comprised of Ophthalmology and Optometry), cataract surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and can be completed in just a few hours. The patient is given anesthesia prior to the procedure, so he or she feels little, if any, discomfort. A tiny incision is made in the eye that allows the surgeon to use a small instrument (about the size of a pen tip) to break up or wash away the cloudy cataract. Once a cataract is removed, the IOL is inserted through the same small incision and set into its permanent position.

Vision almost always improves greatly within four to six weeks, unless other eye conditions are present, and many patients may see better within one to two weeks or less, said Burlew.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved and results cannot be guaranteed. A physician can provide more detailed information to help patients decide if cataract surgery is an appropriate option for them, as well as the type of IOL to which they might be best suited, said Burlew.

For more information about the Eye Department, visit www.pamf.org/eye.