Presbyopia Correcting Lenses - Crystalens, ReSTOR, and ReZoom

Every individual will experience loss of near vision sometime after the age of 40. This results in the need for reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses in order to see clearly. The medical term for this condition is presbyopia, literally translated as "elder vision". Presbyopia is caused by a gradual loss of the flexibility of the lens and muscles inside the eye.

Up until now the only option for permanent improvement in near vision has been monovision, which consists of making the non-dominant eye slightly nearsighted, and correcting for distance in the dominant eye. While this is a very satisfactory arrangement for many individuals, many more don't tolerate, or don't like monovision. In addition, monovision can only be adjusted for two distances ie near and far, or mid and far, but never all three.

The quest to find a better solution for presbyopia has led to the development of several new "presbyopia correcting" lenses. These lenses replace the natural lens. The lens replacement surgery is called refractive lens exchange or clear lens exchange. It is essentially cataract surgery done for the purpose of correcting vision. You will never develop cataracts once this surgery has been done because the lens implant replaces the natural lens where cataracts develop as you age.

The presbyopia correcting lenses that have been developed in recent years include the following:

The Crystalens intraocular lens® (or IOL) is the only FDA approved accommodating lens. This lens flexes in concert with the eyes natural muscles to allow for a continuous range of vision for distance, intermediate, or near focus, thus decreasing the need for glasses and contact lenses.

The ReZoom™ IOL is a refractive multifocal lens that is designed to decrease dependence on glasses and contacts by creating multiple focal points. This is accomplished through a patented process called Balanced View Optics Technology.

The ReSTOR® IOL is a diffractive multifocal lens that was created to allow patients to see at all distances without bifocals or reading glasses through a patented process called Apodization technology.

It is important to understand that while the presybopia correcting lens technologies are new, intraocular lenses are not. Lens replacement surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in the US and Dr. Bernitsky has performed thousands of lens replacement surgeries over the last 20 years.

Ideal candidates for the Crystalens, ReZoom and ReSTOR lenses are patients who are farsighted, or mildly to moderately nearsighted, and need reading glasses or bifocals/trifocals, or those who have cataracts. All three lenses demonstrated a high degree of spectacle freedom in FDA trials.

Dr. Bernitsky was the first New Mexico surgeon certified to use all three of the presbyopia corrrecting IOL's. The certification process required evidence of consistent accuracy in the biometric and keratometric evaluation necessary for predicting consistent visual outcomes with each of the lenses.

Dr. Bernitsky says "I consider the availability of the presbyopia correcting lenses to be one of the biggest advancements in vision correction surgery in years. We've been waiting for a long time to offer patients with presbyopia the possibility of both excellent distance vision, and great near vision."

If you're interested in learning more about ALL of your vision correction alternatives, and to learn if you're a candidate for Crystalens, ReSTOR, or ReZoom call 323-0800 for a consultation.