Description

Multifocal IOLs are a type of artificial lens that replaces the natural lens during cataract surgery. As you age, or due to a disease or some sort of eye damage, you may develop a cataract, which leads to cloudy vision. A majority of older Americans currently have a cataract or have had one removed already. A cataract can cause minor vision issues at first, meaning you may be able to simply wear glasses and see properly, but it will grow over time to the point where a majority of your lens is clouded. In these cases, surgery must be performed to remove the cataract. Unfortunately, a cataract cannot be isolated from the lens it is found in, meaning the entire lens in the afflicted eye must be removed. This natural lens is removed due to the presence of the cataract, and it is replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). Some types of intraocular lenses, known as monofocal IOLs, only allow a patient to focus on objects at a specific, predetermined range. This can lead to patients needing to resort to glasses or contact lenses when trying to focus on objects outside of the range allowed by their IOL. Multifocal IOLs, on the other hand, are meant to allow a patient to focus at multiple different ranges. This may enable a patient to focus on objects close by or at a distance without needing to use glasses or contact lenses.