Accommodative Intraocular Lens (IOL) Implant: Crystalens

As of May 9, 2005, Medicare has agreed to allow its beneficiaries to privately purchase the crystalens procedure.  Patients who select crystalens will receive the standard Medicare reimbursement for cataract surgery, and can now pay privately for the presbyopic portion of the treatment.  Please call our office for details:(772) 589-8111 or (800) 854-3627.  

The human eye is basically a camera with two camera lenses, the outer cornea and the internal flexible human lens.  While the cornea provides a fixed amount of focusing power, the internal lens's flexibility provides variable focusing power via tiny focusing muscles that "automatically" change the lens's shape just the right amount to allow us to focus on whatever near or intermediate distance object we are viewing.  As we reach middle age however, this flexibility decreases to the point that we can no longer see up near or intermediate distances without the help of reading glasses or bifocals.  Now for the FIRST TIME EVER, there is a PROVEN, FDA APPROVED procedure that can RESTORE THE "AUTOMATIC" READING, NEAR, and INTERMEDIATE VISION that we enjoyed before middle age.

Most current vision correction procedures correct ONLY DISTANCE VISION by changing the focusing power of the cornea.  An Accommodative IOL Implant, on the other hand, corrects not only nearsightedness or farsightedness, BUT ALSO presbyopia (that is, it corrects BOTH DISTANCE AND NEAR/INTERMEDIATE VISION AT THE SAME TIME) by replacing the eye's aging and relatively INFLEXIBLE natural lens with a FLEXIBLE replacement lens (IOL).

An accomodative IOL is a replacement lens that works naturally and "automatically" with your eyes’ focusing muscles to give you the quality of vision and infinitely variable range of vision you enjoyed when you were younger. The revolutionary new design includes “hinges,” which are designed to allow the lens to move, or accommodate, in order to focus on objects near, far and at all distances in-between SEAMLESSLY. This means your eyes are once again "automatically" in focus for a CONTINUOUS RANGE OF VISION DISTANCES; such as in reading the newspaper either held upright or lying in your lap; seeing the playing cards in the middle of the table AND your score card right next to you; reading the product labels on the grocery shelf AND your handheld grocery list; seeing the solder connectioin you're trying to make while lying upside down inside the center console of your boat on 110 degree heat index day; your golf ball both on the tee AND plummetting "straight" down the fairway, your gun's iron sights at both the butt AND tip of the barrel AS WELL AS the target 100 yards away; and your computer keyboard at your fingertips, the contract you're typing that is lying on your desktop, AND your computer screen--ALL AUTOMATICALLY and SEAMLESSLY, like before you ever needed reading glasses.  There is obviously little comparison between this and the very limited range of distances that are in focus with reading glasses, bifocals or even trifocals--not to mention that really bothersome "sweetspot" phenomenon of progressive lenses that requires you to move your head from side to side instead of your eyes when reading, as well as the distortion you see if looking through any part of a progressive other than the narrow "sweet spot".

ACCOMMODATIVE Intraocular Lens implants are for those who:

• want to reduce or eliminate their dependence on glasses or contacts for EITHER DISTANCE OR NEAR/INTERMEDIATE VISION, OR BOTH 
• may not be a good candidate for laser vision correction, but would still like to eliminate dependency on glasses for EITHER DISTANCE OR NEAR/INTERMEDIATE VISION, OR BOTH 
• are at an age that requires reading glasses or bifocals
• want to gain excellent "naked eye" vision at DISTANCE, INTERMEDIATE, and/or NEAR VISION, while at the same time eliminating any future need for cataract surgery. 
• have no serious contraindicating health issues affecting their eyes

Since cataracts are a part of the normal aging process, in which the clear human lens gradually turns cloudy preventing clear vision, people who elect to correct their DISTANCE AND/OR NEAR/INTERMEDIATE VISION now by replacing their inflexible human lens with an accomodative IOL, will have eliminated any need for cataract surgery in the future.

What to expect on surgery day:

The accommodative IOL procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. Only one eye will be treated at a time. After the eye is completely numbed with NUMBING EYEDROPS RATHER THAN NEEDLE INJECTIONS, the eye's natural lens will be gently vacuumed out through a tiny incision, about one eighth of an inch wide.

The IOL is placed inside the capsular bag of the eye.

Next, the new intra-ocular lens will be folded and inserted through the same micro-incision. It will then be unfolded and placed into the "capsular bag" that originally surrounded the natural lens. This incision is "self-sealing" and usually requires no stitches. It remains tightly closed by the natural outward pressure within the eye. This type of incision heals quickly and provides a much more comfortable recuperation.  The entire procedure, USING ONLY EYEDROPS rather than uncomfortable and potentially complication-causing needle injections to NUMB THE EYE, is virtually painless, and is typically completed in ONLY 4 to 10 MINUTES.

If your eye has pre-existing astigmatism, your surgeon may elect to make micro-incisions in the cornea to reduce your astigmatism. These are called LRIs or limbal relaxing incisions,  and are solely for the purpose of reducing or eliminating astigmatism so that vision can be clear without the need for glasses with astigmatism correction.

Your surgeon may elect to make micro-incisions in the cornea to reduce your astigmatism.

You will go home soon after the surgery and relax for the rest of the day. Everyone heals somewhat differently, but many patients report improvement in their vision almost immediately after the procedure. Most patients return to their normal activities within a day or two.

Realistic expectations:

The decision to have an accommodative IOL implant is an important one that only you can make. The goal of accommodatilve IOLs is to reduce or eliminate your dependence on glasses or contact lenses for  BOTH DISTANCE AND/OR NEAR & INTERMEDIATE VISION, OR BOTH. However, we cannot guarantee you will have the results you desire.

Serious complications with accommodative IOL implants are extremely rare. It is a safe, effective and permanent procedure, and is FDA APPROVED, but like any surgical procedure, it does have some risks. Going to an eye specialist experienced with the procedure can significantly minimize the risks involved with accommodative IOL implants.  We at Monnett Eye Centers are PROUD that our doctors are among the SMALL SELECT GROUP OF SURGEONS NATIONWIDE to be able to offer this procedure to our patients.

After a thorough eye exam, you and your doctors will determine if accommodative IOLS are an option for you. If you are a good candidate, you will be given additional information about the procedure that will allow you to make an informed decision about whether to proceed. Be sure you have all your questions answered to your satisfaction.

Alternatives to accommodative IOL implants

While accommodative IOL implant surgery is not the only surgical procedure designed to correct nearsightedness,  farsightedness, and presbyopia , it is the FIRST and ONLY PROCEDURE in the USA allowing correction of BOTH DISTANCE AND/OR NEAR-INTERMEDIATE VISION AT THE SAME TIME. To learn about other vision correction procedures go to the surgical and laser vision correction procedures section of our Web Site. If you would like to learn more about vision correction procedures from sources other than our practice, we encourage you to link to a number of Web sites we feel provide objective, factual, and up-to-date information. You may also choose to make an appointment, attend a seminar or request additional information to learn more about this GROUND-BREAKING and FDA APPROVED PROCEDURE.

We offer a number of finance options and affordable payment plans.  It is easy to apply online and receive credit approval before you schedule an appointment.