Is multifocal corrective surgery right for me?

Am I suitable for multifocal corrective surgery?

If you’re over 40 and have ever had to look at the small print of a menu or a text on your mobile phone at a distance to read it, you may be starting to develop presbyopia.

This is a condition that affects the way the eye constantly focuses, or accommodates, objects at various distances, making your vision blurry. It probably won’t start to bother you until you reach 50, when you might need stronger reading glasses, or multifocal or bifocal lenses. If you suffer from myopia (short-sightedness), astigmatism or hypermetropia (long-sightedness), you are more likely to need corrective lenses.

If you have presbyopia but your eyes are otherwise healthy, multifocal corrective surgery is an option to restore your sight to its full potential. To be considered as a candidate, you must be experiencing difficulty reading without glasses, seeing close objects and seeing while driving.

If you have cataracts, as well as presbyopia, visit our Multifocal ReFocus Cataract Surgery page. There is no age limit as to when this surgery can be performed.

Multifocal corrective surgery at Medownick

At Medownick Laser Eye Clinic we treat presbyopia with either laser eye surgery or through a ReFocus refractive procedure. The surgical technique we use to insert an intraocular lens (IOL) into your eyes is called the Medownick Low Stress Refractive Lensectomy, and it is the same technique we use to remove cataracts. The difference is that instead of a monovision lens, a multifocal IOL is inserted, freeing our patients from their dependency on multifocal glasses or contact lenses.

These lenses are made of soft, flexible material and are similar in composition to the natural lens of your eye. The type of lens we use depends on your specific condition but may include:

• Monofocal lenses: As the name suggest, this lens delivers clear vision at a single distance, for example, near vision if you are short-sighted, or far if you are long-sighted. You may still need to wear glasses after surgery with this lens, but their use should be minimal.
• Bifocal or multifocal lenses: These enable you to clearly focus at two distances, but focusing at intermediate distances – for computer work, for example – may still require glasses after surgery.
• Trifocal lenses: The latest advancement in lens technology is the trifocal lens, which allows clear vision across near, intermediate and far distances. In most cases, glasses won’t be required at all.
• Toric lenses: If you suffer from astigmatism, these lenses can help with the blurry or distorted vision the condition creates.

We use the best available premium IOLs, such as ReStor, Tecnis, ReZoom Multi-Focal IOLs, PanOptix Trifocal IOL and Crystalens IOL. These uniquely designed IOLs have advanced optical zones that provide good vision across a range of distances and light conditions. The Crystalens IOL, for example, provides better intermediate vision, which is good for computer work and reading. We will discuss which IOL is best for you and your lifestyle during our detailed assessment process.

How will I know which lens is best for my eyes?

We will discuss risks and benefits of each lens type and help you select the right one to best suit your lifestyle and your eyes. We will only recommend surgery when we feel we can reasonably achieve a result close to your expectations.