Monofocal Lens – One Focal Point

A portion of the Cataract Evaluation will be devoted to discussing the lens options that are right for you. Although there are various lens options available, many patients choose the Standard Monofocal Lens Implant that is billable to insurance. The monofocal lens offers a single power used for optimal vision at either distance or near.

Some patients choose to have good distance focus, and use reading glasses to help with near vision tasks. Other patients who do a lot of up-close tasks, such as needle-work, may choose to have their near vision corrected with this lens, and wear distance glasses following surgery.

Since the lens is a “mono”-focal implant, the light entering the eye can only be bent to one focal point clearly. A surgeon can choose an intraocular lens (IOL) that focuses light best coming from distant objects, or a stronger powered IOL that focuses light better from near objects. However, light cannot be focused from both distant and near objects at the same time with a monofocal lens. Therefore, glasses are still needed for some activities following the procedure.

Monovision – Corrected Distance & Near Vision

Another potential method of vision correction is to have monovision correction. In this method, one eye is corrected for good distance acuity and the other eye is corrected for good near acuity. After a period of adaptation, these patients can see both distance and near with less dependence upon glasses. Most of these patients have undergone a contact lens trial simulating this vision to make sure they can adapt to it prior to having it instituted in their cataract surgery treatment plan.