Advanced Lifestyle Bifocal Implants are a type of premium implant lens that help restore distance, intermediate and near vision and are used with Cataract Surgery or Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE). These advanced lenses add to the out-of-pocket expense for your surgery, they are NOT covered by insurances or Medicare.
Unlike the “standard” Monofocal Implant Lenses, these advanced technology lenses provide excellent vision at more than one distance or focal point and correct for astigmatism resulting in better sharpness and less dependence on glasses or contacts after your surgery. Depending on your specific vision requirements, our best cataract surgeons Drs. Stahl & Knowles can recommend the lens that will best fit your lifestyle and your goals after surgery. Many of our patients are enjoying their lives often without glasses and contacts after modern cataract surgery with Advanced lifestyle lenses.
ADVANCED LIFESTYLE BIFOCAL IMPLANT LENSES
Symfony® Implant Lens
The Symfony® (also the Tecnis Multifocal®) Implant Lens: The Symfony (pronounced like "symphony") intraocular lens uses the latest generation of diffractive optics to offer an extended depth of focus. It can also correct for astigmatism. This lens has good distance and intermediate vision as well as fair near vision. Some patients will still need “readers” for very
small print or reading in dim light conditions. In our experience patients who choose the Symfony lens experience the least amount of night glare, halos and starbursts over all other bifocal and trifocal lens options currently available. This lens is a very popular lens choice with our patients. Our surgeons can work with you to determine which implant lens might work best for you and your vision needs.
Strengths: good distance, good intermediate, and fair near vision.
Weaknesses: some glare/halos with night driving that typically will improve over time, may need “readers” for very fine print
PanOptix® Implant Lens
The PanOptix® (replaces the ReStor®) Implant Lens:
The PanOptix intraocular lens uses the latest generation of diffractive optics to create multiple focal points. It can also correct for astigmatism. This lens has good distance, intermediate and near vision. The PanOptix has better near vision than some other bifocal designs such as the Symfony, but not quite as good night vision. Our surgeons can work with you to determine which implant lens might work best for you and your vision needs.
Strengths: good distance, good intermediate, and good near vision.
Weaknesses: some glare/halos with night driving that typically will improve over time, night vision seems “darker”
Astigmatism- is where the cornea, the outer window of the eye, is curved more in one direction than the other. The eye is shaped like a football so this causes multiple points of focus and blurry vision.
Presbyopia- This condition causes people to lose their near vision around the age of 40. The eyes have less accommodation ability. This means the eye loses the ability to change the shape of the lens inside the eye that it uses to focus on things up close. If you have been told that you have presbyopia that means you can’t see things up close and your doctor may have recommended reading glasses or bifocals.
Toric Lens
The Toric Implant Lens is an astigmatism correcting lens that also offers excellent distance vision, better than the standard monofocal lens. More than half of patients have astigmatism, and correcting this will result in sharper vision when not wearing glasses. This is NOT a bifocal implant lens and reading glasses will be necessary for up-close vision, and often for intermediate vision. You may be able to wear non-prescription readers or magnifiers that are readily available.
Strengths: excellent distance and night vision
Weaknesses: will need readers for near and sometimes intermediate vision
Astigmatism- is where the cornea, the outer window of the eye, is curved more in one direction than the other. The eye is shaped like a football so this causes multiple points of focus and blurry vision.
If you decide to have an Advance Lifestyle bifocal implant lens our surgery coordinators will review your questions and fully explain any additional fees related to the lens implant that you might be responsible for. Most insurances including Medicare cover the cost of the cataract surgery, the surgical facility fee for cataract surgery, and anesthesia fees, but NOT the cost of Advanced Lifestyle bifocal implant lens.
If you are having Refractive Lens Exchange, all of these fees are included in one global fee. Our surgery coordinators will be pleased to review any costs as well arrange convenient monthly payments to fit your budget, should you decide that an Advance Lifestyle Bifocal Implant Lens is the best choice for you.
