Crystalens

This is a premium implant used in cataract surgery that allows people to focus at both distance and near. Standard implants are fixed focus lenses, like a magnifying glass, and are only calibrated for one distance (i.e., you will need reading glasses after surgery).  The Crystalens has a unique hinge design that allows it to rotate forward and back … kind of how a telescope focuses.  This more closely simulates the action of the original lens inside our eye and may eliminate your need for reading glasses after surgery. The effect of the Crystalens has had mixed results … many people have good focal range afterwards, but others have much less effect (or the bifocal effect goes away after a few years).  The nice thing about this lens, however, is that even if the bifocal effect doesn’t work or wears off, the lens itself is just as clear as a standard lens implant and so no loss of actual “acuity” or “crispness” is suffered by choosing this lens. We are currently using more Restor lenses in our own practice, however, as the bifocal effect seems to be a little more predictable.  Florence Henderson (the mother on the old Brady Bunch TV program) had a Crystalens for her own eye surgery and is featured in some of their commercials.