Cataracts with ReSTOR®

ReSTOR® Multifocal Lens

Your eyes are one of the most important parts of your body. To see the world means everything to you, so imagine looking through the lens of a camera only to see a blurred image of the world as you age.  If you are experiencing a progressive worsening of your vision or blurred night vision; difficulty reading or watching television, you could have a cataract.

What Are Cataracts?

A cataract is clouding of the natural lens inside your eye. This lens, located behind the pupil, works just like the lens of a camera—focusing light images on the retina, which sends images to the brain. With age, the human lens can become so clouded that it scatters light and prevents images from focusing sharply on the retina.

A cataract can be the reason sharp images become blurred, bright colors become dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. It may also be the reason why your reading glasses or bifocals just don’t help like they used to. An advanced cataract has been described as seeing life through a waterfall, which means katarra’kti, the Greek word for cataract. If not treated, a cataract can cause progressive vision loss. Today, cataracts are treated earlier than in the past due to more modern cataract surgery technology, excellent vision results, and quick recovery. Most patients will have cataract surgery so they can continue to drive at night and before they may fail the vision test at the DMV.

Without cataract surgery, as your vision declines, you’re likely to reduce your daily activities. You will go fewer places, see fewer people and do fewer activities that you enjoy. Your ability to do things will change. You may no longer be able to work, drive and do other things that are important to you, decreasing your enjoyment of life.

Why Cataract Surgery?

Neither a diet nor medication can cure or prevent a cataract. The only treatment for cataracts is cataract surgery and lens implant, which removes the old, clouded lens and replaces it with a new, artificial one to restore your vision.

Cataract surgery has been shown to reduce stress as well as anxiety and decrease the risk of falling and having an automobile accident. It will allow you to increase your activities and improves your overall quality of life. Cataract surgery is considered the most successful surgery in the U.S. Traditionally, the replacement lens used for cataract surgery was a monofocal artificial intraocular lens (IOL). This type of lens restored good function distance vision, but people still needed to wear reading glasses and/ or bifocals. New technology lens implants can correct astigmatism as well as provide near vision so reading glasses are avoided after cataract surgery.

What Other Options Do You Have With Cataract Surgery?

At Christenbury Eye Center there is another option. A multifocal intra-ocular lens, the most effective being the ReSTOR®. ReSTOR is a lens that is inserted in the eye that has a dual optic – one optic’s for distance lens and one is for near.  It is permanent vision correction and need not be changed later in life. Restor also provides simultaneous distance and near vision without any head movement.
The surgery is performed on an out patient basis with mild sedation and you won’t need any stitches. Medicated eye drops are used for several weeks. Usually in three to four days one can read, drive a car, and return to work.

What Other Options Do You Have With Cataract Sugery?

At Christenbury Eye Center there is another option. A multifocal intra-ocular lens, the most effective being the ReSTOR®. ReSTOR is a lens that is inserted in the eye that has a dual optic – one optic’s for distance lens and one is for near.  It is permanent vision correction and need not be changed later in life. Restor also provides simultaneous distance and near vision without any head movement.
The surgery is performed on an out patient basis with mild sedation without shots or stitches. Medicated eye drops are used for several weeks. Usually in three to four days one can read, drive a car, and return to work.

ReSTOR

Vision Pattern

With ReSTOR, both eyes are corrected for distance, and both for near.  The apodized optics of the multifocal ReSTOR lens allows for excellent distance, intermediate, and near vision. In the FDA clinical trials, 80% of patients stated they never wore glasses after ReSTOR, and in our experience at Christenbury Eye Center, 95% of patients do not wear glasses. ReSTOR generally allows vision from 8 inches, and then continuous out to 14 inches, or about arms length. This range of vision allows reading materials, smart phone, laptop, desktop and computer to be in focus. Of the several multifocal lens implants available in the U.S., we believe the ReSTOR provides the best near, intermediate, distance, and night vision.

Most patients, after any lens implants, can notice glare or halos around lights at night, and ReSTOR is no different. These symptoms are generally transient and last for several months, then seem to dissipate. The FAA has approved ReSTOR for private and commercial pilots. Of the few percent of patients with persistent halos at night, they seem to be mild, do not prevent night driving, and in the words of one patient “better than wearing reading glasses.”  One will always read with better illumination with Restor, but most patients can read a menu in the average restaurant lighting. The ReSTOR provides “blue blocking” to protect the eye from ultra violet light, just like the natural lens of the eye.

What Can You Expect From The Restor Procedure?

The day before the procedure you will start an antibiotic drop, which will be continued for several weeks after the procedure. The day of the procedure you will be given a sedative and anesthetic drop. Most patients are not aware during the procedure, and have little or no memory of the procedure the next day. The procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. One requires a driver companion the day of and the day after the procedure for the one day postoperative visit.

By utilizing a microscope, a 2 to 3 mm incision is made at the edge of the cornea and the cataract is emulsified and vacuumed out. Then the ReSTOR lens is folded and inserted through a small tube and placed behind the pupil in the bag of your original lens. It naturally takes its position based on your own pre-operative measurements, and it centers each ReSTOR lens that is custom designed for you. Since the incision is so small, it heals without any stitches! The procedure is associated with very little discomfort, and most patients take no pain medication except Tylenol if needed. Most patients will notice vision improvement the next day. Most patients return to most normal activities in 3 – 4 days.

Are You A Candidate For Restor?

If you have a cataract and qualify for cataract surgery and desire spectacle independence, you may be a candidate for ReSTOR. It is our experience, and the FDA recommends that both eyes should be corrected at the time of the cataract surgery with ReSTOR to obtain the best visual balance and reading vision. We perform a comprehensive eye exam to determine the diagnosis of a cataract and that the eyes are healthy, before a ReSTOR procedure is recommended. If astigmatism is present, we correct as much as possible at the time of ReSTOR. For larger amounts or residual of astigmatism a follow up Lasik can be performed at two to three months, and this is included in the ReSTOR fee.

IF YOU DESIRE FREEDOM FROM READING GLASSES AND BIFOCALS, CONSIDER THE RESTOR PROCEDURE. IN OUR EXPERIENCE 95% OF PATIENTS DO NOT WEAR SPECTACLES NORREADINGGLASSES AFTER RESTOR!