Cataract Treatment with AcrySof ReSTOR

Thereare five and half million people in the U.S. suffering from cataracts, aclouding of the lens that affects vision. The term cataract comes from theGreek word for waterfall, from the mistaken belief that it was humor causingripples that clouded vision. Various treatments for cataract have beenaround since antiquity, each progressively improving on its predecessor. Onlyin modern times, have treatments been available that match the healthycrystalline lens' characteristics. The major advancements in vision enhancementusing replacements lenses have occurred since the 1940's.

History of cataract treatment

Theearliest recorded procedure, know as couching, is recorded in 5thCentury B.C. Sanskrit manuscripts. This procedure moves the lens out of itsnatural pocket out of the way. Although the cataractic lens was out of the way,there was nothing to replace it and improve vision problems.

Apractice called needling is recorded in the First Century A.D. This procedurewould break up the clouded lens, allowing it to be reabsorbed naturally. Today'smodern procedures use advanced technology like lasers to do similar things.

Inthe 18th Century, the cataract lens was removed through variousmethods where the lens could be squeezed through a small incision. By the early20th Century, a small suction cup was invented to ease theextraction of the lens. In all these procedures, the cloudy lens was removed,but nothing replaced the lens to help improve other vision problems.

Monofocal IOL

Inthe 1940s an intraocular lens was developed to sit in the aphakea, the spacevoided after the removal of thy crystalline lens. These lenses were based ontypical corrective lenses and were only capable of correcting lenses for onedistance. Patients would still be required to wear corrective glasses for nearvision correction.

Anadaptation of lens replacement surgery, called mono-vision correction, useslenses of varying power to correct the dominant eye for distance vision and thenon-dominant eye for near vision. Patients could easily check ahead of time tosee if mono-vision correction would work by testing a pair of glasses using thesame techniques.

Multifocal IOL

Aroundthe turn of this century, advancement is lens technology introduced severalmultifocal intraocular lenses for enhanced vision correction. There are severaloptions now available to correct vision for all distances using the same lens.The leading multifocal lens is AcrySof ReSTOR IOL. It uses apodizeddiffractive and refractive technology to mimic the way the natural crystallinebends light into the retina.

Theapodized portion of the lens lies in the interior of the lens and progressesthrough very small steps of increased thickness. This allows for good focusingon near objects, making these IOL. Around the edges of the lens is therefractive portion, which allows the parallel light when focusing at a distanceto enter the eye when the pupil is more dilated. Although AcrySof ReSTOR lensescannot completely accommodate as well as the natural crystalline lens of theeye, they come much closer. More than 80 percent of patients can break theirspectacle dependence.

Asthe century progresses, technology will advance even further, offeringophthalmologic surgeons greater ability to restore vision using multi-focallenses that approach the abilities of the human eye. It is important to find a vision correction specialist who keeps abreast ofthe latest vision correction technology.