Laser Eye Surgery Forum

Am I a suitable candidate for multifocal IOL?

I am 58, wear varifocal spectacles and have recently been diagnosed as having early stage cataracts. I am considering RLE with multifocal IOL's. As I've worn glasses for nearly 50 years this option seems almost too good to be true! This is obviously a very important decision for me to take and I want to go into it with my eyes wide open! (sorry!). Am I a suitable candidate and are there any significant risks that I need to take into account in reaching a decision? How can I find out if my eye surgeon is experienced in this field?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Geoff

Hi Geoff,

I see no reason why you would not be suitable for multifocal IOLS given your age and prescription. During the refractive lens exchange procedure, the natural lens within your eye that has the cataract will be removed and replaced with a new artificial lens implant. This means that you will never have to have cataract surgery in the future which is another advantage. In order to find out if you are suitable you will need to attend for a consultation and most clinics do these for free providing you leave a small deposit. During the consultation you should ask how many procedures the surgeon has performed to assess their experience. Refractive lens exchange is a very safe procedure but you can read the following 2 guides for more information if you want:

Refractive lens exchange

Refractive lens exchange risks 

Hope this helps

Tim, Many thanks for this speedy and very helpful response. Regards. Geoff

Hi Geoff,

I am 50 and had worn glasses most of my life and laterly progressed to varifocal lenes in my glasses which were getting very pricey every year. I spent two years loooking at the options and as you say, Multifocal IOL's seem too good to be true. However having had the procedure it was the best thing I have ever done. I opted to have good distance and medium vision and wear +1 readers just for reading as I would anyway due to my age. I don't know if I can say this but I opted for Ultralase, not the cheapest and I can't comment on other companies, but they have been fantastic though every stage of the process and the lifetime aftercare speaks volumes in my opinion. Good luck. Ian.

Ian,

Many thanks for this very helpful reply. I've already had a consultation with Optical Express (who seem extremely cheap!) and will certainly arrange an appointment with Ultralase for comparison purposes.