Cataract requires implanting a new, artificial intraocular lens in place of the cloudy one that is removed. Choosing such a lens is a life-long choice. That is why it is worth knowing what the types of lenses are, their advantages and disadvantages. Check what are the types of lenses used during cataract treatment and which ones are reimbursed by the National He alth Fund.

Contents:

  1. Cataract - single vision lenses
  2. Cataract - multifocal lenses
  3. Cataract - toric lenses
  4. Cataract - which lenses are used by the NHF?
  5. Cataract - the price of lenses
  6. Cataract - which lenses to choose?

Selectingthe lensto be implanted during cataract removalcataractis a lifelong choice. Therefore, it is worth analyzing your expectations related to the treatment and looking for solutions that will best answer them.

Intraocular lenses used in the treatment of cataracts can be optically divided into monofocal or monofocal and multifocal or multifocal (i.e. bifocal and trifocal). Each of them has different features.

Modern intraocular lenses made of good quality materials and equipped with appropriate filters are able not only to restore good visual acuity at all distances, but also to correct coexisting eye defects and protect eyesight after surgery.

Cataract - single vision lenses

Replacing the natural opaque lens of the eye with a monofocal lens solves the problem of cataracts, but it is worth knowing that after surgery it provides sharp vision at one distance - near or far.

Single vision lenses improve eyesight, and for many patients they even restore it, but do not correct the so-called refractive errors, such as myopia or astigmatism, which occur with cataracts in some patients.

It results from their optical structure - they have only one focus of light. Due to the fact that, as a rule, in order to function properly, we need sharp far vision first, lenses that ensure good long-distance vision are usually implanted during cataract surgery.

  • Spectacle lenses: types, materials, coatings and filters

After cataract surgery with such a lens implantation, we will need close-up glasses, e.g. when reading, using a smartphone, sewing and many other activities that require good vision of objects at close range.

It is also worth knowing that currently the standard lenses implanted during the "NHF" procedure do not have properties that allow for the correction of astigmatism.

Cataract - multifocal lenses

Good distance and near vision, and therefore the ability to part with reading glasses, is achieved by bifocal lenses.

And trifocal lenses ensure good vision also at intermediate distances (about 60 cm), allowing for example the use of a computer without glasses.

New generation lenses, apart from cataracts, also remove eye defects. Thanks to them, the patient does not have to use glasses anymore.

Among the intraocular lenses available today, it is trifocal lenses that provide the closest quality of vision to that of a he althy natural eye lens.

The multifocal lens is already classified as a special lens that is suitable for a small percentage of patients.

Cataract - toric lenses

Intraocular lenses can also correct astigmatism, which is a vision defect most often resulting from asymmetry in the structure of the cornea. Astigmatism is usually corrected with eyeglass lenses or contact lenses, the so-called cylindrical, or otherwise toric.

  • Contact lenses - are they good for everyone?

Intraoculartoric lenses , in people with cataracts who also have astigmatism, allow for the correction of this vision defect during cataract surgery. Toric lenses are available in both single vision, dual and trifocal versions.

In addition to toric lenses, there are also Scharioth lenses that help patients with AMD, or macular degeneration.

Worth knowing

Not every lens that would be best for the patient can be used in NHF surgery. In such a situation, the best solution would be to pay extra for such a lens, but it has been impossible since 2013, when the National He alth Fund interpreted the regulations in such a way that clinics had to stop collecting subsidies. In a foreign clinic, patients can pay extra for the lens.

Cataract - which lenses are used by the NHF?

During cataract removal surgery reimbursed by the National He alth Fund, in the vast majority of cases, single vision intraocular lenses are implanted.

The lenses of the newest generation are basically availableonly as part of a paid treatment performed in a private facility.

The standard lens used in cataract surgeries in Poland and the only one reimbursed by the National He alth Fund is a single vision lens.

It is worth choosing a center where the best quality ones are implanted during the procedure - hydrophobic, aspheric, with UV and blue light filters, protecting the retina of the eye. A single vision lens allows for good distance vision, but the patient will still need reading glasses or working distance at the computer.

Currently, as part of private procedures, the following lenses are available:

  • bifocal - allowing for sharp vision of objects near and far,
  • trifocal - also enabling very good vision for the so-called intermediate distances (approx. 60 cm), which is very important for people with an active lifestyle who use a computer, tablet or smartphone every day.
  • toric lenses to correct astigmatism, available in single, dual and triple focal lengths

Cataract - the price of lenses

Standard lens costs from 130 to 450 PLN. You have to pay much more for a newer generation of lenses, from 1.2 thousand. up to 3,000 PLN.

You also have to pay for the cataract surgery, which costs an average of PLN 2.9 thousand in our country. zloty. The procedure performed with the use of a femtosecond laser costs an additional PLN 3,000. more.

Cataract - which lenses to choose?

Intraocular lenses differ not only in their optical construction, but also in how many vision problems they can solve simultaneously.

Significant differences also result from other features. Therefore, before the operation, it is worth making sure what lens will be implanted. Here is a list of parameters you should check to make sure your lens is of good quality:

  • is aspherical - this structure guarantees very good quality of vision after surgery
  • is hydrophobic - i.e. it is made of very good quality material, which determines the stability of the implanted lens and, importantly, minimizes the risk of the so-called secondary cataract, i.e. clouding of the posterior capsule of the eye, which must be removed by laser treatment
  • has a UV filter that absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation, not only that: it is also important that it is a type of filter that will provide the highest possible level of protection against this radiation
  • has a blue light filter (then it has a characteristic yellow color) that protects the retina of the eye
  • should not, however, block blue light throughout its entire range- currently in Poland, the beneficial effect of blue light on sleep, circadian rhythm and emotional functioning is being investigated

Let's ask the doctor about each of the above-mentioned lens parameters. The comfort of our vision after the surgery depends on her choice.

Worth knowing

The only way to treat cataracts is surgery. It is one of the most spectacular medical procedures - after 15-30 minutes a person who had problems with performing the simplest activities returns to normal functioning. The procedure is performed using the so-called phacoemulsification.

An ophthalmological surgeon makes a small incision on the side of the cornea, removes the natural cloudy lens of the eye, and then replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens with appropriately selected optical parameters.

The treatment is painless - anesthetic drops and sedative medications reduce the feeling of discomfort to a minimum.

One eye is operated on during one procedure. The second one can be operated on usually 14 days after the first operation.

The article uses materials from Alcon.

Category:

Eye diseases and vision disorders