What if I have cataracts AND astigmatism?

For cataract patients with astigmatism, successful cataract surgery is only half the battle for regaining quality vision.  Astigmatism is a common vision problem, but most people don't know what it is.  It may accompany nearsightedness or farsightedness and is usually caused by an irregularly shaped cornea (called corneal astigmatism).

In a normal eye, with a round corneal curve, light rays passing through the cornea bend towards the center and focus exactly at one spot on the retina.  With corneal astigmatism, the surface of the cornea has an uneven curvature.  As a result, light rays are not focused at one spot on the retina and your vision becomes distorted.

If you have only a small amount of astigmatism, you may not notice it or have just slightly blurred vision.  But sometimes uncorrected astigmatism can give you headaches or eyestrain, and distort or blur your vision at all distances.

Unfortunately, cataract surgery by itself will not correct astigmatism.  However, the AcrySof® Toric IQ IOL now makes it possible to treat the cataract and correct the corneal astigmatism at the same time.  The AcrySof® IQ Toric Intraocular Lens is an advanced technology that now makes it possible to correct the cataracts clouding your vision — AND the corneal astigmatism distorting your vision — all at the same time.

Vision affected by cataracts and astigmatism	Vision after cataract surgery with traditional IOL and astigmatism
Vision with Acrysof™ Toric IOL

Goodbye Cataracts and Astigmatism…
Hello Quality Distance Vision!

The technology behind the AcrySof® IQ Toric IOL offers precise astigmatic correction that reduces or eliminates corneal astigmatism and delivers significantly improved distance vision without glasses or contacts for cataract patients with pre-existing astigmatism.
With the AcrySof IQ Toric lens, your distance vision can be clear and vibrant, all in just one step.

 Tecnis and Acrysof® IQ “High-Definition” Lenses

A Leap Ahead in Enhanced Clarity and Image Quality

It's a little-known fact that, in spite of all the advances in eye care technology today, even healthy eyes still contain some imperfections called higher order aberrations.
One type of higher order aberration common to cataract patients are spherical aberrations, which can lead to a gradual reduction in vision acuity and function.  An aberration is an irregularity in the shape of the eye's refractive surface that can distort vision.  As you get older, your eye's lens gets thicker and rounder, causing image quality to deteriorate.

Spherical aberrations are generally associated with:

•    Double vision
•    Blurriness
•    Halos
•    Loss of contrast
•    Poor night vision

The Tecnis and AcrySof® IQ lenses are designed to reduce spherical aberrations, increase contrast sensitivity, and improve functional vision.  These lenses offer advantages over traditional spherical cataract lenses:

•    Enhanced clarity
•    Improved image quality

Improved Functional Vision:  When Seconds Count

Functional vision is an important consideration for cataract patients, especially in low visibility conditions, where seconds can matter in recognizing danger.

The Tecnis and AcrySof® IQ lenses offer statistically and clinically significant improvements in night driving test conditions that simulated city and rural settings under normal, glare and fog conditions.

In these tests, the Tecnis and IQ lenses performed functionally better in 34 of 36 conditions tested.  The performance in 12 of these conditions was statistically significant, with the greatest advantage observed in detection and identification of city pedestrians and rural warning signs under glare and fog conditions.

The improved functional vision of the Tecnis and AcrySof® IQ lenses gave respondents greater time to take appropriate action.

What can I expect having cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery is generally a simple, outpatient procedure with little to no discomfort.  The results are permanent, and the actual surgery can take only minutes.  Most patients are back to their normal activities the very next day.  Whichever IOL you choose, rest assured cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective procedures performed around the world.  We simply make a tiny incision in your eye, remove its natural clouded lens, and replace it with a new lens.