Loss Of Near Vision After Cataract Surgery

With age the natural lens of the eye changes and influences the near sight and ability to read. This is a natural process called Presbyopia which is a common age-related condition. Near vision may be influenced by cataract surgery and result in loss of near vision after cataract surgery.

The Post Cataract Surgery page provides information on how to improve vision after cataract surgery.

What is Cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery is a common procedure used to treat cataracts, which are clouding of the eye’s natural lens. During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) to restore clear vision. There are different types of IOL’s . Monofocal IOL’s  are the most common type used in cataract surgery. They provide clear vision at a single focal point, typically distance vision. Individuals who choose a Monofocal IOL may still require reading glasses or bifocals for near-vision tasks. Multifocal IOL’s are designed to provide clear vision at multiple distances, including near, intermediate, and far. These IOL’s have different zones or rings that split the incoming light , allowing the individual to see objects at different distances without relying on glasses. Some individuals may experience reduced contrast sensitivity or halos around lights with multifocal IOL’s. Another type of lens are Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) IOL’s which provide an extended range of clear vision from near to intermediate distances.

Each type of IOL has its own benefits and considerations, therefore it is important for individuals to discuss their presbyopia concerns and the available IOL options with their eye care professional before cataract surgery to make an informed decision about the most suitable approach for their visual needs.

Understanding Presbyopia

Presbyopia occurs due to the natural aging process of the eye, which affects the flexibility of the lens and the muscles that control its shape. Presbyopia typically becomes noticeable around the age of 40 and progressively worsens over time. This condition makes it difficult to perform tasks such as reading or working on a computer. Individuals with this condition may experience blurred vision, eye strain, and difficulty reading small print. Presbyopia is a natural part of aging and affects nearly everyone to some degree. While presbyopia is unrelated to cataracts, cataract surgery can have an impact on presbyopia.

The effect of cataract surgery on Presbyopia

The choice of intraocular lens (IOL) during cataract surgery has an impact on presbyopia correction. During cataract surgery, the natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens.
As mentioned above there are a few different types of IOL lenses and each type has a different influence on near vision.
In order to achieve clear near vision the natural lens must accommodate. Accommodation is the ability of the eye to change its focus from distant to near objects (and vice versa). This is achieved by the lens changing its shape. This allows adjustment of the optics of the eye to keep an object in focus on the retina as its distance from the eye changes.
Since there is no ability to accommodate with an artificial lens, after cataract surgery near vision is no longer achieved naturally. Therefore, one will most likely experience loss of near vision after cataract surgery. Dealing with loss of near vision after cataract surgery is influenced by the type of lens implanted.

Among the different options is a Monofocal IOL, which provides good distance vision and most patients will not need distance glasses for daily activities. However, these patients will typically require reading glasses in order to have clear vision for near.
While  Multi-focal IOL’s , provide good distance and near vision with less dependence on glasses. This lens has different focal lengths which allows clear vision at all distances. This IOL overcomes the issue of the lens not being able to accommodate and allows focus and better  near vision but may result in decreased contrast sensitivity and halos.Planning the type of lens in advance will help one overcome the issue of loss of near vision after cataract surgery.

Loss of near vision after cataract surgery may be very frustrating but luckily it is a problem which is easy to overcome. RevitalVision provides an easy, at-home solution for near vision after cataract surgery.

RevitalVision post-cataract program is composed of 30 training sessions done at home on the computer. Completion of this program results in an average improvement of up to 150% in contrast sensitivity.

The Post Cataract Surgery page provides information on how to improve vision after cataract surgery.