Piggyback IOL
Are you still using glasses after your cataract operation?
I’ve already had a cataract operation and I still need glasses to:-
- Read
- Drive
- Use the computer
- Watch television
- See clearly in the distance
- All of the above
I would like to be free of glasses. Can anything be done?
YES – a piggyback lens implant can help you to function without glasses
Animation of the Piggyback IOL procedure
Multifocal Piggyback Lens
Why do I still need to use glasses despite having had a cataract operation?
When the natural lens becomes cloudy with the passage of time, this is called cataract. During cataract surgery, the natural lens is removed and replaced with a clear plastic lens implant. Some patients do not need to wear glasses after their operation, but common reasons for still needing glasses include the following:
- A monofocal lens was implanted at your initial cataract operation.
If the lens implanted at the time of your cataract surgery was monofocal it will allow you to see clearly in the distance but you will need to wear spectacles for reading and using the computer. - You have a residual refractive error after your cataract operation.
You will need to use glasses after your cataract surgery if your eyes still have a spectacle prescription (or refractive error). In this case you may still have some short sight (myopia), long sight (hyperopia) or astigmatism.
The intraocular lens is positioned behind the iris (the coloured part of the eye). The space in between the iris and the lens is called the ‘sulcus’ and it can accommodate a thin lens implant. The process of placing such a specially designed thin lens is called ‘piggyback lens implantation’.
Multifocal Piggyback Lens
The Sulcoflex multifocal piggyback lens can provide reading vision without glasses for patients that have had monofocal cataract surgery in the past and currently depend on glasses for reading.
The lens is designed for placement in the sulcus of eyes that have previously received a monofocal lens. The optical principles are the same as primary multifocal intraocular lens implants, but the piggyback lens is thinner and designed to rest easily in between the iris and the previously implanted monofocal lens.
Monofocal Piggyback Lens
Some people are not happy to wear glasses for seeing in the distance but do not mind using them for reading. In such cases, a monofocal piggyback lens implant can correct your residual short-sight, long-sight or astigmatism. Glasses will then be used for reading and computer work.