Crystalens is an advanced focusing implantable lens that can help you see clearly far away-at arms length-and up close-without being dependent on glasses or contact lenses. As we grow older, our ability to continually change focus begins to diminish as the normally clear and flexible crystalline lens in your eyes becomes rigid and hazy. Over time, as the crystalline lens actually becomes cloudy, it may form a cataract. Crystalens for Cataract Surgery. A new intraocular lens (Crystalens) is the first to offer cataract patients in the United States a full range of vision that closely mimics the action of the eye's natural lens that is removed and replaced during surgery. San Clemente Laguna Hills Aliso Viejo Irvine Newport Beach Orange County Mission Viejo Dana Point San Juan Capistrano Laguna Beach Lake Forest Capistrano Beach Laguna Niguel Rancho Santa Margarita Trabuco Canyon Laguna Woods FootHill Ranch Costa Mesa Ladera Ranch Corona Del Mar Huntington Beach Orange County California
Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late 2003, the Crystalens (Eyeonics Inc., Aliso Viego, Calif.) provides what is known as accommodation. This is the eye's ability to focus effectively at near, middle and far distances. The purpose of the Crystalens is to provide cataract and RLE patients with the ability to accommodate. The Crystalens accommodating IOL is specially designed so it may move forward and backward within the eye in response to flexing of the same muscles that manipulated the crystalline lens for accommodation. This is sometimes called pseudo-accommodation, but is actually real accommodation with an artificial lens. The vaulting movement changes the focal point and may allow a patient to accommodate. This accommodation may reduce the need for reading glasses, bifocals, or trifocals, and does not require any special exercise or thought process on the part of the patient.
Accommodation with a Crystalens is the same as accommodation with a natural lens. Two and three year follow data indicates that the pseudo accommodation of the Crystalens does not significantly diminish with time. In the FDA clinical trials it was found that a vast majority, but not all, patients implanted with a Crystalens accommodating IOL achieved a measurable improvement in accommodation. It was also indicated that the Crystalens provided vision quality equal to or better than a conventional IOL. It would appear that there is no significant downside to the Crystalens accommodating IOL, and the high probability of functional accommodation is most assuredly an upside. Despite all the apparent good news, do not expect too much from an accommodating IOL. Accommodation will not be restored to the level of function you had when you were 30. For a few, accommodation will actually be less after a Crystalens, but will be more than with a conventional IOL. Keep expectations reasonable. Implanting the Crystalens is more challenging than implanting a conventional IOL. It will be important to seek the care of a doctor with a reasonable amount of practical knowledge of RLE or cataract surgery and the Crystalens accommodating IOL. You may find that a cataract doctor has more experience with IOL implantation than a Lasik doctor. San Clemente Laguna Hills Aliso Viejo Irvine Newport Beach Orange County Mission Viejo Dana Point San Juan Capistrano Laguna Beach Lake Forest Capistrano Beach Laguna Niguel Rancho Santa Margarita Trabuco Canyon Laguna Woods FootHill Ranch Costa Mesa Ladera Ranch Corona Del Mar Huntington Beach Orange County California
The Crystalens is not for everybody. If the natural ciliary muscle contractions are weak or the zonules are damaged, the Crystalens IOL may not accommodate even if implanted correctly. If the ciliary muscle or zonules do not function, a pseudoaccommodating IOL essentially becomes a conventional IOL. If the patient's pupils do not chemically dilate adequately, the doctor will be positioning the haptics around a blind corner, but if the patient's pupils naturally dilate too large, the Crystalens may induce glare in low light environments. It is possible that a posterior capsule opacification may occur, but a quick laser procedure usually takes care of this problem. The recovery time for a Crystalens may be slightly longer than with a conventional IOL. Also, the cost of the Crystalens is significantly more than a conventional IOL, and some insurance plans may not pay for all or part of the surgery if the patient elects to use a high technology Crystalens.
Thanks to a change in Medicare policy, patients who need cataract surgery and are covered by Medicare may now elect to purchase the Crystalens at an additional cost over a conventional IOL. Before this policy change, Medicare's restrictions made it nearly impossible for a patient to acquire a Crystalens IOL. Now the patient may elect to pay the additional fees for the doctor, facility, and lens. Crystalens Medicare Policy Details. Lastly, if you have the Crystalens, be patient. It takes time for your brain and eye muscles to become accustomed to the new possibilities afforded with the Crystalens. Although accommodation may be immediate, expect the changes to be slow with improvement in real function over the first year. For more information, visit the FDA or the Crystalens manufacture, Eyeonics. Crystalens is sometimes misspelled as CrystaLens, Crystal Lens, Crystal-Lens, or Crysta-Lens.
Choose a doctor specializing in custom wavefront Lasik, IntraLasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, CK, RLE, or any refractive surgery procedure. Crystalens mimics eye's natural lens unlike most other IOLs, the Crystalens can move fluidly with the natural action of the eye's muscle contractions. And for many patients, the lens offers the additional bonus of possibly correcting existing vision defects that have nothing to do with cataracts. If the lens continues to prove to be effective, many people potentially could benefit. The National Institutes of Health estimates that about 20.5 million U.S. residents who now are more than 40 years old will have cataracts. San Clemente Laguna Hills Aliso Viejo Irvine Newport Beach Orange County Mission Viejo Dana Point San Juan Capistrano Laguna Beach Lake Forest Capistrano Beach Laguna Niguel Rancho Santa Margarita Trabuco Canyon Laguna Woods FootHill Ranch Costa Mesa Ladera Ranch Corona Del Mar Huntington Beach Orange County California
Cataract Surgeons familiar with Crystalens protocol. Because this is a new lens requiring special skill for insertion, it's important that you find a surgeon familiar with the Crystalens protocol. Also, newer products do not have the same track record as those that have been in use for years. Cataract removal is no different from other surgical procedures, and complications are always possible. Crystalens technically, is an accommodative intraocular lens which is used to replace the natural lens when it has stiffened and limited your ability to focus effectively. Limited focusing ability means that you gradually lose the ability to see things at distance-at arms length or up close-without using reading glasses, bifocals, or trifocals. Crystalens is able to restore your eye's natural focusing ability by using a lens design that mimics the way the natural lens flexes and focuses. Crystalens is implanted in the identical manner as other intraocular lenses. It can be implanted after the removal of the crystalline lens using the same technique as modern cataract surgery. This means your surgery can performed on an outpatient patient basis and that you can resume your normal work and recreational activities within a couple of days.
Learn about Crystalens and how it can help you to see clearly far away-at arms length and up close without dependence on glasses. Then schedule an appointment with one of our eye surgeons for a consultation to see if it is right for you. Be sure to ask all of the questions you have been wondering about and then you can make an informed decision with your physician.