Smart lenses (Trifocal lenses) and Cataract
Op. Dr. Mehmet Fatih Arslan
What is a cataract?
It will be healthier for us to start the smart lens issue with what is cataract, its causes, treatment and treatment with trifocal lenses (3-focus intraocular lens), that is, smart lenses in cataract patients, in terms of a clearer understanding and integrity of the subject.
Cataract means that the lens in the eye, called the lens, loses its transparency. This lens is located behind the transparent cornea, behind the iris, the layer that forms the pupil and gives the eye its color, just like the watch glass we see on the outside of the eye. Cataract formation; It can also occur at earlier ages due to reasons such as glaucoma, diabetes, cortisone drug use, trauma, exposure to ultraviolet rays (sun rays) for a long time, and having a family history of cataract at an early age. It can occur in advanced ages due to aging. The most common cause of cataracts is aging.
When this lens loses its transparency, the images that come to the eye cannot be transferred to the area we call the yellow spot in the retina layer of the eye. The patient has blurred vision. Symptoms of cataract; It is a gradual decrease in vision, sensitivity to light, double vision in one eye, difficulty in reading, deterioration in night vision, fading or yellowing in colors, frequent changes in the number of glasses, the patient’s distance vision deteriorates and his near vision becomes better.
How is it treated?
There is no treatment for cataracts other than surgery. Today, cataract is treated by surgery with the phaco method. Before the operation, the pupil is enlarged with various drops. The eye is anesthetized with drops, which we call topical anesthesia. Anesthesia (numbing) is not done with the needle. No general anesthesia (sleeping) or hospitalization is required. After entering the eye through an incision of approximately 2-2.5 mm from the cornea layer, the lens material with cataract is broken with a phaco device, melted and vacuumed, and an artificial lens is placed inside the eye in the lens capsule socket. No sewing. The operation takes about 5-6 minutes. During the procedure, the patient does not feel any pain or ache.
Smart lenses in cataract surgery
Trifocal lenses are the best solution for people who want to have cataracts removed and not to wear glasses after surgery. Smart lenses can make the patient with cataracts able to see without glasses for the rest of their life after surgery, no matter what type of glasses they used before. They are high-tech lenses that will meet all the visual needs of the person during the day. Thus, patients get clear vision at close, intermediate and long distances regardless of the glasses.
People used to retire in their mid-40s. Today, however, people work intensely until their 60s or even 70s. These people need to wear glasses in order to see close up such as mobile phone, reading a book or handcraft with the application of monofocal lenses, by removing their cataracts. They will also not be able to see clearly with their close glasses on the desktop computer screen, dials while driving, or intermediate distances such as accessing the kitchen counter. Therefore, their quality of life will decrease considerably. However, smart lenses can focus automatically at close, intermediate and long distances as if our natural lens has not lost its flexibility. In addition, all of the problems such as hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism, which were present in the person before the cataract, will be eliminated with a single smart lens and a single surgery. Problems such as eyeglasses hanging around the neck, searching for glasses, removing them, and trying to adjust the clear vision distance will be eliminated. Our patients will continue their lives like young individuals who do not need glasses.
State-of-the-art smart lenses provide solutions to the problem of near, intermediate and distance vision in the treatment of patients with cataracts and increase their quality of life. Thanks to smart lenses, the eyes of our patients with cataracts return to their youth after surgery.
What are the advantages of smart lenses?
We ophthalmologists call it trifocal (trifocal) intraocular lens, but it is called smart lens or smart lens among the people.
So are these lenses really smart? What benefits does it have? Who can benefit? To whom is it not applicable?
In this article, I talked about the application of trifocal lenses in people who started to need eyeglasses after the age of 40.
Every person has a natural lens in the eye. This lens is both clear and elastic. With every near and far sight, this lens changes shape and focuses on the distance viewed, thanks to its flexibility. In this way, we can see both far and near clearly. This makes it the natural lens of our eye in milliseconds without thinking about focusing.
With advancing age, the lens in the eye first loses its flexibility, it can no longer change shape and focus when looking close. The patient begins to see blurred nearsightedness. Over the years, the number of close eyeglasses continues to increase.
The fact that someone who has never used glasses until the age of 45 is in need of close glasses can make him really unhappy. You know it yourself. Imagine you went to a restaurant with your friends. You have the menu but you cannot read it. You may have to say exactly what your friend told the waiter. If you haven’t forgotten it somewhere and it is with you at that moment, you took your glasses out of your jacket pocket. Meanwhile, eyes will likely be focused on you. Undoubtedly, being in this situation will not make you feel good. Or you are at the office, you need to check your messages on your mobile phone while checking your e-mails on the desktop computer screen. You are watching the news on the television screen 2-3 meters away. Search for, find, put on, take off, adjust the distance, try to focus. Trying to drop the glasses on the tip of your nose and be able to see the mobile phone nearby and watch the television over the glasses. Your job is really tough.
It doesn’t matter now, young or old, everyone uses a smart phone, and for this you need to see clearly up close. People used to retire in their 40s. But nowadays they work actively until their 60s or even 70s. The near vision problem greatly reduces the quality of life of these people. Of course, our word is to people who are unhappy with using glasses. We can’t say anything for those who use glasses as an accessory and those who like it. But it is also true that there is a large patient population who do not like to use glasses.
Today’s people don’t want to go into a corner like they used to, they don’t want to look old, act like old people, and live like old people. Anti-aging has entered our lives. Yes, for these people, trifocal lenses are the smartest solution.
What are smart lens surgery and its results?
The surgery can be performed on both eyes a few days apart. It is a painless procedure that takes about 5-6 minutes. It is extremely safe and applied with the latest technology. Hold on tight, after the smart lens is attached, you will never need glasses again in your life. No number progression. The lens is maintenance free. It does not need to be changed periodically. It can stay in the spotlight for life. There is no problem with the lens falling off, dislodged or slipping. Sea, pool, all kinds of sports activities are free. It can meet all the visual needs of the person throughout the day. Just like our natural lens before it loses its flexibility. You can automatically focus and see clearly at every distance you look.
Even if we wear high-grade glasses, can we have smart lenses surgically applied to achieve a life without glasses?
There is more. It doesn’t matter whether the person wears far or near glasses, whether they are hyperopia or nearsighted, or have astigmatism. We can correct all of these conditions with a single operation and a single smart lens. In other words, after the age of 45, refractive (recovering from glasses) laser treatment has been replaced by smart lenses.
As a result, smart lenses largely solve the problem of near and intermediate vision and increase the quality of life. Today, we can say that this application is not a comfort, but a necessity of the age. After the smart lens application, patients get rid of their near and far glasses, and their quality of life increases. The sparkle in their eyes makes us happy.
