You may have a pad and plastic shield over your treated eye when you leave hospital, which can usually be removed the day after surgery. These implants can allow excellent visual function at a set distance. They can correct shortsightedness or longsightedness. They aim to leave patients without glasses for a defined focal length, which is usually for distance vision. Both procedures take approximately 10 minutes and can be performed with an eye drop anaesthetic only, removing the need for injections. The whole hospital visit often takes about 90 minutes from arriving to going home. Trifocal lenses can be well suited to you but Mr Lindfield reassures that he or your chosen doctor will go through a process to ensure they fit with your requirement and your eyes are suitable.

These side effects usually improve within a few days, but it can take 4 to 6 weeks to recover fully.The dominant eye is set for distance and the non-dominant eye is set for varying amounts of nearer vision. The two eyes perform different tasks when measured on their own but when both eyes are open they allow a seamless range of vision. The ability to read without glasses depends on how close-focussed the non-dominant eye is set. They are produced in sterile medical facilities and many lenses are not even handled in theatre. They are injected into the eye via a sterile introducing device without requiring the lens to be handled by the surgical team. Royal National Institute of Blind People. All rights reserved. RNIB Enterprises Limited (with registered number 0887094) is a wholly owned trading subsidiary of the Royal National Institute of Blind People ("RNIB"), a charity registered in England and Wales (226227), Scotland (SC039316) and Isle of Man (1226). RNIB Enterprises Limited covenants all of its taxable profits to RNIB. There are two main types of lens: monofocaland multifocal/trifocal. Both types are also available in toric (astigmatism reducing) variants.

Mr Dan Lindfield is a multi-award-winning consultant ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon in Guildford and Farnham. To make an appointment with him, head to his Top Doctors profile.A cataract is the age-related clouding of the lens inside our eye. It tends to occur when we reach 60 years or older but itcan occur at a younger age in rarer circumstances. Cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a precision-made implant.

There is often a learning curve associated with these lenses but within a few weeks, patients can often see clearly for distance and near tasks. It must be stated, however, that these lenses function their best in good light. They sometimes perform less well in dim light. They are very safe. Millions have been implanted worldwide and the risk of problems is exceptionally low. Approximately 5-10% of patients are also aware of “rings” or “circles” in their vision when viewing bright lights such as car brake lights. These rings emanate from the circular zones on the lens surface which allow for the trifocality. The glare from these rings is rarely troublesome but can be noticeable.They are available in small incremental strengths to enable surgeons to leave patients as close to their perfect prescription as possible. Aiming for a prescription of 0.00 means that distance activities can be seen without glasses - this includes day to day life, driving and TV. This is a technique to allow the benefits of monofocal lenses (relatively low cost and very low risk of adverse visual effects) whilst reducing the need for reading glasses.