Do you have cataracts and astigmatism? Cataract surgery with a standard intraocular lens, also known as an IOL, can restore your vision and eliminate cataract symptoms.
However, it won’t correct astigmatism. If you have astigmatism and opt for a regular IOL, you might still need to wear glasses or contacts to see clearly, depending on how much astigmatism you have.
However, with a toric IOL, you can address cataracts and astigmatism at the same time. Correcting both conditions simultaneously will considerably improve your vision, giving you more freedom from glasses or contacts when carrying out your daily activities.
Keep reading to learn more about toric IOLs and whether or not you may need one!
What is a Toric IOL?
A toric IOL is an advanced technology lens implant used to correct astigmatism. Although specifically designed to correct astigmatism, toric IOLs can also correct other refractive errors, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness.
Astigmatism is a common refractive error that occurs when your cornea has an oval shape like a football instead of a round shape like a baseball.
The abnormal curvature of the cornea leads to blurry, distorted vision at all distances.
Will I Need a Toric IOL?
You may be a candidate for a toric IOL if you have higher levels of astigmatism. Toric lenses are used to correct moderate-to-severe astigmatism.
During your cataract evaluation, your eye doctor will measure the amount of astigmatism in your eyes. Depending on the amount of astigmatism you have, your eye doctor may or may not recommend a toric IOL for cataract surgery.
Not everyone with astigmatism will benefit from a toric IOL, but your eye doctor will let you know if they think you’d benefit from this advanced lens.
How Does a Toric IOL Work?
Cataract surgery with a toric IOL is basically the same as cataract surgery with other IOLs but with a few crucial differences. During your cataract evaluation, your ophthalmologist will measure the curvature of your cornea.
These measurements will help determine the ideal power and orientation of the toric IOL needed to effectively correct your astigmatism. Toric lenses have varying strengths or powers in different meridians of the IOL to account for the different vision issues on the surface of a cornea with astigmatism.
Additionally, a toric lens implant comes with markers on its peripheral. These markers allow your cataract surgeon to see the orientation of the astigmatism correction in the toric intraocular lens.
Once a toric IOL is implanted in your eye, your cataract surgeon uses the pre-determined markers to perfectly align the lens in your eye in order to fix your astigmatism. A properly implanted IOL addresses most astigmatism problems and helps you achieve the best vision possible.
Toric lenses are intended to last for the rest of your life. They don’t degrade or need maintenance.
Benefits of Toric IOLs
Some of the advantages of choosing a toric lens implant include:
Addresses Astigmatism and Cataracts Simultaneously
Before the invention of toric IOLs, intraocular lens implants couldn’t correct astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery. Patients had extra surgeries or remained dependent on glasses or contacts to reduce the distortion and blurring.
Now, toric IOLs allow your cataract surgeon to remove cataracts and address astigmatism in one fell swoop.
Minimizes or Gets Rid of Astigmatism
Toric lenses work with the shape of your cornea to help refract light and prevent distorted or blurred vision. The unique design of a toric lens enables it to reduce or eliminate astigmatism and significantly improve uncorrected distance vision.
More Freedom from Glasses or Contacts
A lot of patients choose a toric single-focus IOL to provide quality distance vision without contacts or glasses. However, a toric lens might not necessarily eliminate all of your astigmatism, especially if it’s severe.
So you may still require glasses or contacts to address the remaining astigmatism. The good news is your prescription lenses or reading glasses won’t be as strong as before cataract surgery.
You also won’t have to rely on corrective lenses as much after your cataract procedure. For many people, toric IOLs give them the clearest vision of their lives.
Little Downtime
Recovery time after a cataract procedure with a toric IOL is no different than cataract surgery with a conventional IOL. The procedure is considered safe, comfortable and usually has minimal downtime.
Protects Your Vision
Toric IOLs filter UV, and blue light is known to damage your eyes progressively. The sun and digital devices, including smartphones, computers, laptops, and tablets, produce blue light that can cause eyestrain.
Blue light also increases your risk of developing macular degeneration. Toric lens implants block out the sun’s UV rays and blue light from digital screens without affecting the quality of your vision.
Whether driving, hiking, scrolling through your phone, or using your computer, a toric IOL offers optimal protection from blue light, reducing eyestrain and decreasing your chances of developing macular degeneration.
See Better than Ever
If you have cataracts and astigmatism, the experienced doctors at Joshi Retina Institute can determine if a toric lens implant is a good option for you. A toric IOL will provide clear, crisp vision, so you can look forward to seeing what you’ve been missing.
Are you interested in a toric lens implant? Schedule your cataract screening at Joshi Eye Institute in Boynton Beach, FL, today to determine if it’s time for cataract surgery and whether a toric IOL is right for you!
