Crystalens Lens Implant.

For Patients with Presbyopia

East Valley Ophthalmology offers the Bausch & Lomb Crystalens lens implant as a premium lens upgrade from standard single-focus lens implants. The Crystalens is designed to automatically move forward and backward with the eye's internal muscle to allow a greater range of visual focus than traditional lens implants. We invite you to call to have your questions answered or to make an appointment: 480-981-6111.

The Bausch & Lomb Crystalens is the first "accommodating" lens implant to be approved by the FDA, uniquely designed with hinges on two sides, held in place and moved by the tiny ciliary muscles inside the eye to enhance focusing ability.

The Crystalens has advanced focusing capability that best corrects vision for distance and intermediate, while objects at near distances may still be somewhat out of focus. Some patients may need reading glasses for small print.

The Crystalens lens implant is:

• The first and only FDA approved accommodating intraocular lens prescribed for presbyopia
• The only lens implant that utilizes the natural accommodating ability of the eye
• The first lens implant to provide a single focal-point throughout a wider range of vision

The accommodative abilities of the Crystalens result from the focusing muscle in the eye, called the ciliary muscles. These muscles change the position and thus the focus of the Crystalens, allowing the eye to automatically provide a wider range of vision.

Presbyopia — the inability to accommodate

Presbyopia describes the condition where the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age. Most people's vision remains stable until their late 40's when, at that time, the eye's natural internal (crystalline) lens begins to gradually enlarge and harden. It then becomes difficult for the eye to adjust your lens to focus at varying distances. This is known as "loss of accommodation", or "presbyopia", and its earliest symptom is difficulty seeing things close-up without reading glasses. Generally, reading glasses, bifocals, or trifocals are the standard solution to presbyopia. However, the Crystalens lens implant is now an option in cataract surgery to replace the natural lens when it has lost its ability to accommodate. For most people the Crystalens greatly reduces their dependancy on glasses.

What makes the Crystalens unique?

In conventional cataract surgery, the surgeon removes the hardened, cloudy natural lens and implants a single-focus artificial lens, called an "intraocular lens implant" or "IOL". This lens allows the patient to see well only at one fixed distance, usually far distance. For close and intermediate vision, patients would require the use of glasses.

The Crystalens offers the potential to restore much of your eye's natural focusing ability by incorporating a design corresponding to the way the natural lens flexes and focuses. The Crystalens has hinges on both sides so it can be moved by the tiny ciliary muscles inside your eye, allowing you to focus more naturally at a greater range of distances than with traditional lens implants.

The Crystalens is implanted in a similar manner to other intraocular lenses during cataract surgery. Used in conjunction with standard cataract extraction methods, the Crystalens can potentially restore a wider range of functional vision, without total dependence on glasses or contact lenses.

In addition, the ease of vision compared to wearing trifocals is significantly improved. You will have a wider range of vision without having to tilt your head to find that portion of your glasses that allows you to see clearly. Typically, you simply look at something and the Crystalens will automatically focus your eye, because the Crystalens mimics the natural focusing ability of your eye.

Everyone's focusing ability is different. Many people will be able to see clearly in the distance, have excellent middle vision and possibly read a newspaper without glasses, but some people may be more comfortable with additional correction, particularly at night or in dim light. It is important to remember that implant surgery cannot resolve pre-existing visual conditions such as floaters, flashes, or visual field loss that are a result of conditions of the eye and not related to the lens.

How Well Does the Crystalens Work?

In FDA clinical trials:

• 98.4% of patients implanted with the Crystalens accommodating lens in both eyes could pass a driver's test without glasses
• 100% could see intermediate (24" to 30"), 20/20 at arm's length, without glasses, the distance for most of life's activities
• 98.4% could see well enough to read the newspaper and the phone book without glasses
• Some patients did require glasses for some tasks after implantation of the Crystalens accommodating lens
• Significantly more patients implanted with a Crystalens (88.4%) could see better at all distances without glasses than patients implanted with a standard lens implant (35.9%)

Make your appointment today with East Valley Ophthalmology, to see if the Crystalens lens for the correction of presbyopia is right for you. If you would like further information, please call our office at:

480-981-6111

Arizona's Leading Eye Specialists

The eye specialists of East Valley Ophthalmology perform advanced technology diagnostic testing and treatment, as well as taking the time necessary to provide each patient with information needed to fully understand their condition and to achieve their best possible visual outcome.

If you or a family member or friend have not had a recent routine eye examination, have a specific eye condition that needs addressing, or are looking for an eye specialist or professional eye consultant please take a moment to Request an Appointment.