After cataract surgery, the eye's natural lens is replaced with an intraocular lens. Which is made with a biocompatible material that does not need to be replaced and lasts many more years than the patient requires, therefore a change is not required.
However, there are exceptional cases where patients wish to replace or change the lens, for example, changing from monofocal to multifocal lenses so as not to depend on glasses at all, etc. In these cases, surgery can be performed which is a relatively short procedure, in which a second lens implant is inserted on top of the existing lens implant.
This procedure allows the specialist to modify the toricity and/or power of the original implant. Likewise, fine-tuning the focus of the eye and converting a lens implant from monofocal to multifocal.
Other reasons an adjustment may be necessary include:
- The patient is not happy with the outcome of his cataract operation as previously planned.
- The patient decides that he wants to be as independent as possible from glasses after the operation. This may be because they have had a standard implant and want to convert it to a multifocal and/or toric lens implant so they can see better and more without glasses.
- The shape of the eyeball can sometimes change over time, meaning that patients may become dependent on glasses again (this happens in 5-10% of cases) some time after the original surgery. It is relatively easy to remove the old implant and place a new one.
In short, the adjustment of the implants consists of modifying the result and correcting astigmatism and reducing dependence on glasses after cataract surgery.
El Dr. José Alberto Muiños Gómez-Camacho, medical director of Innova Ocular Muiños Clinic, explains in this video if it is necessary to replace an intraocular lens after cataract surgery.
