Spring is finally here, and that means one thing: it’s golfing season! When you first tee up, you may notice it’s difficult to spot the flag through a fog.
Don’t blame the weather! You may have cataracts, which makes it harder to see the things around you, including golf balls and the hole you want to get the ball in.
The good news? If you have cataracts, having cataract surgery removes the natural lens that becomes cloudy and replaces it with an artificial lens, called an intraocular lens, or IOL.
If you’re a pretty serious golfer, you may want to talk to your eye doctor about premium lenses. Premium intraocular lenses can improve your ability to see near, intermediate distances, and far away.
That means you won’t need prescription sunglasses to spot the hole or readers to write down your score. It’ll even be easier to drive the golf cart and spot your friends across the clubhouse.
Keep reading to learn more about four premium IOLs that can improve your vision and golf game!
1. AcrySof IQ Vivity IOL
Vivity IOLs are extended depth of focus or EDOF lenses. It’s the only non-diffractive extended depth of focus IOL of its kind.
With the Vivity lens, you can focus on two zones without diffracting light like many multifocal lenses. Much of the Vivity IOL success is thanks to its X-Wave technology, which stretches and shifts light with two smooth surface transition elements that work at the same time, rather than splitting it.
Patients experience an extended focal range and fewer visual disturbances. Patients who choose this premium lens experience monofocal-quality vision when they look at things that are far away while still maintaining excellent intermediate vision and functional near vision for up-close objects.
The Vivity IOL improves near vision while also offering clear intermediate and distance sight. The innovative IOLs protect patients from UV rays and filters out blue light using non-diffractive technology.
Choosing the Vivity lens will provide you with another line of defense against the sun’s rays, which you can utilize in addition to wearing sunglasses.
Another advantage of the Vivity lens is it is best for people with presbyopia. Presbyopia, also known commonly as age-related farsightedness, occurs as you get older.
Over time, the eye’s natural lens becomes less flexible, making it harder to see close-up things. If you have presbyopia combined with cataracts and you’re a golfer, it can be challenging to mark your scorecards and read signs.
People who use this lens reported significantly reduced issues with lighting. Only 2 percent experienced starbursts, while one percent had light halos.
You won’t have to worry about the glare from the sun interrupting your game. Have astigmatism? The Vivity lens also comes in a toric model so that you can correct your astigmatism with this premium lens as well!
2. AcrySof IQ PanOptix Trifocal IOL
The PanOptix trifocal lens is the only trifocal IOL that’s FDA approved. A trifocal IOL improves your ability to see at all distances, including up close, far away, and everything in between.
With some multifocal IOLs, it can be challenging for your eyes to adjust while trying to focus on a prescription that’s a different strength. But with the PanOptix trifocal IOL, you won’t run into this problem.
The PanOptix lens has seamless transitions, meaning it takes less energy and time to change your focus, no matter what kind of prescription your eyes are focusing on.
If you have astigmatism, the PanOptix trifocal lens is available in a toric model, so you can have your cataracts and astigmatism taken care of simultaneously.
There’s a lot to love about the PanOptix trifocal lens, like:
- Being less bothered by glare, even if you’re around bright lights
- Having sharper vision, meaning you’ll reduce your dependence on glasses after cataract surgery
- Seeing the world around you in HD with brighter and more vivid colors
- No longer straining to focus since there are no blurry zones so that you can see clearly
Many patients say that after they chose the PanOptix lens, they now have the best vision of their lives!
3. TECNIS Symfony IOL
Many people struggle to see at various distances. They’re not just near-sighted or far-sighted. If this sounds familiar, you may be a good candidate for the TECNIS Symfony lens.
The Symfony IOL is an extended depth of focus IOL. These lenses provide patients with a full range of vision from far away to intermediate (which is an arm’s length away) and sometimes closer up.
With the Symfony lens, patients will have good distance and intermediate vision, which reduces their dependence on glasses and contacts. This is especially useful for people who spend a lot of time on the computer or doing other activities at an arm’s length away, like texting on their phone or looking at a menu while ordering at a restaurant.
EDOF lenses are also available in toric models for people with astigmatism. EDOF IOLs increase the depth of focus by creating one focal point. People that choose these lenses experience fewer instances of glare and halos.
You can try night golfing and have better vision during dawn and dusk games, thanks to the improved retinal image quality that the Symfony IOL provides you.
4. Toric IOL
Many people that get cataract surgery have some form of astigmatism. Astigmatism means the lens of your eye is misshapen. Instead of a perfect curve, the natural lens of the eye may bulge or be too flat.
This misshapenness causes the eye to focus on two points instead of one. It’s difficult to see one image when the eye is struggling to take in an image.
If you have cataracts and astigmatism, you can get toric IOLs. These intraocular lenses help the eye focus on one point. Your eye doctor will use a computer to measure your eye and create custom lenses.
Toric IOLs feature different prescription strengths throughout the lens to correct asymmetrical vision. The lenses will have marks on the edges to help the surgeon rotate them into place in the eye. These lenses must be correctly situated to avoid blurriness.
For the best results, Diagnostic Eye Center recommends that patients with astigmatism have advanced laser cataract surgery that’s performed using the ORA system for the most precise toric IOL placement. For patients, this means better visual outcomes and, of course, getting back on the golf course faster.
That means no more managing your reading glasses to write down your score! Plus, you’ll have the freedom to wear non-prescription sunglasses.
5. Tecnis Synergy IOL
The newly FDA-approved premium lens called the Synergy IOL provides cataract patients with the broadest range of vision of all premium IOLs. This trifocal IOL provides clear vision at all distances: up close, far away, and intermediate distances.
This IOL also provides better contrast between light and dark, especially in low lighting – this means you can golf up until dusk and still see your ball as it soars across the green.
Concerned about cataracts getting in the way of your golf game? Choosing a premium intraocular lens is the best way to go! Our talented eye surgeons, Dr. Marc Sanders and Dr. Andrew Salem take pride in offering the latest lens technology in cataract surgery. At your consultation, they will discuss your visual needs as well as your lifestyle to help you make the best decision for you.
Schedule a cataract screening at Diagnostic Eye Center in Houston, TX, to determine which one may be right for you!
