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Premium lens implants require premium clarity of the visual axis
 Opacification of the posterior capsule is noted, particularly in the visual axis of this patient who had undergone cataract surgery with implantation of a premium lens. |
I recently did a cataract surgery for a very well-read patient who elected to have a premium lens implant. I spent extra time educating the patient, taking multiple precise measurements, determining the concurrent astigmatic treatment and triple-checking the lens calculations. The surgery went beautifully, and the patient was very happy with the resultant sharp vision.
A few months later, the patient returned and described a decrease in the sharpness of her vision. She mistakenly thought that the lens implant was defective and decaying. A simple look through the microscope showed that she had developed a posterior capsule opacification — a normal response that would easily be cleared in just a couple of minutes with the YAG laser.
This case highlighted the point that premium lens implants require premium clarity of the visual axis. With lens designs that split light into various zones, any aberration in the visual axis is amplified, and these patients tend to be more sensitive to even mild degrees of posterior capsule opacity. In addition, because these patients tend to be well-read and very observant, they can be more inclined to notice any slight change to their vision. Performing a YAG laser capsulotomy at an earlier stage is recommended for these patients. If the patient notices symptoms from the posterior capsule opacity, then it's likely time to clear it up.
After showing the patient a photo of her eye, she understood the issue. We proceeded to do the YAG laser capsulotomy the same day, and she quickly recovered the sharp vision that she desired.