Will my son have issues with Toric lens with having Type 1 Diabetes and cataract surgery?
OCT 28, 2012
Question:
My son needs cataract surgery and has type 1 diabetes. I'm hearing conflicting opinions on whether inserting a toric lens would be advisable. There is a concern that the lens might make the annual eye exam for retinal bleeding a little more difficult as it might be harder to see into the back of the eye. Do you agree with the concern or do you think the toric lens would be OK? My son would prefer the multifocal capability of the toric lens if it doesn't compromise future eye exams.
Answer:
The insertion of a toric intraocular lens will not produce any difficulty in viewing the fundus (back of the eye) to evaluate diabetic retinopathy or any other abnormality. There is an error in your question, however. A toric intraocular lens corrects astigmatism but does not provide any multifocal benefits. By multifocal we mean the ability to have distance, intermediate and near vision with the same eye. I suggest you discuss this with your ophthalmologist to make certain that you and your son understand these differences. In either case, your son should not have any difficulty with examination of the back of the eye from the intraocular lens now or in the future.