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  • Can I have multifocal IOL put over my basic IOL?


    Question:

    I am 60 and have had cataract surgery on both eyes. On one eye I have a basic monofocal intraocular lens (IOL), leaving me farsighted. The other eye has a mid-range lens. I regret not getting the advanced multifocal lens for both eyes. Do you know if there are multifocal lenses being manufactured that can be piggybacked on a basic monofocal lens?


    Answer:

    Multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) must be precisely positioned within the eye to work as intended.

    While it is technically possible to place a multifocal lens in front of a monofocal lens (a “piggyback” placement), this is rarely done due to potential visual distortions (aberrations) and difficulty stably centering the multifocal IOL. Both of these issues could leave you with more visual problems than you started out with. Research is being done in this area, so that answer may change in the future. Along the same lines, while an IOL exchange (removing a IOL and replacing it with a different IOL) is a reasonable option if you are removing a problematic multifocal IOL and replacing it with a monofocal IOL, it is rarely done for the reverse situation due to the difficulty in properly positioning and stabilizing the new multifocal lens.


    Answered By:

    Surgery Cataracts