Will my IOL correct my lazy eye after cataract surgery?

The short answer is that if someone were to have cataract surgery, and the refractive correction they were using in their glasses is now transferred to an intraocular lens, most but not all of the time the strabismus (misaligned or “crossed” eyes) control will be about the same. There are some patients whose strabismus control worsens, and this is something to discuss with your surgeon before cataract surgery.

If the question pertains to prism correction (special glasses that are used to correct double vision), the prism cannot be transferred into the intraocular lens. So, prism glasses will be needed after cataract surgery.

One thing to consider when discussing glasses use after cataract surgery with "lazy eye," is what type of lazy eye you have. If it is strabismus, then sometimes glasses will not be needed, and the strabismus control will remain the same. This is not always the case but most of the time does hold true. If by lazy eye you mean “amblyopia”, then cataract surgery may partially but not completely improve the vision. Depending on the severity of the amblyopia, cataract surgery may not improve the vision at all. For patients with moderate to severe amblyopia, they should always plan on wearing glasses after cataract surgery as the glasses protect their healthy "good" eye from injury. They will always need eye protection.