Multifocal and Accommodative IOLs provide the option of seeing well at more than one distance when you are not wearing eyeglasses or contacts.

Multifocal lenses use specially designed focal zones on the surface of the lens. Light rays focused through zones provide sharply focused images at near and far distances. For best results, it is recommended that multifocal lenses be implanted in both eyes. With these lenses, a patient should generally see better at near ranges without eyeglasses than if you had received a traditional monofocal IOL.

An accommodative lens uses a different mechanism to enable patients to see better without their eyeglasses. These IOLs allow the natural focusing of the eye, the ciliary muscles, to move or flex the lens implant. This movement results in some adjustment of focus, which allows you to see clearly at different distances without eyeglasses.

Although these newer IOL designs attempt to provide patients with the convenience of seeing better without eyeglasses, they do not eliminate entirely the need for eyeglasses. And, they can have side effects. Be sure to discuss the pros and cons of these lenses in detail with your ophthalmologist.