Tecnis® Intraocular Lens

In the past, you had to accept that your vision would be better after cataract surgery, but never as good as your vision before you developed cataracts. Now, though, advanced technology gives you many options for getting vision that is comparable to, and in some cases better than you had before developing cataracts. Tecnis® is one of these lenses, a multifocal lens designed to give you great vision at all distances after cataract surgery.

This page will help you understand how Tecnis works, including its benefits and disadvantages, but it will not be able to tell you whether it is the right lens for you. To talk to an ophthalmologist about which intraocular lens is the best solution for your vision, please contact Silverstein Eye Centers to schedule a consultation at one of our Kansas City locations.

How Tecnis Works

When your natural lens becomes clouded by cataracts, there is no way for it to be made clear again. So cataract surgery involves removing the eye's natural lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. When this happens, the eye loses its ability to accommodate, or change focus to look at objects at different distances. There is one replacement lens, Crystalens®, that seeks to replicate this ability, but Tecnis uses a different technique to give you clear vision at all distances.

Tecnis is a multifocal lens meaning it focuses light from many different distances on your retina at the same time. When you look at an object, there is not one, but many images of it on your retina, one that is clear, and many that are unfocused. Your brain simply picks the clear image, and that's what you see. This may seem complicated, but it's actually a visual trick that your brain performs all the time.

Benefits of Tecnis

Tecnis is the first lens designed using wavefront mapping of the cornea. This advanced optical technology that has improved the ability of LASIK to correct higher-order-aberrations has the potential to give you clearer vision after cataract surgery. The goal of Tecnis is to counteract aberrations in your cornea to give you sharper vision than other types of intraocular lenses.

Tecnis gives great close and distance vision. In fact, it has been shown to improve functional vision in night-driving conditions. Your vision results may vary, but there are a number of studies that indicate the technology behind Tecnis does give overall better vision correction.

Disadvantages of Tecnis

Tecnis is a multifocal lens, which means that your brain has to adapt to a new way of seeing. This may take some time, and a very small number of people find they are simply unable to adapt. Tecnis is designed for "near vision" at 13 inches, and visual tasks closer than that distance may require the use of glasses.

During your cataract surgery consultation, we will talk to you about your lens replacement options and help you understand how the benefits and disadvantages of each option can be best paired with your vision goals after cataract surgery. To schedule your consultation with an ophthalmologist at one of our Kansas City locations, please contact the Silverstein Eye Center today.