Now there's a revolutionary new way to potentially leave your glasses behind with the AcrySof® ReSTOR® intraocular lens (IOL). The ReSTOR® lens has been uniquely designed to improve vision at all distances – up close, far away and everything in-between – giving cataract patients a chance to live free of glasses. It is designed to restore your ability to read the newspaper, sew, play cards, and drive and to see many other things near and far without the hassle of reading glasses, bifocals, progressive lenses or contact lenses.

Our surgeons have performed over 25,000 cataract and refractive operations, restoring visual function for his patients. For over 25 years, lens implant surgery for cataracts has been the most commonly performed surgery in America. Dr. Parisi was the very first surgeon in Upstate South Carolina to implant the ReSTOR® lens considering it the best advanced lens technology on the market.

Recent changes to Medicare/Insurance regulations now allow cataract patients the option of choosing a new lens technology that provides a full range of vision unlike the older design of single-vision implants called monofocal lenses. With single-vision lens implants, there is a high likelihood that you will need glasses for most activities after your surgery, certainly for reading and near work, and you will have the additional replacement cost of glasses through the years. Medicare/Insurance will now allow you to pay for an upgrade to the ReSTOR® lens while still covering the standard costs associated with cataract surgery.

During your consultation with Clemson Eye, our surgeons will determine if you are a candidate for this exciting new lens option. Candidacy for the ReSTOR® lens depends upon your general eye health and amount of refractive error.

“I am honored to meet in consultation to discuss the newest options in cataract surgery. New options, like the ReSTOR® lens, offer an improved quality of life for many of my patients.” - Dr. Joseph Parisi

How does the AcrySof® ReSTOR® lens work?

As we perform daily activities such as reading, watching television or working at the computer, our eyes are constantly focusing on objects at varying distances from near to far. The ability to quickly change focus throughout this range of vision is called accommodation (the ability of the eye's lens to change shape to focus on objects at various distances). Unfortunately, this ability diminishes as we grow older, causing us to become dependent on bifocals or reading glasses. However, the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL was designed to provide quality near to distance vision by combining the strengths of apodized diffractive and refractive technologies. Similar technology has been used for years in microscopes and telescopes to improve image quality, and has now been patented for use in intraocular lenses.

The ReSTOR® lens uses a technique called apodized diffractive and refractive technology. A unique proprietary lens configuration allows a specific distribution of light in response to how wide or small the pupil of the eye is at that moment. The optical design of the lens distributes light between near and distant vision to accommodate vision at a range of distances. Dr. Parisi describes ReSTOR® as similar to two lenses in one. One, a refractive lens is for distance, the other, an apodized diffractive lens, is for near vision. This gives ReSTOR® more consistent results and more satisfied patients who can enjoy an active lifestyle.

In an FDA Study:

• 80% of patients who had cataract surgery with the ReSTOR® IOL in both eyes NEVER wore glasses. Only 3% of patients ALWAYS wore glasses.
• 94% of patients who had ReSTOR® put in both eyes, said they would have the surgery again.

During U.S. clinical trials, the results with ReSTOR® were remarkable:

• 99% of patients could see well enough to drive a car without glasses or contacts
• 97% of patients could read the newspaper without reading glasses or bifocals
• 90% of patients could shave or put on makeup without glasses or contacts
• 74% of patients could read stock quotes in the Wall Street Journal without reading glasses or bifocals

If you are contemplating cataract surgery or refractive surgery, it is important for you to understand the following information:

• Astigmatism is not corrected with standard cataract surgery nor with the ReSTOR® lens. If you would like to see better without glasses, the astigmatism needs to be treated also. Generally, we can do this with Limbal Relaxing Incisions (corneal incisions) at the time of surgery. If necessary, glasses are prescribed after the first week to correct any remaining astigmatism. Then, after three months of healing, we can further reduce the astigmatism with more corneal incisions or with the use of a laser (LASIK). Depending on the level of your astigmatism, you may be a candidate for ReSTOR®.
• The ReSTOR® lens only works ideally when implanted in both eyes, but it also works very well in just one eye or as a complement to an eye with a monofocal implant. Since most people have mature cataracts in both eyes, the second eye may have surgery while the first eye is improving, anytime between one week to one months or more after the first eye surgery.
• Some patients experience glare, halos or rings around lights after receiving ReSTOR®. This gets better with time and does not adversely affect visual function.

Until recently, life without reading glasses or bifocals was not an option for most cataract patients. You now have an option with the AcrySof® ReSTOR® lens.

Excellent Vision is not a Luxury, You Deserve It!

Alcon Laboraties Inc., the manufacturer and distributor of the AcrySof® family of lenses, of which ReSTOR® lens is a part, has an outstanding track record for successful innovation. In fact, AcrySof® lenses are the most frequently implanted lenses in the world. More than 21 million AcrySof® lenses have been implanted in patients’ eyes since 1990.

Costs and Further Information: There is an additional cost for having the ReSTOR® lens implanted. Please feel free to discuss costs and payment options with our qualified ReSTOR® coordinator. Our professional staff is more than happy to answer questions you may have as well. Contact us today to learn more about ReSTOR® lenses and if you are a candidate. Call 1-888-654-6706 to schedule a consultation and learn how ReSTOR® can benefit you.