Intraocular lenses for cataract

In Ontario, the number of cataract surgeries increased from 44,943 to 109,506 between 1992 and 2004, and the prevalence of cataract increased from 696,963 to 946,857 during the same period.3 This report provides evidence of the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of foldable IOLs, specifically blue-light filtering, aspheric, multi-focal and accommodating lens. [...] Blue light filtering lenses reduce the eye’s exposure to blue light that can damage the retina4, and aspheric lenses have a complex front surface that gradually changes curvature from the center of the lens all the way out to the edge. [...] In plus (farsighted) lenses, the front surface gradually flattens towards the edge of the lens, and, in minus (nearsighted) lenses, the surface gradually steepens toward the lens edge5. [...] The findings showed that the implantation of the aspheric IOL led to statistically significant reduction in spherical aberration of the eye compared with the other study groups. [...] Under this assumption, the total cost of the procedure using the multi-focal IOL will be more than the total cost of the procedure using monofcal lenses.