Dr. Akbar Hasan — here with ophthalmic technician Melissa Efird — says the new implant offers patients less dependence on glasses.

For more than 55 years, accountant Sandra Jones was never without her glasses or contacts. At the tender age of 6 she was fitted with her first pair, and they became a permanent fixture in her daily life.

But that changed after a meeting with Mayo Clinic Jacksonville ophthalmologist Dr. Akbar Hasan. A new intraocular lens (IOL) implant called ReSTOR was fresh on the market after approval by the Food and Drug Administration in March, and it offered Jones the possibility of losing the trifocals for good. Although the implants are mainly intended for people with cataracts, Hasan reasoned they could help Jones because she had a condition that made her both near and farsighted, and she was close to the age when cataracts begin to develop.

In September, Jones underwent two small surgeries where Hasan placed a new lens in each eye. Hasan made a tiny incision on the eye, inserted a probe that sent high frequency waves in the lens to liquefy it, removed the contents and inserted the new lens. Jones said the procedures, done two weeks apart, were a breeze, and she had no pain or problems afterwards. Two hours after the second surgery, her eyes teared up — for a good reason.

"It took about two hours for my vision to clear and then — it was overwhelming," says Jones. "It's my eye miracle."

Jones says being able to see without glasses is a dream come true. She can see what's down the street as well as read the small letters in the phone book with ease. And she doesn't have to deal with the itching behind the ears and the crease on her nose that the glasses sometimes caused.

Standard IOL implants for cataracts are monofocal — they make it possible to clearly see objects at a distance, but not those up close. For activities like reading or working on a computer, patients who've had cataracts removed usually require reading glasses. The new implants differ because they are multifocal, making vision better for things up close as well as far away. In the FDA clinical trial, 80 percent of patients who had the lens implanted reported they no longer needed glasses for any activity.

"To me the greatest thing this lens offers is freedom," says Hasan. "You can focus at different depths. You can go into a grocery store, look down the lane and then pick up a can of soup and read the ingredients. You don't have to reach for your glasses."

Hasan points out that the new lens doesn't offer better quality vision than standard implants, but it does offer less dependence on reading glasses.

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. It can occur in one eye or both and generally develops as part of normal aging. In fact, about 70 percent of all Americans over 75 have a significant degree of visual impairment due to cataracts. Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations, and IOL implants have been used for more than 30 years.

"It's a 15-minute operation," Hasan says. "Recovery is quick, and people are back on their feet the same day. Mrs. Jones had an exceptional result, but most people can expect their vision to stabilize within a few days."

Although ophthalmologists can correct a certain amount of astigmatism during the procedure, patients with a high degree of astigmatism may still need glasses. The multifocal lens has rings of focus within it, which may cause some people to see halos at night while looking at traffic lights or headlights. Finally, the new implant is not covered by Medicare or most insurance companies.

For Jones, it was the right decision. Getting the ReSTOR implants has made a dramatic difference. An avid reader, she is able to see the words in her books without glasses. As a member of her church choir, the notes in her music are easier to see. And at her job as an accountant, the numbers are clear as day.

"It has far exceeded my expectations," she says. "I never thought it would be this good."

(This story first appeared in Mayo Clinic Checkup, a complimentary newsletter available to anyone interested in the latest news from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.)