Toric Intraocular Lens

The eye is an amazing part of the human body. It gathers light that has reflected off of objects, gathers and focuses this light and converts it into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret as vision. One of the most important parts of the eye is the lens. This largely transparent organ contains no blood vessels and derives all of its nutrients from the fluid, humor, around it.

The lens changes shape when it is pulled on by ciliary muscles that surround and support it. These changes in shape allow the eye to adjust depth of field from a few inches to infinity. The lens also absorbs some UV light, partially protecting the delicate retina behind it.

UV light kills cells in the body. If the lens is exposed to enough UV light, cataracts will form. A cataract is a cloudy spot in the lens, similar to the whiteness that forms in water when it is flowing quickly. Cataracts can be fixed by replacing the lens in the eye with an intraocular lens. The problem with most intraocular lenses is their inflexibility compared to the lens that comes with your eye. Crystalens is one possible solution to the problem.

A further problem that eyes often have is astigmatism. This is a distortion of the cornea or lens. Imagine a window that has glass that is not completely flat. Instead of simply increasing or decreasing the size of the image, astigmatism twists the light. When replacing the lens to solve a cataract, a toric intraocular lens can be used to solve astigmatism at least partially. Toric means that the lens is somewhat donut-shaped. Different parts of a toric lens have different magnification power, compensating for corresponding distortions of the cornea.

Although not nearly as good as a fully functioning natural lens, a toric intraocular lens is a great substitute.