Many important factors will affect which intraocular lenses are the right choice for you, including:

• Are you nearsighted or farsighted?
• Do you also have any astigmatism?
• How do you feel about continuing to wear glasses or contact lenses after your cataract surgery? Would you prefer not to need glasses or contacts after surgery?
• How important is good night vision to your lifestyle?
• In general, how well do you adjust to changes and learn new skills?

Your doctor may also ask you:

• What activities or tasks are necessary to your daily life? To your job?
• What hobbies do you currently enjoy or would like to engage in most often?
• During which activities would you find glasses the most inconvenient or aggravating?

Read more about each type of intraocular lens to understand how your answers to these questions will affect your choice of IOL.

Until fairly recently, everyone who had cataract surgery received a single-focus intraocular lens, also called a monofocal lens. It was the first type of lens created for cataract surgery and is referred to as the "standard" option.

A standard IOL is an outstanding lens and will give you excellent vision at one distance (near, mid-range/computer or distance). But, as a single-focus lens, a standard IOL cannot give clear vision at all distances-you will still need glasses for most distances.

Most people who choose a standard IOL opt for clear distance vision and use reading glasses for close vision. Those who value their reading vision more highly may choose instead to wear glasses for distance and mid-range vision. It is also possible to choose an IOL designed for mid-range distance and wear glasses for near and distance vision.

Standard intraocular lenses are an excellent choice if you:

• Don’t mind wearing glasses or contact lenses for most distances
• Do not have astigmatism or are willing to address your astigmatism by wearing corrective lenses or by having additional surgeries such as LASIK or limbal relaxing incisions.
• Are less comfortable adapting to change and learning new skills.
• Wish to avoid a possible increased risk of some night vision symptoms

If you would prefer to reduce your dependence on glasses as much as possible, see multifocal IOLs (see below). If you adapt to change more easily, you might also consider accommodative lenses or monovision (see below).

Toric intraocular lenses are specialized monofocal lenses and are often the best option for people with astigmatism. Astigmatism is caused by an irregular shape of the cornea that gives you some degree of blurred vision at all distances.

Toric intraocular lenses give you focused vision at a single distance and also correct your astigmatism so you may not need distance glasses after surgery. As with standard monofocal lenses, however, you will still need reading glasses to see objects clearly up close.

If your degree of astigmatism is too great for a toric IOL to address in full, your doctor may recommend that you have an additional procedure. At the time of cataract surgery or soon afterward, LASIK and limbal relaxing incisions may help to fully correct your astigmatism in combination with a Toric IOL.

Toric intraocular are an excellent choice if you:

• Have astigmatism as well as cataracts.
• Don’t mind wearing glasses or contact lenses for some distances.
• Are less comfortable adapting to change and learning new skills.
• Wish to avoid a possible increased risk of some night vision symptoms

Monovision may also be a good option for people with astigmatism who wish to minimize their dependence on glasses and who adapt to change more easily (see below).

Multifocal intraocular lenses have special features that give you good near, intermediate and distance vision-all in one lens. Multifocal intraocular lenses give you a good chance of living glasses-free for the majority of your activities after cataract surgery.

A multifocal IOL resembles a bulls-eye target, with concentric circles for near, intermediate and distance vision. Your brain automatically zeros in on the range of vision you need-so you can see objects well at all distances.

Multifocal intraocular lenses are an excellent choice if you:

• Want to reduce your dependence on glasses or contacts as much as possible.
• Do not have astigmatism or are willing to address your astigmatism by wearing corrective lenses or by having additional surgeries such as LASIK or limbal relaxing incisions.
• Are less comfortable adapting to change and learning new skills.
• Are willing to risk some minor night vision symptoms (see Outcomes for more information.)

If you wish to reduce your dependence on glasses or contacts but multifocal lenses don’t seem like a good match for your needs, consider accommodative intraocular lenses or monovision (see below).

Accommodative intraocular lenses can move in response to your eye muscles, similar to the way the natural eye lens does, providing excellent distance and intermediate vision and functional near vision.

When you look at something far away, the muscles in your eye relax and allow the IOL to assume a flat position. When you shift your gaze to something up close, the muscles push on the lens, which causes it to move or flex so you can see well at close range.

Accommodative intraocular lenses are an excellent choice if you:

• Want to reduce your dependence on glasses or contacts.
• Do not have astigmatism or are willing to address your astigmatism by wearing corrective lenses or by having additional surgeries such as LASIK or limbal relaxing incisions.
• Are comfortable adapting to change and learn new skills easily.
• Wish to avoid a possible increased risk of some night vision symptoms

Normally, a monofocal lens such as a standard or toric intraocular lens will give you excellent near or distance vision, but not both. But with a technique called monovision, you may be able to obtain good vision of both near and far objects using these lenses.

With IOL monovision, one eye receives a lens for distance vision, while the other receives a lens for near vision. Once you’ve adjusted to monovision, your brain effortlessly selects the image you want to see at each moment, so you see well at near and far distances.

If you haven’t tried monovision before but are interested in this approach, your doctor can help you try monovision in advance using specialized contact lenses. This is an important step to confirm you would be able to adjust easily.

IOL monovision is an excellent choice if you:

• Want to reduce your dependence on glasses or contacts as much as possible.
• Are comfortable adapting to change and learn new skills easily.
• Wish to avoid a possible increased risk of some night vision symptoms

If you have any astigmatism, the same effect can be achieved with toric IOLs. Whether or not you have astigmatism, monovision can be an excellent way to combine the benefits of two different lenses.

A cataract cannot return because the entire lens has been removed. However, in some people who have had cataract surgery, the lens capsule, the tissue bag that supports the replacement lens, becomes cloudy. This cloudiness can develop months or years after surgery. It can cause the same vision problems as the original cataract. This cloudiness is usually treated with a YAG laser treatment, a painless procedure that may be performed in your doctor’s office.

As a general matter, IOLs do not expire or "go bad." While some patients have experienced problems with individual lenses, IOLs are made of durable materials and you can reasonably expect your new lenses to last throughout your lifetime.