Alcon Intraocular Lens Specifications

Surgeons sometimes replace the eye's natural lenses with intraocular lenses to correct vision problems. These artificial lenses act as a sort of permanent contact lens, featuring a refractive power suited to each patient's individual visual condition. Surgical, pharmaceutical and vision care company Alcon produces multiple varieties of intraocular lenses as part of its AcrySof line, each with its own varying specifications. Specifications of Alcon's IOLs may change over time as the products evolve.

AcrySof

• AcrySof is Alcon's base line of intraocular corrective lenses. These IOLs utilize an Alcon-patented material that accommodates the folding and injection of the lenses. This material is biologically compatible with the eye's anterior and posterior capsule, featuring a low rate of posterior capsular opacification, or clouding. Some of these single-piece lenses come with Impruv technology, a patented covalently bonded chromophore that protects the eye from potentially damaging types of light.

AcrySof IQ

• AcrySof IQ IOLs have similar basic specifications when compared with AcrySof intraocular lenses, but they cater specifically toward aspheric optical vision correction. These lenses lend themselves to patients in need of vision correction after cataract surgery. The IQ line of lenses feature single-piece construction made of the same material as standard AcrySof lenses.

AcrySof IQ Restor

• Alcon's AcrySof IQ Restor intraocular lenses are for patients with cataracts and presbyopia, eliminating the need for bifocals. These IOLs use diffraction, the spreading of light as it passes through an object, to correct vision. AcyrSof IQ Restor lenses feature apodized diffractive optics, which taper varying diffractive levels through the lens, improving the transition from different lighting levels and focal points. Aspheric optics in the Alcon AcrySof IQ Restor IOL help correct vision problems that derive from spherical aberrations in the eye.

AcrySof IQ Toric

• Surgeons use Alcon's AcrySof IQ Toric IOLs for patients with cataracts and pre-existing cornea astigmatism. Like the Restor lenses, these lenses simultaneously correct both problems and eliminate the need for glasses. These intraocular lenses feature Alcon's Stableforce haptics for stability when placed in the eye's capsular bag. AcrySof IQ Toric lenses are made of a material that binds to fibronectin, allowing a strong adhesion to the anterior and posterior capsule of the eye. Alcon's IQ Toric IOLs filter ultraviolet and blue light and a have a refractive index rating of 1.55.