Susan, Sulcoflex Trifocal intraocular lens patient

I had my original cataract surgery 12 years ago and I was happy with that for many years until my sight got worse and I was buying glasses and having them in every room in our home and I was wearing them on my head, round my neck, dropping them, losing them.

It became more and more frustrating to need glasses for reading and then cooking and then shopping, to see any label, or to just find anything in a shop and that was very difficult.

Mr Allon Barsam, Consultant ophthalmic surgeon

The Sulcoflex Trifocal IOL, or intraocular lens, is a combination of two tried and tested existing technologies which is designed to go in the ciliary sulcus, which is this space in front of where the natural and “in the bag” artificial lens goes and behind the iris, which is the coloured part of the eye.

And it’s designed in order to enhance the outcome of traditional cataract surgery, so if someone has a cataract operation and the outcome in terms of their refraction, which is what their requirement for glasses would be, is not as planned, or is not optimal, then it can be enhanced with use of this secondary lens.

Trifocal lens technology is lens technology which splits light and allows patients to appreciate vision at three distances: infinity distance vision, intermediate vision such as for computer use, and then near reading such as reading a menu in a restaurant or a document or a newspaper or a book.

Back to Susan:

Well, to have this new lens was just the most amazing thing that I wouldn’t need glasses ever again*  and I could drive with them, I could read with them, I could do my cooking with them, it was just amazing

Back to Allon:

The lens is injected inside the eye, the surgery is completely painless and the lens is then positioned in front of the existing artificial lens and this takes a matter of minutes. The recovery is also quick as there’s very little surgical time and surgical procedure required in order to implant the lens.

Back to Susan:

In comparison to my first operation for cataracts, which I had under general anaesthetic, this was with a local sedative and the procedure basically just took 30 minutes no more, and one eye was done, I wasn’t aware of anything, no pain whatsoever, just kept being asked to look to the light, obviously so Allon could see what he was doing, and within 30 minutes I was in recovery, absolutely fine, and was back in my room very quickly.

I was able to see results the next day, very quickly actually. In the morning you have to start having your drops. By the time I’d had the second set of drops into my eyes, I could see and as the day progressed and then the next day I was seeing really well. Then, by the third day, I drove my car and didn’t have a problem. No more glasses!