Cataract surgery · San Antonio

Lens implants for cataract surgery in San Antonio

During cataract surgery, your cloudy natural lens is replaced with a clear artificial lens, called an intraocular lens or IOL. It stays in your eye for life, so the lens you choose shapes how you see for decades. Dr. Kavanagh measures your eyes in detail and talks through how you use your vision (driving, reading, computer work, golf, night driving) before recommending one.

Call 830-379-3937 Book a lens consultation

The lens implant sits where your natural lens was, behind the iris.

Jump to a lens

Standard monofocal lens Clareon PanOptix Pro AcrySof IQ Vivity TECNIS PureSee TECNIS Odyssey enVista Envy Light Adjustable Lens (LAL)

Compare lens options

Lens	Type	Distance	Intermediate	Near	Night halos	Astigmatism version
Standard monofocal lens	Monofocal	Excellent	Limited	Readers needed	Minimal	Yes
Clareon PanOptix Pro	Trifocal	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Possible, often fades	Yes
AcrySof IQ Vivity	Extended depth of focus (EDOF)	Excellent	Excellent	Functional	Minimal	Yes
TECNIS PureSee	Extended depth of focus (EDOF)	Excellent	Very good	Functional	Minimal	Yes
TECNIS Odyssey	Full range of vision	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Low to moderate	Yes
enVista Envy	Trifocal, full range of vision	Excellent	Excellent	Very good	Possible, often fades	Yes
Light Adjustable Lens (LAL)	Adjustable after surgery	Excellent	Customizable	Customizable	Minimal	Yes

General tendencies only. Results vary with your eye's health and measurements. Dr. Kavanagh will recommend specific options after your evaluation. For educational purposes.

MonofocalSeveral manufacturersToric version available

Standard monofocal lens

Clear vision at one distance, usually far.

A monofocal lens has a single point of focus. Most people choose it for distance, so driving and TV are sharp, and use reading glasses for close work. It is the lens covered by Medicare and most insurance plans for cataract surgery.

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Limited
Near: Readers needed

Night halos and glare: Minimal

Often a good fit for

Patients who don't mind wearing reading glasses
Eyes with other conditions such as advanced glaucoma or macular disease
Anyone who wants the lowest chance of night halos

Keep in mind

Reading glasses are needed for near, and often for computer work
A toric monofocal version is available to correct astigmatism

TrifocalAlconToric version available

Clareon PanOptix Pro

Three focal points for distance, computer and reading.

PanOptix Pro is a trifocal lens. A diffractive pattern on the lens splits light into distance, intermediate and near focal points, so many patients read a phone, work on a computer and drive without glasses. It is made from Alcon's Clareon material, which is designed to stay clear over time, and the Pro design is engineered to deliver more of the incoming light to the eye than the original PanOptix.

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Excellent
Near: Excellent

Night halos and glare: Possible, often fades

Often a good fit for

Patients who want the most freedom from glasses at every distance
Readers, phone users and people who want to stop using readers
Otherwise healthy eyes

Keep in mind

Halos or starbursts around lights at night are common at first and usually fade over months as the brain adapts
Not ideal for eyes with significant macular disease or advanced glaucoma

Extended depth of focus (EDOF)AlconToric version available

AcrySof IQ Vivity

Sharp distance and computer vision with low halos.

Vivity stretches a single focal point into a continuous range rather than splitting light. Its non-diffractive design gives crisp distance and strong intermediate vision (dashboard, computer, cooking) with a night-time halo profile similar to a standard lens. Many patients read larger print and phones in good light, and keep readers for fine print.

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Excellent
Near: Functional

Night halos and glare: Minimal

Often a good fit for

Night drivers who want to minimize halos
Computer and screen users
Some eyes that are not good candidates for multifocal lenses

Keep in mind

Reading glasses may still be needed for small print or dim light
Toric version available for astigmatism

Extended depth of focus (EDOF)Johnson & Johnson VisionToric version available

TECNIS PureSee

A purely refractive EDOF lens with a continuous range of vision.

PureSee uses a refractive design with no diffractive rings, extending the range of focus from distance through intermediate. The goal is high-quality vision with a low rate of halos and glare, close to what patients experience with a monofocal lens, plus more useful vision at arm's length.

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Very good
Near: Functional

Night halos and glare: Minimal

Often a good fit for

Active patients who drive at night
People who want better intermediate vision than a standard lens
Patients who prefer a lens with a gentle adjustment period

Keep in mind

Readers may still be needed for fine print
Toric version available for astigmatism

Full range of visionJohnson & Johnson VisionToric version available

TECNIS Odyssey

Continuous vision from far to near.

Odyssey uses a freeform diffractive design to give a continuous range of vision from distance to near rather than separate focal points. It is designed to reduce night-time visual disturbances compared with earlier multifocal lenses and to tolerate small residual prescription errors, which helps patients see well across the range.

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Excellent
Near: Excellent

Night halos and glare: Low to moderate

Often a good fit for

Patients who want to read without glasses
People who use phones, tablets and computers throughout the day
Patients who want strong near vision with fewer halos than older multifocals

Keep in mind

Some halos at night are possible
Toric version available for astigmatism

Trifocal, full range of visionBausch + LombToric version available

enVista Envy

A full-range trifocal designed to hold its optics if slightly off-center.

enVista Envy is a trifocal lens for distance, intermediate and near. It is built on the enVista hydrophobic acrylic platform, designed to stay free of glistenings, and its optics are designed to keep performing even if the lens sits slightly off-center or tilted in the eye. Dr. Kavanagh often pairs it with LENSAR laser cataract surgery (see the video on our home page).

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Excellent
Near: Very good

Night halos and glare: Possible, often fades

Often a good fit for

Patients who want to minimize dependence on glasses
Active patients who want near, computer and distance vision
Patients pairing their lens with laser cataract surgery

Keep in mind

Night halos are possible, especially early on
Toric version available for astigmatism

Video: enVista Envy placed during LENSAR laser cataract surgery

Adjustable after surgeryRxSightToric version available

Light Adjustable Lens (LAL)

The only lens you can fine-tune after it is in your eye.

The Light Adjustable Lens is made of a material that changes shape when treated with a specific ultraviolet light. A few weeks after surgery, once your eye has healed, you test-drive your vision and Dr. Kavanagh's team uses a series of short in-office light treatments to adjust the lens power, including astigmatism. A final treatment locks the result in.

Distance: Excellent
Intermediate: Customizable
Near: Customizable

Night halos and glare: Minimal

Often a good fit for

Patients who had LASIK, PRK or RK, where lens calculations are harder
People who want to preview and customize their vision
Patients interested in blended vision (one eye set slightly for near)

Keep in mind

You wear UV-protective glasses from surgery until the lens is locked in
It takes several extra short visits over a few weeks

Questions

Lens implant questions

Does insurance pay for premium lenses?

Medicare and most insurance plans cover cataract surgery with a standard monofocal lens. Premium lenses (trifocal, EDOF, toric and adjustable) carry an additional out-of-pocket cost because they do more than remove the cataract. Our counselors go over exact costs before surgery.

Can I change lenses later?

Lens implants are designed to last a lifetime. Exchanging one is possible but is a second surgery, so the decision matters. The Light Adjustable Lens is the exception: its power is fine-tuned after surgery.

What about astigmatism?

Astigmatism blurs vision at every distance. It can be corrected with a toric lens, with precise laser incisions during LENSAR cataract surgery, or with the Light Adjustable Lens.

Which lens is best?

The best lens depends on your eye measurements, eye health and how you use your vision. Dr. Kavanagh will recommend specific options after your cataract evaluation.

Find the right lens for your eyes in San Antonio.

Call 830-379-3937 Book an appointment