A lens in my eye?

When we perform cataract surgery, we place an intraocular lens implant in the eye. Why do we need an implant? A cataract is a cloudy lens of the eye, and the lens in the eye is an important source of focusing power for images onto the retina. When we take the cataract out, the eye typically won’t have enough focusing power, so placing an intraocular lens implant will help to replace that focusing power. If we were to just take the cataract out and put nothing in to replace that power, the patient would generally need extra thick “coke bottle” glasses to see well. The lens implant usually sits in the same place that the cataract is removed from, which is why it is important to remove the cataract during surgery without damaging the capsule of the cataract. The capsule is the ideal place to place the lens implant during cataract surgery.