Hypothetically speaking, sure. But you’d need to wear extremely thick glasses to see clearly without a new lens. Without a lens implanted, the eye cannot focus correctly. To restore the eye’s focusing ability, thick eyeglasses, contact lenses, or an intraocular lens IOL must be used. The majority of cataract surgery patients use an IOL because it can permanently replace the patient’s natural lens. The IOL offers vision that is superior to that of thick eyeglasses and is considerably more practical than a contacts because it does not need to be put on and taken off the eye.