Quality Eye Care in Dearborn, MI
Overview
Also called refractive lens exchange and clear lens extraction, this is a variation on cataract surgery where the natural crystalline lens is removed and replaced with an implant. The only difference between traditional cataract surgery and refractive lensectomy is that one does not wait for the lens to become cloudy and cataractous; one removes the lens while it is still clear and functional. The patient’s prescription is corrected by selecting and inserting an implant of specific focusing power. Patients can choose from any number of advanced technology lens implants (which are available with traditional cataract surgery), to reduce the need for glasses. Technically, this type of surgery is not significantly more challenging than currently available cataract surgery (which, it must be emphasized, is technically more challenging than Lasik).
The potential disadvantages of this type of procedure include:
- Once the natural lens is removed, a patient, if less than 40 years of age, loses the ability to read without glasses, unless a multifocal or accommodating implant is used (see below);
- This is more invasive surgery, with its attendant risk, in particular, the increased risk of retinal detachment in nearsighted patients (which is not as much of a concern for farsighted patients). The risk is small but worth emphasizing.
How the procedure works
The multifocal or pseudoaccommodating IOLs have a multi-focusing surface, much like bifocals in glasses. One such IOL is the Symfony™ implant. For the well-motivated patient, this can be an excellent option.
The true accommodating IOL works by mimicking the young, natural crystalline lens; it flexes and moves forward with near or reading effort, generating more focusing power. The Crystalens® is the first approved accommodating IOL in the U.S. This lens platform has now been expanded to include the Trulign™ lens, which provides the near focusing ability of the Crystalens® but also corrects astigmatism.