Take Charge of Your Health - In the Blink of an Eye

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

-Helen Keller

Lens replacement surgery (LRS) is an increasingly popular treatment to correct both distance and near vision and help people with cataracts see the world clearly.

Each eye has a lens – a window made of protein and water behind the pupil, which focuses light onto the retina. As we get older, the proteins in the eye often change and can cause blurry vision.

During the lens replacement procedure, the natural lens is removed and replaced with a quality synthetic one called an intraocular lens (IOLs). The technology behind the artificial lenses has evolved in the past ten years. In the past, patients had to select whether they wanted to see near or far, but now there are many choices available to help people see at a range of distances.

In eyes without much astigmatism (an imperfect shape of the cornea), monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) provide clear vision at a single distance. One can choose the clear distance to be far, intermediate, or near. These lOLs can be placed for monovision correction, where one eye is treated to see distance and the other eye sees near. This provides a highly functional range of vision. Presbyopia-correcting IOLs (Presbyopia is farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye, occurring typically in middle and older age) provide clear vision at multiple distances, while toric IOLs (A toric lens has two different curves instead of one) correct astigmatism and come in both monofocal and presbyopia-correcting versions.

Lens replacement surgery is a short outpatient procedure with typically one eye done at a time. First, the eye is numbed, and two very small incisions are made into the cornea. Next, a circular opening is made in the capsule containing the lens and an ultrasonic device is used to break the lens into very fine pieces for easy removal by suction. The new replacement lens is then folded and placed in the capsule, where it unfolds into a functional lens. The procedure is completed in 15 to 30 minutes. Patients see shortly after the surgery and the eye feels essentially normal the next day. Vision gradually improves over the first couple of weeks with optimum vision 4 to 6 weeks after the procedure.

Lens replacement surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in the world, but it is still important to select an eye specialist who applies the latest technologies and performs these procedures frequently with good results. Be sure to check with your insurance company about procedure costs and coverage. Also, be sure that all of your questions are answered about what to expect, risks and follow-up care.