Lens Exchange is also sometimes called:
- Refractive Lens Exchange
- Clear Lens Extraction
- PRELEX means Presbyopic Lens Exchange.
Each eye has a natural lens. In order for us to see clearly the lens has to be clear and has to have the appropriate foucsing optical power (prescription). If your are short or long sighted, your lens does not have the correct optical power. Spectacles or contact lenses can correct this error. You can also have your natural lens exchanged for an artificial lens of the appropriate prescription. This procedure also helps with presbyopia.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is one of the first signs of middle age. It becomes increasingly more difficult to focus and you have to hold objects further and further away to see them properly.It is a fact that as you get older your vision will change. These changes occur in the lens within your eye. Refractive procedures that change the focussing power of the eye by making changes to the cornea (Lasik) are most effective in younger eyes, where the lens can still change its focussing power.
If your vision is deteriorating due to age (presbyopia) it is the lens within your eye that has lost ability to focus and PRELEX means exchanging the lens for a multifocal lens that will improve your ability to focus.
Mutifocal Lens Implants
When used in Cataract Surgery and Lens Exchange they can Dramatically reduce your dependance on spectacles. There are a variety of toric and multifocal lens implants, each with unique characteristics. Unlike conventional single-vision (monofocal) lens implants, toric implants significantly reduce astigmatism and provide sharp distance focus while state-of-the-art multifocal or trifocal lens implants (e.g. Tecnis Symphony, Zeiss LISA tri, FineVision PhysIOL) have been specially designed with multifocal zones to provide good vision across the spectrum of varying distances and light conditions. So you can see well anywhere and anytime, be it near, far or in between. Patients no longer have to settle for monofocal lenses that only provide distance vision with limited sharp vision or ability to see objects that are near without glasses.
Will I still need to wear glasses if my surgeon recommends a Toric or Multifocal Lens?
The results will vary depending upon your vision, lifestyle and the anatomy of your eyes. Some patients find that they need glasses to read small type or drive at night. Most people, however, can conduct many of their day’s activities without depending on glasses. In a clinical study, 92% of those who received trifocal technology only “occasionally” needed to wear glasses.