Machine Vision Lens

Refractive Lens Exchange As An Alternative To Laser Eye Surgery

In refractive lens exchange surgery, the natural crystalline lens of the eye is removed permanently and an artificial lens is implanted in its place. This allows clearer vision without having to use eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The operation is done using essentially the same procedures as cataract surgery. There is no need to be admitted in the hospital, all it takes is around 20 minutes of operation time for each eye. With the new techniques in anaesthesia, no needles are used but instead, eye drops or gels are instilled to numb the eye area.

Once anaesthetized, a microscopic incision is made on the side of the cornea. With high tech ultrasound machine, the natural lens of the eye is removed with extreme precision. The new lens is then inserted using the same tiny incision made earlier. The procedure is completed, without the need for any surgical stitches. There are no special post operative processes to do. In time, the cornea will heal itself and vision will fully improve within a month or so.

There are a variety of lens implants that can be used. The most commonly used is the monofocal lens. It is termed monofocal because it only has a single focus. This will give good distance vision but reading glasses will be needed when looking at close objects. A toric lens is another type, also used to gain the best distance vision but also corrects astigmatism. Eyeglasses will also be needed when viewing objects up close. Multifocal lenses or correcting lenses provide clear distance vision as well as near vision. Multifocal lenses are the best choice for those who do not want to be dependent on glasses for close up vision.

Refractive lens exchange is not really meant to replace laser eye surgery but rather as an alternative for people who are not suitable to undergo laser operation or the most commonly performed LASIK procedure. Since LASIK requires a certain amount of corneal thickness for flap creation and application of the laser, not everyone is a good candidate for this procedure. For myopic or hyperopic patients with thin corneas, this is where RLE becomes especially valuable.

For patients over 45 years old with short sightedness or long sightedness and with the beginnings of cataract, refractive lens exchange seems to be the more appropriate choice. A cataract is clouding of the lens of the eye that occurs naturally as a person ages. This cannot be prevented and there is no cure for cataracts except surgery. If the condition is not managed, it can severely decrease vision in later years, even in daylight. An RLE surgery is the best procedure to do in these cases because it corrects refractive errors and at the same time treats the cataract permanently. Since the replacement lens is synthetic, it will never develop cloudiness like the natural lens. Thus, for people with early cataracts, RLE is the better choice instead of waiting for the cataracts to progress enough to require cataract operation.

Refractive lens exchange however, is not limited to the older age group. Sometimes, younger people will benefit from this operation, particularly in instances where there is extreme hyperopia or long sightedness and sometimes even in those with severe myopia or short sightedness. In these patients, LASIK is generally not recommended so a lens replacement is the realistic option.

While refractive lens exchange is relatively safe, any surgery has risks and this should be discussed with the eye surgeon. The risks are similar to what people going through cataract surgery would deal with. Since RLE is a much more invasive procedure than laser surgery, there can be a bigger risk of having retinal problems after the procedure.

For people with dry eyes and other cornea problems, refractive lens exchange may be a better alternative to LASIK or other laser eye surgery procedures. For patients with high refractive errors, RLE is one of the best options. Since RLE replaces the natural lens with intraocular lens, there is no possibility of developing a cataract even as the patient ages.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson writes about Clarivu Total Vision Correction offering refractive lens exchange, a leading alternative to laser eye surgery. rle has enabled a whole new quality of life, free from glasses and contacts, faster and more easily than previously thought possible. Optegra has a team of highly experienced eye surgeons who utilize groundbreaking technology and individually tailored treatments which aims to correct long sightedness and short sightedness in one quick and easy procedure. Find more about how intraocular lens replacement procedures work today.

What's The Variation Between An Eye Exam And A Contact Lens Examination

Whether or not you assume you'll need vision correction and are thinking about get in touch with lenses, or regardless of whether you have been using eyeglasses or contacts for many years, you could be curious in regards to the difference amongst a program Online Eye Exam & Eye Test along with a make contact with lens examination.  Perhaps you have never thought about it, always assuming that both are one and the same.  The truth is, there are some fundamental differences between these two types of exams.  The information below will give you an overview about each type of examination and explain the distinction amongst the two so that you can ensure you are scheduling the right type of appointment with your eye care professional.

Routine Eye Examination

A schedule eye examination exists for the purpose of detecting eyesight problems, eye disease and general eye health issues. An eye examination can help identify any of these concerns before you are even aware that they exist. It is generally recommended that everyone have a program eye exam every 1 to 3 a long time, depending on age, risk factors and physical condition.

What to Expect

Eye doctors use a variety of tests and procedures to examine your eyes. You will most likely be asked to read an eye chart. First you will read the chart with both eyes uncovered. Then you will read the chart while you cover one eye (and then the other eye). Your eye doctor will then perform tests which may or could not include these common tests:

Retinoscopy

For this test,the lights in the room are dimmed and you will be asked to focus your eyes on a target. While you stare at the target, a light will be shined into your eye and flip different lenses in a machine in front of your eyes. The way the light bounces off of your eye will provide a general approximation of what your prescription (should you will need one) will be.

Refraction

This test helps your eye care professional determine the exact level of augmentation that your vision requires.  Refraction is done with a machine called a phoropter. The doctor will show you a series of lens choices and ask you which of the choices looks clearer. Based on your answers,the doctor will be able to determine your level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and/or presbyopia.

Slit-Lamp Examination

A slit-lamp is an instrument that allows your doctor to examine the health of your eyes using a machine that highly magnifies all the structures contained therein. This way,your eye doctor can examine each part of your eye to evaluate them for infection or disease.

There are various other tests that Online Eye Exam & Eye Test can choose to use during an eye exam to determine the general health and well-being of your eyes. A get in touch with lens examination is different in that it focuses on only one aspect of your eye health.

The Speak to Lens Exam

If you wear contact lenses or are thinking about starting, you should make sure to schedule a get in touch with lens Online Eye Exam & Eye Test a regular eye exam. Basically, your eye doctor will need to run tests that will evaluate the surface of your eye's cornea in order to ensure a proper make contact with lens fit. Your doctor will also ask a series of questions about your lifestyle and preferences in order to determine the best type of get in touch with lenses to prescribe for you. The doctor will measure the surface and curvature of your eye using an instrument called a kerameter. Then your pupil and iris will be measured.  Finally, your eye doctor will select speak to lenses for you and instruct you in proper insertion and care 

Why does my optician prescribe a lower strength lens than the machine say I need?

Have a cataract in my right eye and the machine said - 9 optician would only prescribe -4 as he said anything else would cause double vision because my left is is almost perfect for distance and just needs a +3.75 for close - why can't my bad eye be corrected to -9 confused!

Sometimes, If the prescription is too different between the two eyes, the eyes cannot tolerate it, especially if the change is sudden. it affects your binocular vision and muscle balance and so will result in double vision. This is decided by the optician assessing how your muscles are working. Its possible that in your case, your eyes muscles cannot tolerate the full prescription, and so a compromise has to be given to prevent double vision.

With your sort of trouble, it might be wise for you to consider having a cataract operation, this will correct your prescription and get rid of the blur in that eye too, and it will balance the two eyes once more

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