REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE

LASER-FREE VISION CORRECTION

Can you see as well as you did in your twenties, regardless of your age?

Multifocal IOLs

There are various ways in which modern technology can liberate people from the need for glasses for distance and for near. Multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) provide simultaneous light in focus in each eye from both near objects and distance objects.

These lenses have undergone a process of continual evolution over the last decade. The multifocal lenses our surgeons recommend have taken the lead, delivering incredibly consistent visual outcomes for both distance and near vision without glasses.

Accommodating lenses – Crystalens ™

Another option, which can work well, is the use of accommodating lenses, which simulates the lens action, which acts in young eyes. These lenses provide some ability to “pull focus” for near objects. Most people do still require spectacles for reading very fine print, however.

Accommodating lenses are an excellent option for people who do not have such a strong visual system.

Lens exchange blended vision

A final way in which presbyopic lens exchange can be used to restore the level of functional vision which people enjoy in their twenties is with a form of lens exchange blended vision.

Again, it is possible to set one eye with clear vision for distance and the other eye with clear vision for near. Again, this can work extremely well, providing a wide range of visual function and a high level of independence of the need for spectacles.

As ever, it is imperative that the technology is matched to the individual patient’s lifestyle, visual system, and the unique anatomy of their eye.

What refractive lens exchange treats

How does the refractive lens exchange (also known as lens replacement) procedure work?

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How do multifocal IOLs work?

Multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) technology has provided great improvements in the quality of life of many patients by providing a range of focus and a very high level of independence from glasses.

How successful is lens replacement?

Frequently asked questions about refractive lens exchange

What size prescription can be treated?

There are limits to the size of prescription which can be treated with laser eye surgery. However, depending on the age of the patient and other factors in their eyes, phakic IOL’s, RLE, or combination surgery can be used to treat almost any prescription.

Are the effects of treatment permanent?

The reshaping of the cornea which takes place during laser eye surgery is permanent. Over time, the prescription may change due to ageing of the lens inside the eye. This may be treated with further laser eye surgery or lens surgery. The results of RLE surgery and cataract surgery should be permanent since there is no longer a natural lens in the eye. After RLE or cataract surgery the capsule behind the lens implant can thicken. This is very easily removed with a YAG laser in the clinic.

Are there any after-effects?

It is quite common for patients to experience mild dry eye after laser eye surgery. This settles within a few months of treatment. Very occasional laser patients notice slight halos around lights at night. With modern lasers this is rare, and again it settles after a few months.

How old and how young do you have to be for treatment?

The lower age limit for laser eye surgery at Custom Vision Clinics is 21. There is no upper limit for treatment, but lens surgery may be a better option for some people after the age of 50. It is the biological age of the eye rather than the chronological age of the individual which is most important in guiding treatment recommendation. There are some patients in their early sixties who have crystal clear natural lenses with no sign of cataract and these patients may be suitable for Presbyond ™ LASIK laser eye surgery.

Do you treat both eyes at the same time?

We occasionally perform intra-ocular surgery at the same time (RLE, phakic IOL, or cataract surgery). This is so-called immediately sequential lens surgery. We follow a strict protocol whereby each procedure is treated completely separately with consumables from different batches and with the patient leaving the operating theatre between the operations. By taking these precautions we further minimise the tiny risk of infection in both eyes.

Patients having laser eye surgery (LASIK and SMILE) routinely have surgery at the same sitting. This avoids the inconvenience of walking around for a week with one eye treated and the other eye still needing glasses. The risks of laser eye surgery are so small that this is now generally accepted as standard practice in the U.K.

What should you expect after lens replacement?

Results at a glance

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Laser procedures

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Cataract procedures

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Better than the national average of complication rates

My eyesight following the operation is brilliant and better than I thought possible, and this is all down to your excellent surgeon Mr James Ball and not to forget all the very dedicated people around him who make these operations possible.

Keith Garlick

Two of the best decisions I ever made in my life were firstly to have lens exchange and secondly to have Mr James Ball carry out my operation.

Patricia Walton

Within minutes I could tell there was a difference. But now, only a couple of months later, my sight is better than it was seven years ago! I can even read the really tiny print on the car sales ads! If you want that confidence you probably felt when you were younger, this is the ideal solution. Thanks to the treatment, I feel rejuvenated, independent and much younger!

John Hazelgrave

Many thanks for all your care and kindness. To me it appears a miracle that I can see so well. I feel very grateful. It is impossible to fully express my thanks.

Grace C.

May I offer grateful thanks for your expertise in operating on my eyes. It was intimated to me that you were the best, and from the results I am now enjoying, I am convinced that this is correct.

Jean D.

You are truly innovative. Thank you very much for curing the problems I have been having with my reading and near vision.

Sala M.

My work was becoming almost impossible. I had refractive lens exchange to both eyes with multifocal lens implants last July. I can now see better than 20/20 for distance and can read the tiniest print in newspapers - all without glasses! I have started reading for pleasure again, and I feel that my performance both at work and on the golf course has improved.

John

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My eyesight following the operation is brilliant and better than I thought possible, and this is all down to your excellent surgeon Mr James Ball and not to forget all the very dedicated people around him who make these operations possible.

Keith Garlick

Two of the best decisions I ever made in my life were firstly to have lens exchange and secondly to have Mr James Ball carry out my operation.

Patricia Walton

Within minutes I could tell there was a difference. But now, only a couple of months later, my sight is better than it was seven years ago! I can even read the really tiny print on the car sales ads! If you want that confidence you probably felt when you were younger, this is the ideal solution. Thanks to the treatment, I feel rejuvenated, independent and much younger!

John Hazelgrave

My work was becoming almost impossible. I had refractive lens exchange to both eyes with multifocal lens implants last July. I can now see better than 20/20 for distance and can read the tiniest print in newspapers – all without glasses! I have started reading for pleasure again, and I feel that my performance both at work and on the golf course has improved.

John

Laser eye surgery has changed my life. Now, having had laser, I wake up in the morning and I can see and it’s unbelievable.

Claire Varley

Laser eye surgery has greatly improved my quality of life. I’ve been able to discard my glasses after thirty years!

Arthur Brown

If you are thinking of having Laser Eye Surgery, try these guys – they really are the best in their field.

Mr CE Poulter

I felt I was treated as an individual and all my questions were answered. From my experiences – I can highly recommend Mr Ball.

Janet Howden

Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful! I am so grateful to you and your team. Thank you very much indeed.

Dorothy S.

Thank you for your skilled interventions which have given me my sight back.

Doreen G.

To me it appears a miracle that I can see so well. I feel very grateful. It is impossible to fully express my thanks.

Grace C.

Thank you very much for the treatment you gave me – I can see so well now, and reading has once again become a real pleasure.

Charles S.

It was intimated to me that you were the best, and from the results I am now enjoying, I am convinced that this is correct.

Jean D.

You are truly innovative. Thank you very much for curing the problems I have been having with my reading and near vision.

Sala M.

I had LASIK on both eyes at Custom Vision Clinics, and can now see better than 20/20, without my glasses or contact lenses. More importantly, I now feel that I can get more out of my busy life.

Karen

At the consultation, Mr Ball found that I had early cataracts. Following cataract surgery at Custom Vision Clinics, I am almost completely independent from glasses.

Anne