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6 Surprising Facts About Lens Replacement Surgery

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6 Surprising Facts About Lens Replacement Surgery

If you’ve been experiencing symptoms of farsightedness or nearsightedness, lens replacement surgery might just be for you! Now you may be asking, “What is lens replacement surgery?”. During lens replacement surgery, the natural lens is replaced with an artificial one. This helps you to see clearer.

You may also get a lens replacement during your cataract surgery. The lenses inside of your eyes are meant to bend light in order for you to see. When you have cataracts, your lens becomes cloudy instead of clear. Images start to appear hazy, cloudy, and out of focus. Cataract surgery will replace the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear artificial lens.

  1. Lens Replacement Surgery Is Useful for More Than Cataracts

One of the main benefits of lens replacement surgery is that it can remove cataracts and replace them with clear lenses. But to gain an advantage from the procedure you don’t have to have cataracts. Lens replacement can be used to treat a wide range of ocular problems.

Lens replacement surgery can also be beneficial for the following people:

  • Those who have farsightedness or hyperopia
  • Those who have nearsightedness or myopia
  • Those with presbyopia which happens due to the aging process. Your lenses become less elastic with time and this leads to a harder ability to focus on close objects.
  • Those who have astigmatism. This is when your sight is blurred from an irregular corneal shape of the eye.
  • Those at high-risk for developing cataracts in the future.
  • Those with poor vision due to certain genetic eye conditions or eye injury.
  1. There Are 4 Different Types of Lens Replacements

Ok, so a natural question to ask when considering replacing a natural part of your eye with something artificial is, “What are artificial lenses made of?”. Or maybe you’re wondering, “which type of artificial lens is the best?”.

Intraocular lenses are made out of flexible materials usually consisting of silicone or acrylic materials. Artificial lenses are also coated with a certain protective material to help shield your eyes from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays.

There are four different types of intraocular lenses (IOLs): :

  1. Monofocal IOL: This is the most common type of IOL used in lens replacement surgery. Its job is to focus on one fixed distance. So you may still need reading glasses for seeing images up-close.
  2. Trifocal IOL: This lens lets you see at different distances. It can take a little while for your brain to become accustomed to this type of lens.
  3. Accommodating IOL: This is a more flexible option. This type of lens changes shape inside your eye. This allows you to focus on different distances and makes it less likely for you to need reading glasses.
  4. Toric IOL: This type of lens is perfect if you have astigmatism. It lessens the effects of astigmatism so you won’t need glasses to correct your astigmatism anymore.
  1. Lens Replacement Surgery Is One of the Safest Medical Procedures You Can Have Done

It’s perfectly normal to have fears about having eye surgery. You may be concenred about how safe lens replacement surgery is. Lens replacement surgery complications are similar to cataract surgery complications. There is slightly more risk with lens replacement than there is with laser eye surgery because it is more invasive. But it is still one of the safest medical procedures you can have.

There are millions of these procedures performed all over the world each year. And just like all surgical procedures, there are some possible rare complications to be aware of. But these complications are usually easily resolved with follow-up treatment.

  1. There Is No Set Age Limit

If you are over the age of 50— you may have been turned down for other vision correcting services such as laser eye surgery. The good news is that even at the age of 50+ — you can still be a candidate for lens replacement surgery. The nice thing about lens replacement surgery is that it prevents you from needing to get cataract surgery later on in life.

Even though there is no set age limit on lens replacement surgery— each patient is different and has different needs. You will need to set up a time to discuss this with your surgeon.

  1. The Lens Replacement Procedure Is Relatively Painless

Lens replacement surgery is usually not painful while you are undergoing treatment. This is because your doctor will numb your eye with anesthetic. If the idea of eye surgery bothers you, you might feel uncomfortable during the procedure. This is why it’s important to relax during your treatment. If you are particularly worried about your procedure, ask your doctor about being prescribed a relaxant such as diazepam during your treatment.

After your procedure, it is normal to experience some mild discomfort such as:

  • Soreness
  • Redness
  • Itching
  • Dryness
  • Mild stinging

Overall, lens replacement surgery includes mild pain that only lasts for a short amount of time. The positive effects of lens replacement surgery outweigh the potential risks in most people.

  1. Lens Replacement Is a Very Quick Procedure

Lens replacement surgery itself is a very fast operation. Usually only taking around 10 minutes.  Most people return to work quickly after lens replacement surgery, although it may also take more time to return to work depending on the type of work you do. You may also have blurry vision for a day or two, but this goes away on its own.

During recovery you will be given antibiotic and steroid eye drops to use. These will make your recovery go by faster and ensure proper healing while minimising discomfort.

How long does it take to recover from lens replacement surgery? Your vision will gradually improve over the first couple of days to weeks after your operation.

Lens replacement surgery is a great way to improve your vision. With proper care, you’ll be back to enjoying your life with a better way to see the world. If you have any further questions about lens replacement surgery, please feel free to contact us.

Find out more about lens replacement surgery

Read about lens replacement surgery – the best kept secret in vision correction

Find out more about the price of lens replacement surgery

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