What do you need to know about diopter reduction with lens implant?
High diopters (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism or presbyopia) can be corrected with a lens implant. The procedure is similar to cataract surgery, except that in this case the lens is replaced before the cataract appears. Refractive lens replacement surgery may be a better option for people with presbyopia and high hypermetropia.
Refractive lens replacement (RLE) replaces the eye’s lens with an artificial intraocular lens to correct refractive error and achieve sharper focus, reducing your need to wear reading glasses or bifocals.
As in cataract surgery, three types of artificial lens are available to replace the natural lens, depending on vision needs and eye health. These are:
- Monofocal with fixed focus. Monofocal lenses provide clear vision at distance, intermediate and near distances – but not all three simultaneously.
- Bifocal. A bifocal lens provides clear vision at 2 distances. They have built-in bifocal correction, providing clear distance vision when the eye is looking straight ahead, while allowing clarity of nearby objects.
- Multifocal. These lenses are the most advanced and high-performance, offering independence from glasses. They offer good near, distance and intermediate vision, completely eliminating the need for glasses. It is the first choice for patients who want to remove their diopters to get rid of glasses.
The lenses are customized for each individual eye, depending on their individual parameters and diopters.
How do you know if you need diopter reduction with lens implant?
Refractive lens replacement surgery is usually aimed at people with severe presbyopia (over 40-50 years), or extreme hypermetropia, for whom LASIK, PRK surgery are generally not suitable. If you have both presbyopia and moderate to severe hypermetropia, diopter reduction with lens implant may be the only viable option for clear vision and minimal dependence on glasses after refractive surgery. For presbyopia we also offer the option of refractive surgery Presbyond Laser Blended Vision, for people over 40 years old.
You must be at least 21 years old and have had no significant vision changes in the last six months. You must also have no history of eye disease. The procedure is best suited for patients over the age of 40. It is preferred over LASIK for treating severe refractive errors and for patients with corneal abnormalities.
What does a reduction of diopters with lens implant involve?
Lens replacement surgery usually takes about 5 minutes for each eye and is performed on an outpatient basis. Each eye is operated on separately, usually at a week distance.
Anesthetic eye drops are used during the surgery, there is no discomfort, and most people report an immediate improvement in vision after surgery.
After the eye is completely numbed with local anesthesia, the natural lens is removed by a technique called phacoemulsification, and gently suctioned through a small incision. Then the new intraocular lens will be folded and inserted through the same microincision. It will then be unfolded and placed into the “capsular bag” that originally surrounded the natural lens. The incision is “self-healing” and usually requires no stitches – it heals quickly and provides a much more comfortable recovery.
The artificial lens is not felt, in the eye, and is not visible, being inside the eye.
The artificial intraocular lens is a permanent replacement for the natural lens and is designed to last for the rest of your life.
What can you expect after the diopter reduction surgery with lens implant?
Immediate recovery time is usually one or two days, but each person is unique, and the healing experience will depend on the health of the eye and the ease of surgery. You can resume daily activities after about a week, but the final adjustment can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on each patient and the type of lens implanted. You may notice visual disturbances such as blurred vision, halos and glare, or a “scratchy” sensation as your eyes heal.
You should be able to return to work and be able to drive again within a week of the surgery, depending on your doctor’s instructions.
What are the specialist's recommendations after the diopter reduction surgery with lens implant?
- On the first postoperative day, it is necessary to come for a check-up, as well as 45 days after the surgery with a referral note from your family doctor.
- It is necessary to apply the treatment recommended by your doctor for 45 days.
- It is recommended not to press on the eyes, to avoid trauma to the eye region. Do not rub your eyes – This is extremely important, especially during the first 7 days after surgery.
- Administer eye drops as prescribed – As part of your post-operative recovery, you will be given a series of eye drops. It is essential that you administer the eye drops as recommended by your doctor. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly and keep them away from your face. This is particularly important before applying the eye drops.
- It is advisable to keep away from dust or cold airflow. You can protect your eyes with medical sunglasses or photochromic (heliomatic) lenses even without diopters.
- You can watch TV even without glasses or with your old glasses if necessary.
- You can read using your old glasses until your 45-day check-up.
- You can shower from the first postoperative day.
- It is recommended to wash your eye using compresses and saline or boiled and cooled water every time antibiotic treatment is applied.
- To avoid contact of shampoo with the eyes, the first 2-3 days it is recommended to wash your head as you would at the hairdresser.
- It is recommended that you do not apply eye make-up products (mascara, eyeliner, blush) during the first two weeks.
- It is recommended not to lift heavy weights for 1 month.
SMILE PRO is the second generation of SMILE surgeries. Following the success of RelEx SMILE, Zeiss has developed the next level of this technology.
RelEx SMILE laser surgery is the most up-to-date technique for reducing diopters, which can be performed with the Carl Zeiss Meditec VisuMax femtolaser laser.
The FemtoLASIK surgery is part of the suite of refractive surgeries available in the Dr. Holhoș network, and is part of the 2nd generation of laser surgeries.
Excimer Laser Diopter Reduction surgery is for those who want to get rid of glasses and have been diagnosed with myopia, astigmatism, myopia and myopic astigmatism, hypermetropia.
Presbyopia is an age-related disorder that makes it more difficult to see nearby objects.
High diopters (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism or presbyopia) can be corrected with a lens implant. The procedure is similar to cataract surgery, except that in this case the lens is replaced before the cataract appears.
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