Other Refractive Surgery
In addition to Laser Vision Correction the following refractive procedures are performed at ParkView Day Surgery.
Refractive Lens Exchange
Refractive Lens Exchange is an elective day procedure performed under aesthetic and involves replacing the eye’s natural lens with an artificial lens (called an intraocular lens) to correct the vision.
Each eye is treated on different days which allows time for initial healing to take place and a review with your doctor.
Admission, treatment and initial recovery generally takes about two hours and patients are provided with easy to follow aftercare instructions at home.
The intraocular lens can be expected to remain clear and in position for life. The lenses are held in place by the lens capsule which surrounds the intraocular lens. If this capsule becomes cloudy there will be a decrease in visual quality until a posterior YAG laser capsulotomy is performed.
Phakic Intraocular Lenses
When a patient is under 45 years of age, but is not a candidate for laser vision correction, an intraocular lens may be implanted without removing the natural lens and to preserve the eye’s accommodation. These are called phakic lenses and are placed in behind the iris in the posterior chamber.
A part of the refractive surgical suite, a phakic intraocular lens may be advised as a course of action due to its superior outcome predicability.
The benefits of phakic lenses in patients with high refractive errors include:
- superior predictability of outcome
- generally superior visual contrast
Laser vision correction can also be combined with phakic implants should small refractive errors remain or develop.
If this is an option for you, your surgeon or one of our refractive counsellors would discuss all of the above with you so you have a complete understanding of this option.
