Refractive lens exchange

GENERAL INFORMATION

Refraction is bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. It also occurs in the human eye, where light is focused in such a way as to reach the retina and give a clear image of what we are looking at. When the refraction of the eye is disturbed, we deal with a refraction error.

The most important refractive errors include:

• Hyperopia (farsightedness) – a refractive error in which the retina is too close to the lens and cornea, so that light rays do not intersect and a sharp image is not formed.
• Myopia (shortsightedness) – a refractive error related to the improper structure of the eye, causing light rays converge before they reach the retina. As a result, a sharp image is formed where there are no light-sensitive cells, and what reaches the retina is already out-of-focus image.
• Astigmatism – a refractive error in which, due to the disturbed symmetry of the eye, rays refract differently in the vertical plane and in the horizontal plane. The result is a blurring of the image to one side and distorted vision, such as deformations of straight lines.
• Presbyopia – a progressive decline with age in the ability of the lens to accommodate due to loss of its elasticity. As a result, the ability to see up close, read or view small objects is impaired.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Refractive lens exchange surgery

During the preoperative assessment, after performing a series of diagnostic tests, our research and diagnostic coordinator together with the attending physician recommend the type of lens that should be implanted during the surgery.

The preoperative assessment lasts one hour, different types of lens are discussed and the final decision is made.

• On the day of the RLE surgery, the ophthalmological surgeon will apply local anesthesia to the eye. The patient will remain fully conscious throughout the procedure and will not feel any pain, only the touch.
• During the procedure, the surgeon makes a two-millimeter incision and, using a special device called a phacoemulsifier, splits the cloudy lens into smaller fragments to remove it piece by piece from the eye (a phacoemulsifier can be compared to a vacuum cleaner, which simultaneously shreds and sucks out pieces of the lens). The procedure is designed to remove the contents, i.e. the cloudy lens, and leave its packaging – the so-called capsular bag.
• A rolled up artificial lens is slipped into the empty bag and stretched inside. Now the old package contains a new contents.
• It’s all over now! The new lens contains a yellow filter that protects the retina from harmful UV rays.
• The whole procedure is short, it usually takes about 15 minutes.

 Kalkulator MediRaty