Intraocular Lens Implant
Intraocular lenses, commonly called IOLs,
may be one of the most important ophthalmic developments in the past 30
years. These tiny prescription lenses are placed inside  the
eye during cataract or
Clear Lens Extraction And Replacement surgery (CLEAR), replacing the eye’s natural lens
(called a cataract when it becomes clouded).
Prior to the development of IOLs, cataract patients were forced to wear
thick “coke bottle” glasses or contact lenses after the surgery.
They were essentially blind without their glasses.
Today, patients receiving IOLs often enjoy
the best vision of their lives. Thanks to sophisticated formulas used
to calculate the corrective prescription power of the lens, the IOL not only
replaces the need for thick glasses, it can also correct the eye’s
existing refractive error.
There are two basic types of IOLs:
foldable and hard. Foldable lenses are made of silicone or acrylic and
can be rolled up and placed inside a tiny tube. The tube is inserted
through a very small incision – less than 2.5 mm in length. Once
inside the eye, the IOL gently unfolds. Hard plastic lenses are
appropriate in certain circumstances determined by the surgeon. Since
they cannot be folded, they are placed through a slightly larger incision.
New developments…
Lens implant surgery has become so advanced
in recent years that its benefits have been extended to healthy eyes.
Phakic lenses (implanting an IOL without removing the eye’s natural lens)
are an option that will soon become available to young patients who may not
be candidates for other refractive surgery options. And CLEAR, a
procedure available today, gives patients over the age of 40 the option to
improve their vision without glasses and avoid cataract surgery later in
life.
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