With presbyopia, you may experience symptoms such as:
Difficulty with reading, phone, or computer vision
Blurred vision at normal reading distance.
A need to hold reading material farther away to make the words clearer.
Eyestrain or headaches after reading or doing close-up work.
Increased dependence on reading glasses.
Presbyopia. Simplified.
A Normal Part of Aging
Most people develop presbyopia – difficulty reading without glasses – by our 40s.
You Have Options
Our customized vision correction options allow you to determine the range of vision you want after Lens Replacement surgery.
A Trusted Surgery
Much like cataract surgery, Lens Replacement is one of the most successful procedures.
Vision. Refreshed.
1 Lens Removal
Through a microscopic laser-created opening, Dr. Shatz removes your poorly functioning lens.
2 Lens Insertion
Dr. Shatz replaces your old lens with a new, artificial lens – that is customized to your particular vision needs.
3 Vision Renewed
Your new lens will provide you refreshed vision at near, intermediate, and distance without worrying about getting cataracts in the future.
About Refractive Lens Exchange Surgery
Presbyopia is the condition that forces us to need reading glasses as we age. It occurs when the natural lens loses its flexibility as it grows throughout our lives.
The natural lens changes shape as we look at close objects, providing near vision. It is flexible in youth, much like a balloon that is only filled with a small amount of air. This flexibility decreases with age as the lens fills with more material, similarly to the balloon hardening as it is inflated. Our ability to focus at near starts to diminish in our mid-forties as the lens slowly hardens – a term called presbyopia.
Individuals who suffer from nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or presbyopia – even if they do not have cataracts – can take advantage of a procedure that is identical to cataract surgery. Lens Replacement is ideal for patients in their late 40s and beyond, or for anyone who needs to wear reading glasses. The natural lens is replaced with an intraocular lens implant (IOL) that can permanently restore your vision. This outpatient procedure takes about 10 minutes to perform per eye, requires only eye drops as an anesthetic, and has a quick recovery time.
Depending on the type of IOL you choose, Lens Replacement surgery can provide freedom from glasses at all ranges! Whether you choose multifocal implants to improve distance, intermediate, and near, monovision to allow one eye to see far and one to see close, or single vision for distance or near, the IOL is selected to correct your individual needs.
Once the IOL is in place, the focus it provides does not degrade over time. Additionally, unlike the natural lens, the IOL will not cloud up over your lifetime, so once you have a Lens Replacement procedure, you will never develop cataracts or need to repeat this surgery!
At SightTrust Eye Institute, we offer our patients the option of treating both eyes on the same day, rather than one at a time. This provides a shorter healing time and quicker visual recovery, allowing you to see the best you can the soonest possible!
