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While you’re young, the ability to have perfect vision is as simple as wearing contacts or glasses, or getting LASIK or PRK so you don’t have to worry about lenses. However, as we age, one of the common conditions is presbyopia. Usually beginning with those in their 40s or 50s, presbyopia is when the eye is unable to focus at different distances. The first sign of this is the inability to read fine print. With the advent of new technologies to cure near- and farsightedness, as well as surgery for cataracts and glaucoma, there is also relief for presbyopia that does not require a laser like LASIK does. And this relief can be found in refractive lens exchange (RLE). RLE helps to achieve better eyesight through removing and replacing the lens of the eye with an artificial lens. This is performed in much the same way as cataract surgery. Procedure After giving you topical eye drops to numb your eyes before the procedure begins, an incision is made at the edge of the cornea. Using an ultrasonic probe to break up and remove the natural lens, an intraocular lens (IOL) is then inserted. There are several choices of IOL including Crystalens, ReZoom, and ReSTOR. Each have advantages you should discuss with your ophthalmologist. However, one of them is that any future need for cataract surgery is eliminated. The IOL can be multi-focal for those who have problems with both near- and farsightedness, or for those with one or the other. This procedure usually takes only about 20 minutes, and vision improvement is immediate. Complications are rare, but may include:
• Infection
• Hemorrhage
• Increased risk of retinal detachment
• Distortion of vision
• Loss of visual clarity
• Dislocation of the implant
• Floaters
• Glaucoma
• Corneal dryness
• Induced astigmatism
• Wound leak In the weeks following your RLE surgery, you will be instructed to use special eye drops to help with the healing process. Your return to your normal activities will be determined by how well your eyes are healing. Good candidates for RLE are moderately to severely nearsighted or farsighted. If you feel you may be a candidate for RLE and are in the San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose, California area, please contact Dr. Kawesch at Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley.
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