Refractive Lens Exchange In Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), also known as clear lens extraction, stands as a favored avenue for individuals over 40 seeking to minimize or liberate themselves from the constraints of glasses or contact lenses. RLE primarily caters to individuals with moderate to severe farsightedness, or those aged 40 and above grappling with reliance on bifocals or reading glasses. The procedure entails the replacement of the eye’s natural lens with a synthetic lens implant, rectifying an array of vision issues including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia.
In our youthful years, the natural lens functions akin to the zoom capability in a camera, permitting us to focus up close without the need for reading aids. However, as we age, this lens gradually becomes compromised, resulting in diminished near vision (known as presbyopia), necessitating the use of reading glasses or bifocals. Furthermore, the aging process hardens, yellows, and clouds the lens (forming cataracts), obstructing and scattering light, thereby diminishing visual quality, quantity, and color perception.
The aging of the lens is an ongoing process, mandating the adoption of reading aids or bifocals in one’s 40s and potentially culminating in cataract surgery in the 70s or 80s. These changes lead to progressive deterioration in visual acuity, with the rate of decline varying unpredictably from individual to individual.
Thanks to advancements in technology and the established safety of the procedure, an increasing number of patients opt to undergo refractive lens exchange at an earlier stage. Many individuals, due to their active lifestyles, are averse to enduring years of gradual visual deterioration associated with cataract development; they seek a lasting solution for their vision concerns.
Refractive Lens Exchange offers numerous advantages, foremost among them being the enhancement of both near and distant vision. The substitution of the natural lens negates the need for future cataract surgery, while the artificial lens remains impervious to aging, ensuring visual stability for the eye.
1. **Standard (Monofocal) Lens Implants**: These lenses are tailored to a solitary focal point, optimizing vision for a specific distance, such as distant objects. While they provide excellent vision, these implants do not correct for a full range of vision. A standar lens implant will typically necessitate the use of glasses for some daily activities, most commonly computer work, reading, and near-vision tasks. Standard lenses do not rectify astigmatism which affects all levels of vision from near to far.
2. **Advanced Lens Implants**: This category presents a broader range of clear vision without reliance on glasses compared to standard lenses. They substantially reduce dependence on glasses for everyday tasks like computer work, watching television, and driving. Four distinct types of advanced lens implants are available: the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL), the multifocal lens, the extended range lens, and the toric lens. These lenses facilitate clear vision for diverse activities encompassing both close-up and faraway tasks:
3. **Light Adjustable Lens**: Uniquely, this implant’s power can be fine-tuned post-surgery through the application of precise ultraviolet light patterns using a system in the office without going back to the operating room. This technology allows the surgeon to correct residual nearsighted, farsighted and astigmatic refractive errors that result from individual variations in healing. This amazing technology also allows the patient to “test drive” their vision, correcting one more for distance and one for near vision. These corrections can be reversed or augmented up to 3 times in each eye using additional light treatments.
4. **Advanced Multifocal Lens**: Functioning akin to bifocal or trifocal glasses, the multifocal lens offers an extensive range of vision. Individuals usually achieve clear vision for distant and near tasks, with over 90% reporting minimal or no reliance on glasses. Multifocal lenses are typically associated with halos around lights at night.
5. **Advanced Extended Range Lens**: Positioned between single-focus and multifocal lenses, the extended range lens provides sharp distance vision day and night without the halos often associated with multifocal lenses. Additionally, it also delivers excellent intermediate vision. Near vision may require the use of over the counter reading glasses.
6. **Advanced Toric Lens**: This type of implant is designed to correct high levels of astigmatism (football shaped front of eye). It serves as an ideal solution for individuals with high astigmatism and is available monofocal, multifocal and extended range lens designs.
7. **Small Aperture Lens**: Leveraging cutting-edge technology, the Small Aperture Lens furnishes precise and focused vision spanning various distances. By eliminating unfocused light that leads to visual ambiguity, this lens ensures objects and text appear distinct and well-defined. This lens is particularly well suited for eyes where the front part is irregular in shape.
For those keen on delving further into the specifics of Small Aperture Lenses, additional information is available.
Refractive Lens Exchange | Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA
