As your natural lens loses its function, a condition known as Dysfunctional Lens Syndrome (DLS) requiring you to wear glasses or contacts for distance vision and readers for up close.
Custom Lens Replacement (CLR) can be a permanent solution to eliminate all your glasses, plus you’ll never develop a cataract.
Our Virtual consults help to answer all of your questions, all from the convenience of your home and at a time that fits your schedule.
Drop instructions will be provided. You will use the drops for several weeks following the procedure to promote healing and prevent infection.
Yes, you will need to get used to using artificial tears both pre-operatively and post-operatively to assist with recovery. You will want to use them liberally and anytime your eyes feel a bit dry.
Restrictions will be provided. Mainly related to heavy exertion and eye-rubbing. Beyond one month, there will be no restriction on contact sports or other activities. There is no increase in complications with CLR beyond the actual injury itself.
Our goal is to eliminate the need for glasses for most to all daily activities. Some people find that the use of glasses can still be helpful after CLR if they are reading for an extended period of time or trying to read fine print. It depends on the individual and the activity considered. Monovision is a common, successful strategy, in which some still use glasses for night-time driving or detailed, near tasks.
Night time driving can be affected differently depending on the set-up of CLR. Monovision or Blended Vision can lead to the use of driving glasses at night. Multifocal IOLs commonly produce halos and glare at night. Most people are not bothered by these.
Yes. The use of IOLs (intra ocular lenses) is highly regulated and each specific IOL is approved by the FDA before it can be used. Manufacturers of IOLs include large companies such as Alcon, Johnson & Johnson, and Bausch & Lomb. They have been manufacturing IOLs for decades in facilities both in the United States and around the world.
Yes, a trial can be done with contact lenses to determine how you will do with blended vision or mono vision, but not multifocal IOLs.
Complaints can include difficulty adjusting to monovision, quality of vision associated with multifocal IOLs, glare associated with multifocal IOLs, eye sensations post-surgery, and visual artifacts like floaters and peripheral shadows (dysphotopsia).
It is surgery, so the guarantee is in our determination to provide the highest level of care with our technology and experience. We will offer enhancements if appropriate (though seldomly needed). Our surgeons and staff are available to provide care whenever required. When you meet with us for your pre-op appointment, your surgeon will personally evaluate your candidacy for surgery. We will only accept good candidates.
We use the best lenses available and will select the technology that best matches your goals, along with our clinical findings during the consultation.
No, once CLR is done, it is expected to last as we have set your vision for how you will see for the rest of your life as long as your eyes are healthy and free of ocular disease (e.g., glaucoma, macular degeneration).
The surgical technique is similar, but the goals and outcomes are different. Cataract surgery aims to remove the aging lens with a basic implant. Glasses are prescribed following surgery. Custom Lens Replacement strives to help patients who want to see without glasses for most to all activities. CLR uses advanced surgical techniques and implants, and is typically performed earlier in life. The goal is to help you enjoy stable, functional vision for many years and prevent the need for future cataract surgery.
No. Having a CLR now means you will not need cataract surgery in the future.
No. If you have previously had cataract surgery, that means your natural lens has been replaced (very likely with a basic implant). If you are seeking to experience life without glasses, we may be able to perform laser vision correction (eg, LASIK). A consultation would be needed to determine eligibility.
Microscope usage is unaffected since you can adjust the focus of each eyepiece accordingly. Utilizing a firearm is also unaffected since you will maintain distance vision in your dominant eye. We typically find that most people use their dominant eye to shoot. Let us know if that is not the case, and we can adjust accordingly.
Our surgeons have reviewed all the literature, and there is no improvement in outcomes by using a laser for the first steps in the CLR procedure. They routinely review data on all new surgical and diagnostic technologies to determine if they truly add value. In the case of “laser cataract surgery,” there is an added cost (which gets passed along to the patient), but to date, there is no evidence that it is a better or safer way to perform the procedure. Specifically, at LECSV, CLR is performed with a biplanar, manual corneal incision of 2.75mm. It is self-sealing, with no need for suturing. Our surgeon has found this to be a more precise and quicker recovery for patients.
The need for IOL exchange is low across the board. The need would increase based on IOL type, with multifocal IOLs having a 1% occurrence rate. Monofocal lenses rarely need to be exchanged.
The possible need for LASIK enhancement following CLR is around 1% if healing results in residual refractive error. Most individuals will need a YAG capsulotomy, which can be performed around 1 month post-op, though most don’t need it for much longer. The YAG laser is used to remove any cloudiness that can occur on the posterior capsule (which holds the new lens in place). It is a procedure done in-office that takes 1-2 minutes.
