Lens surgery procedures:
- additional lens
- lens replacement
Following careful consultation and investigation, the doctor will determine which procedure offers the best prospects of correcting your vision defect. You will be told which method comes closest to fulfilling your wishes. With your safety in mind, all procedures at the Augentagesklinik Sursee are carried out in an operating theater under sterile conditions.
Implantable contact lenses
The implantable contact lens (Artisan lens) is increasingly becoming a possible alternative to corneal surgery procedures (excimer laser). The advantage of the surgery lies in the fact that in contrast to laser surgery, the optically important central cornea is not touched, in the reversibility and in the somewhat greater precision of the procedure.
This special plastic lens is inserted inside the eye and fixed to the iris. The implantable contact lens enables even severe visual defects to be corrected and, furthermore, the eye’s own lens retains its power of accommodation. The cornea is untouched during this procedure. However as this involves an intervention inside the eye, a great deal depends on the operative skill of the surgeon and the prevailing conditions. The areas in which this procedure would be considered are nearsightedness from around -2.5 diopters to around -23 diopters and farsightedness from around +2.5 diopters to around +8 diopters. If an even greater visual defect or even astigmatism is present, very occasionally it can be used in combination with LASIK or PRK. Artisan lenses have been used with good results for a little over 10 years.
Other intraocular lenses
In addition there are possibilities of implanting other artificial lenses in the anterior chamber and in the posterior chamber between the lens and iris.
Replacement of the clear lens
The replacement of the body’s own clear lens by a plastic lens offers another possibility for changing the optical system. This procedure has been known for many years and is also used in the operation for cataract, the clouding of the lens. The contents of the lens are extracted from the lens capsule sac through a small incision. A new plastic lens, the refractive power of which has been determined before the operation, is then placed in the empty capsule sac.
This method is only used in cases of severe visual defects and in particular when the patient is no longer able to accommodate and has nearsightedness of more than -20 diopters or a farsightedness of more than +8 diopters. It should be born in mind that with severely nearsighted patients, this operation increases the risk of retinal detachment. We therefore only use this procedure for dealing with cataracts.
