What is Clear Lens Extraction?
While glasses and contact lenses are often sufficient for vision correction, many wish to be “glasses-free.” There are various types of vision correction surgeries. The most common are LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), which use different laser techniques to change the shape of your cornea, and thus change your glasses prescription. However, not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK or PRK, and once patients are over 40 years old, they still require reading glasses. A great alternative is “Clear Lens Extraction” (CLE), also known as “Clear Lens Exchange”. Keep on reading to find out more about CLE!
What is CLE?
CLE is a procedure similar to cataract surgery, in which an ophthalmologist will remove the natural lens of your eye and replace it with an artificial lens. This lens implant corrects your prescription inside your eye, eliminating your dependence on glasses or contacts.
The natural lens inside the eye becomes cloudy over time, forming a cataract, which is removed during cataract surgery and replaced with a lens implant. Clear Lens Extraction is the same procedure, but is performed before the patient develops a foggy cataract. Therefore, patients who undergo this procedure do not need to have cataract surgery again in the future, and they do not need to wait until a cataract forms to enjoy the benefits of modern lens implant technology.
Lens Options
The artificial lens can correct issues with distance vision (myopia or hyperopia) and/or near vision (presbyopia). Due to advancements in technology, there are different lens options available:
Monofocal Lenses:
These lenses correct for only one distance – either far or near – and much like LASIK, glasses are required for other distances. Historically, people who used contact lenses to correct one eye for distance vision and one eye for near vision could have the same prescriptions built into the eye with monofocal lens implants. This “monovision” strategy is less commonly used today given advances in lens technology.
Astigmatism-Correcting Lenses:
These lenses are called toric lenses, and they can correct astigmatism on the cornea (the clear front window of the eye) and distance vision. Most people will still need reading glasses.
Multifocal and Extended-Depth-of-Focus Lenses:
Multifocal and “extended-depth-of-focus” implants correct vision simultaneously at far, intermediate, and near. Patients undergoing clear lens extraction will typically choose these lenses to obtain the full benefit of the CLE surgery. With these implants, patients can see into the distance, drive, use the computer, and read a phone, tablet, or book, all without glasses. However, not everyone is a candidate for multifocal lenses, and your ophthalmologist must rule out eye disease such as macular degeneration and glaucoma.
The Process
During the evaluation appointment, a patient will have a full exam done by an ophthalmologist to determine whether the patient is a good candidate for CLE. Precise measurements of the eye are taken, and the ophthalmologist will go over the different types of lens options and determine the best fit for the patient.
Surgery is performed in the operating room and takes about ten minutes. Patients will receive numbing medication and IV anesthesia. The ophthalmologist will then make tiny laparoscopic incisions to remove the natural lens and replace it with the artificial lens. The eyes are treated on different days, typically a week or two apart. Patients take post-op drops to help with the healing process and return for post-op visits a day after surgery, a week after surgery, and a month after surgery. Since CLE is a permanent process, patients can expect their prescription to remain stable, and they will not need cataract surgery later in life.
Ultimately, CLE is a great option for those who wish to live free of glasses and contacts. LASIK and PRK laser surgeries leave patients over 40 years of age dependent on reading glasses. Only clear lens extraction can correct both eyes for the full range of vision from far to near. Call us to schedule a consultation, and take a step forward to having CLEar vision!
