Clear Lens Extraction

Presbyopia is a refractive disorder that usually occurs after the age of 40, when our natural lens loses its flexibility, preventing the ability to see up close. Most people notice presbyopia when they are no longer able to read without the aid of bifocals or reading glasses. Fortunately, an elective option exists that can correct presbyopia and reduce the dependency on glasses and contact lenses: clear lens extraction. Other elective procedures, such as LASIK and Visian ICL can only correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, not presbyopia.

Clear Lens Extraction, also known as refractive lens exchange, offers patients with presbyopia, the choice to be less dependent on glasses for up close, intermediate and distance tasks. Clear Lens Extraction is a lens replacement surgery, almost identical to cataract surgery, which involves removing the natural lens, which can no longer focus properly, due to presbyopia. The clear, natural lens is then replaced with a lifestyle intraocular lens implant, that allows patients the ability to see near, far and everything in between. Our office offers two different lifestyle eye lens implants, which are suitable for this type of eye correction surgery: the ReSTOR and Crystalens. Dr. Bello will recommend one of these lenses for the vision correction surgery, after a comprehensive eye exam. After the procedure, patients should be able to read, play golf and drive without wearing any glasses or contact lenses.

Premature Cataracts

Patients who may be in the early stages of cataracts may consider clear lens extraction as an option, before waiting for their cataracts to mature. Cataracts, an inevitable natural aging process of the eye, occur when the natural lens in the eye starts to cloud. In time, the clouding worsens, causing difficulty with their vision, eventually resulting in the need for cataract surgery.