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Clear Lens Extraction in Boston

Have you ever wondered what it would be
like to see without your glasses or contacts?

Clear Lens Extraction, Clear Lens Exchange or CLE, is a surgical procedure designed to reduce or eliminate the need for distance glasses or contact lenses for people over 50, and it can be used to treat a wide range of farsightedness and nearsightedness. Unlike other refractive procedures that change the shape of the cornea, CLE corrects vision by removing the crystalline lens in the eye and replacing it with a new artificial lens of a different focusing power, much like what happens in cataract surgery. This procedure is the same as cataract extraction except that it is performed for the refractive benefit. When the lens of the eye is removed, the Boston eye surgeon replaces it with an artificial lens of appropriate power to correct for any myopia or hyperopia. Clear lens extraction is a good procedure for people who are very high myopes (usually greater than 12 diopters), high hyperopes (usually greater than 5 diopters), any myopia or hyperopia in people with early cataract formation, and individuals who want to treat presbyopia with a multifocal implant. For some patients, this may be a better option than LASIK. Clear lens extraction is becoming increasingly popular, partly because it has a low complication rate.

Clear Lens Extraction is for those who:

• want to reduce or eliminate their dependence on glasses or contacts
• are over 50 years of age
• are high myopes
• are high hyperopes
• have myopia or hyperopia in people with early cataract formation,
• who want to treat presbyopia with a multifocal implant.

What to Expect on Surgery Day
Clear lens extraction is performed on an outpatient basis. Upon arrival for your surgery, you will be given a local anesthetic to numb your eye during the procedure. The skin around your eye will be thoroughly cleansed, and sterile coverings will be placed around your eye to keep the surgical area sterile during the procedure. Your Boston eye surgeon will use an eyelid holder to hold your eyelids open so you will not have to worry about keeping your eye open during the procedure. Under an operating microscope, your Boston eye surgeon will create a small incision on the eye. The lens is gently fragmented and removed by the use of ultrasound. Then a plastic intraocular lens is implanted to replace the natural lens that was removed. The incision is then closed. The surgery lasts about 15 minutes. Following this procedure, your Boston eye surgeon will place a protective shield on your eye. Postoperatively, you will use eye drops as prescribed by your surgeon. Be careful not to rub or press on your eye.

Complications are uncommon with clear lens extraction. Infection, bleeding and swelling or detachment of the retina are some of the more serious complications that may affect your vision. Sometimes, several months or years following clear lens extraction, a capsule behind the intraocular lens implant may become cloudy. If this cloudiness blurs your vision, a clear opening can be made in the center of the capsule with a special laser during a clinic visit.

Following the procedure, patients may lose the ability to accommodate from distance to near vision and reading glasses may be required. Two options to help retain near vision are multifocal lens implants or an option called monovision. A multifocal lens implant is a lens that has a bifocal correction built into the periphery of the lens. When the eye looks downward, it automatically uses the reading portion of the lens. When the patients looks directly ahead, distance vision is available through the center of the lens. The second option in lens implants is monovision. This option corrects a patient’s dominant eye for distance and leaves the non-dominant eye slightly undercorrected so the patient can retain the ability to do near work. Many people who have tried monovision in contact lenses have been very happy with this option.

Your Boston eye surgeon will discuss the risks and benefits of the procedure with you during your preoperative evaluation.

The main advantages of Clear Lens Extraction are:

• Rapid rehabilitation
• Predictability of outcome
• Excellent quality of vision especially in people with severe refractive errors

Find out if clear lens extraction can help improve your vision!

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