Intraocular Lenses are used for correcting very high prescriptions of short-sight, long-sight and astigmatism. They are similar to a very small contact lens that is placed inside the eye, instead of sitting on the eye's surface.
Intraocular Lenses
This procedure involves anchoring an artificial lens inside the eye, which essentially acts like a contact lens within the eye rather than on the surface of the eye, thereby correcting refractive error. The lens is positioned behind the pupil and in front of the crystalline lens and although it functions much like a conventional contact lens, it is more advantageous because it is left inside the eye indefinitely, is invisible and cannot be felt by the patient.
The lenses are state-of-the-art and are carefully selected for each individual after thorough assessment of their specific visual requirements and based upon their prescription. These days, there are a wide range of intra ocular lenses available, including mono-focal and vari-focal lenses, which aim to correct vision at all distances and provide excellent visual quality.
Patients will normally be recommended an IOL treatment if they have a very high prescription (typically higher than -10 or +5), or if they are found to have the early signs of cataracts.
In the hands of a good ophthalmic surgeon, the procedure usually takes less than 30 minutes to perform, under a local anaesthetic. The implanted lens can be removed at any time, making the procedure fully reversible. The procedure itself is usually painless and most patients describe only mild discomfort during the healing process, which starts immediately. There is a short recovery period, typically around four weeks.
