Alternatives to Laser Vision Correction
Surgical
Refractive Lensectomy
 Refractive
lensectomy is a vision correction procedure for people who may not
be good candidates for LASIK or e-LASEK because of their extreme
nearsightedness or farsightedness and age.
In this surgical procedure, the natural lens of the eye is removed
and replaced with an artificial lens specifically selected to provide
the patient with clear focusing ability.
It is used for very high corrections, or when laser surgery is not
recommended. Each eye is corrected on a different surgical day.
Refractive Lensectomy is performed while you are awake. A local
anesthetic is used to temporarily eliminate sensation and eye movement.
After the procedure, most patients experience only mild discomfort,
which can include feeling as if your eye has a fine hair in it (which
is temporary), or a mild headache that is easily controlled with
an oral pain reliever. Vision is slightly blurred for the first
few days but becomes clearer within a week. The second eye is usually
operated on one week later. Most patients return to normal duties
and driving within one week after the second surgery.
Implantable Contact Lenses – also
known as Phakic Lens
 The
term phakic (from the Greek phakos, for lens) refers to an eye wherein
the natural crystalline lens is retained, not removed as in cataract
surgery (if removed, the eye is referred to as aphakic). Phakic
lens implantation ("PLI") describes a procedure to insert
an additional lens into the eye, either in front of the iris or
just behind it. Phakic intraocular lenses are made from a soft,
pliable material, similar to the material used to make soft contact
lenses. The Artisan lens, manufactured by Ophtec, Inc. is one such
design that was approved by the FDA in September '04 for limited
use. It is now marketed under the trade name "VeriSyse".
Currently, PLI is recomended only for correction of higher ranges
of myopia (approximately -8.00 to -20.00 diopters) that are beyond
the range correctable by laser sculpting. PLI may be recommended
for persons who do not have adequate corneal thickness to support
laser treatment, as the higher the amount of correction, the deeper
the amount of laser sculpting. Some surgeons feel that the quality
of vision obtained after PLI is preferable to that obtained by LASIK
for a similar amount of correction, and this may represent a real
near-term advantage of PLI.
PLI does, however, carry longer-term risks related to cataract formation
in some eyes, and to progressive compromise of the interior lining
cells of the cornea (called the endothelium) over time.
Several other companies are working to develop phakic
intraocular lenses. But, due to potential longer-term complications,
no other lens has received FDA approval.
Other surgical procedures
Refractive Lensectomy and phakic lenses are not the only surgical
procedure designed to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness.
To learn about other procedures go to the surgical and laser vision
correction procedures section of our Web Site. You may also choose
to make an appointment, attend a seminar or request additional information
to learn more about other options right for you.
Non-surgical
CRT – Corneal Refractive Therapy
Now you can be free of daytime contact lenses and glasses during
your daily activities without undergoing surgery and enjoy great
vision! Recent clinical research combined with the latest corneal
surface mapping technology, computerized manufacturing and space
age oxygen-breathing materials have brought new science to corneal
reshaping.
Corneal Refractive Therapy is a non-surgical process clinically
developed to reshape the cornea while you sleep, in a similar shape
as achieved with LASIK. The result is the temporary correction of
myopia with or without moderate astigmatism.
See our CRT information page for more
details.
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