Lens Replacement2016-11-04T11:13:22+00:00

Expert surgeons

Mr Keith Bates
MA (OXON) BM BCH (OXON) FRCS FRCOphth

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
Mr Robert Morris
BSc(Hons), MB BS (Hons), MRCP, FRCS, FRCOphth

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
Mr Paul Rosen
BSc(Hons), MB ChB, FRCS, FRCOphth, MBA

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Eye surgery available in London and the Southeast

This eye treatment is available in:

Lens Replacement

The Problem

Presbyopia is part of the normal ageing process and results in blurring of near vision. As we age the muscles supporting the lens of our eye become less able to focus the lens for near vision as the lens becomes harder and less flexible. That is why most otherwise normally sighted people find that they need reading glasses in their late 40s or 50s.

How does presbyopia affect vision?

You may be beginning to notice your near vision isn’t quite as good as it once was. The young lens can adjust so that it can focus at distance and near, but as we age our lens becomes less flexible.

As a result, your eye is less able to see near objects so we need reading glasses.

If you have hyperopia (longsightedness), you might have worn glasses all your life for distance vision. Now, you need bifocals or varifocals.

People with myopia (shortsightedness) often take their glasses off to read. If this sounds familiar, then Lens Replacement may be right for you.

The Treatment

We can correct Presbyopia by exchanging your natural lens with an artificial lens. We call that procedure Lens Replacement.

What is Lens Replacement?

Your natural lens is no longer focusing. The implant will focus for life.

Eye surgeons have proven the surgical technique we use in Lens Replacement for decades. That’s because the procedure itself is similar to that used to treat cataract patients. The only difference between a cataract patient and a Lens Replacement patient is the clarity of the lens before surgery. In a cataract patient, their lens is more opaque causing problems with vision at all distances. In the Lens Replacement patient, their lens is no longer focusing, but is not yet opaque enough to give symptoms. Both conditions result from ageing and very often occur together.

Watch expert eye surgeon Robert Morris discuss Lens Replacement

Get in touch

The best way to figure out your options is to give us a call on: 01865 513 483 and we can help answer any questions you have.

As seen in

Frequently asked questions

Yes, but only in certain cases, and only with a particular laser (which we have access to).
Laser vision correction changes the curvature of the cornea. The cornea and the lens of the eye both play a role in focusing light rays onto the retina.

Presbyopia is the deterioration in your lens’s ability to focus, thus, surgery to the cornea will not correct the vision. People who have had successful Laser Eye Surgery to correct their myopia or hyperopia will go on in later years to develop presbyopia.

We can correct presbyopia with laser blended vision, and the results last for about five to ten years. We can permanently correct presbyopia with Lens Replacement.

Eye surgeons have implanted fixed-focus IOLs for decades. Surgeons implanted the first multi-focal IOLs just about 20 years ago to treat patients with cataract. In the mid-1990s, doctors started inserting the multi-focal lens to treat presbyopia.

In 1998, American ophthalmologist Dr Kevin Waltz was the first eye surgeon in the world to undergo Lens Replacement surgery. He received multi-focal lenses to replace the natural lenses in his own eyes. As an eye doctor and a patient, Mr Waltz has lectured around the world describing his incredible visual improvement. He labelled the procedure PRELEX, which is short for PREsbyopic Lens Exchange. We now refer to this procedure as Lens Replacement or RLE for short.

The results in the UK and the USA led a progressive group of international ophthalmologists to include Lens Replacement as part of their options. Their presbyopic patients are now able to have clear vision, reduce or cut their dependence on glasses.

As a bonus, another great advantage of Lens Replacement is that you will never need treatment for cataracts.

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