THE GUIDE TO REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE SEE CLEARLY.

Transcription

1 THE GUIDE TO REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE SEE CLEARLY.

2 EVERYBODY WANTS TO SEE CLEARLY Many of us take our sight for granted, whether it s forgetting how often we rely on it to guide us through our day-to-day activities, or ignoring the vision impairments we experience at various points of our lives. For nearly as long as people have had vision problems, efforts have been made to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness. However, prior to the 20th century little progress was made beyond the development of eyeglasses and contact lenses. Today an astonishing number of innovative techniques and technologies are available to help correct vision problems. From glasses and contacts to PRK, LASIK, and innovative new devices used in corrective eye surgery like refractive lens exchange. Today s patients enjoy an array of choices that give them greater control over their vision correction treatment. Saskatoon-based ophthalmologist Dr. M. Ronan Conlon has always recognized the importance of proper eye care. Since establishing his clinic in 1994, he has strived to offer innovative procedures to help treat a range of eye concerns. The vision behind his practice has been to help patients take a individualized approach to their eye care. Individuals want the freedom of choice regarding their eye care and I have developed my practice around offering services that enhanced one s own lifestyle from a visual perspective. Everybody wants to see clearly. Dr. M. Ronan Conlon

3 NOT EVERYBODY IS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR LASER EYE SURGERY When people think of vision correction surgery, they most often think of laser eye surgery - PRK and LASIK. However, 10 to 15 per cent of patients that are seen at laser centres are found to not be good candidates. Individuals with thin corneas, chronically dry eyes, or extreme refractive error, are often found to be not suitable candidates for laser eye surgery, and leave the laser center very disappointed. There are other options! CONSIDER REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE (RLE) For individuals 45 years of age and older with severe near sightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia), who are not candidates for corneal based refractive surgery (PRK and LASIK), refractive lens exchange is an effective alternate. A significant advantage of RLE surgery, is that a multi-focal implant can often be implanted at the time of your surgery and thus, both your distance and near vision is restored.

4 WHAT IS REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE? Refractive lens exchange, or sometimes termed Clear Lens Extraction is an eye surgery that involves the removal of the natural crystalline lens, and replacing it with an implant that corrects the refractive error of the eye. A simple way to think of refractive lens exchange is to image having cataract surgery 20 years earlier - essentially the procedure uses the same techniques as cataract surgery, except in refractive lens exchange the primary purpose of removing your natural crystalline lens is to correct the refractive error of the eye (myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism). Intraocular lenses are artificial lenses surgically implanted in the eye. These IOLs help your eye regain its focusing and refractive ability. RLE can be used to correct moderate to high degrees of myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). In many cases, it is especially useful in treating presbyopia, the inability to focus at near with age. WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE? This type of procedure is ideally suited for patients 45 years of age or older. The implants now used are able to restore close and distance vision, so it is an ideal procedure for patients starting to experience the frustrations of presbyopia. In addition, after 45 years of the age the natural vitreous gel of the eye is less adherent to the retina, and this increases the safety profile of the procedure. in many cases RLE can correct from diopters of hyperopia to diopters of myopia, and up to 4-5 diopters of astigmatism. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? The surgical implant procedure is done on an outpatient basis and takes about 20 minutes. You ll need to plan to be at the surgery center for approximately 2 hours, however, to accommodate the pre-op preparation and post-op recovery. You will need to arrange to have someone drive you home after the procedure. WHAT WILL I FEEL DURING THE PROCEDURE? Patients experience virtually no discomfort during the surgical implant procedure. It s performed using a local or topical anesthesia (eye drop) to numb the eye, and you are given a sedative intravenously to relax you. Mild discomfort for the first 24 hours is typical. If you experience post-operative discomfort, you may use Tylenol or Ibuprofen during the first day or two after the procedure. WILL DR. CONLON TREAT BOTH EYES AT THE SAME TIME? Dr. Conlon routinely performs bilateral refractive lens exchange surgery.

5 WHAT IS THE PREOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT? Prior to seeing Dr. Conlon in consultation a detailed diagnostic assessment of your eye will be performed to see if you are a candidate for the procedure or not. The diagnostic tests include corneal topography, corneal wavefront aberrometry, IOL Master Biometry, specular microscopy, white-to-white measurements, and scanning laser widefield retinal imaging. Please note that if you are a contact lens wearer, you need to remove them prior to your diagnostic evaluation. If you wear soft contact lenses we recommend you remove them 2 weeks prior to your evaluation. For hard contact lenses we recommend 4 weeks. HOW LONG WILL THE PREOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT TAKE? Please be prepared to be in the office for approximately 90 minutes on the day of your diagnostic evaluation. HOW MUCH DOES THE PREOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT COST? The consultation visit fee is $250 and is not covered in the cost of the procedure.

6 CHOOSE YOUR LENS SEE HOW THEY COMPARE Near Intermediate Distance Astigmatism AcySof IQ IOL Mofocal Lens These trusted lenses provide clear distance vision. However, you will likely still need glasses for reading and possibly distance vision. No No No AcySof IQ Toric IOL Astigmatism-Correcting Monofocal Lens These advanced technology lenses are designed to correct both cataracts and astigmatism at the time of surgery., for clear vision without the need for glasses. However, you will likely still need glasses for reading. No No AcySof IQ ReSTOR IOL Multifocal Lens Most IOLs can only correct vision at one distance these advanced technology lenses correct vision near, far and in-between, for your best chance at freedom from glasses! No AcySof IQ ReSTOR Toric IOL Astigmatism-Correcting Multifocal Lens These advanced technology lenses have multiple focal points designed to correct both cataracts and corneal astigmatism. The lens provides a full range of vision near, far and in-btween - while offering enhanced image quality and is your best chance at freedom from glasses!

7 WHAT ARE THE RISKS? RLE is a safe surgery, but like any surgical procedure there is some degree of risk involved. Reported complications include overcorrection or undercorrection, infection, increased floaters, retinal detachment (1-2%), dislocation of the implant, halos/glare/dry eye, decreased contrast sensitivity, clouding of a membrane behind the IOL (this requires a quick laser procedure to remove it) and loss of vision (rare). HOW MUCH DOES THE PROCEDURE COST? The refractive lens procedure costs $ $4500 per eye, depending on the type of implant required. All payments are required a week in advance for surgery. WHY IS REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE NOT COVERED BY HEALTH CARE? RLE surgery is a refractive procedure (like PRK/LASIK) and is consider an elective lifestyle improvement, as opposed to medical necessity (cataract surgery). In some cases individual insurance plans may offer a partial benefit that can save you money on the cost of the procedure, and you are advised to check with your insurance company or employer prior to the procedure. WILL I STILL HAVE TO WEAR GLASSES? There is no guarantee that you will be completely spectacle independent followiing RLE surgeryand some patients require a lighter prescription of glasses to achieve optimal vision. IF MY VISION IS STILL NOT CORRECTED, CAN I HAVE A RE-TREATMENT? It is possible that some nearsightedness will remain after surgery, especially for those patients with severe degrees of myopia. In some cases laser vision correction surgery may be performed to further improve your vision once your eyesight has stabilized for several months following the lens implant. The cost to the laser enhancement is covered in the original cost of the procedure for a period of one year.

8 WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE More and more patients are turning to refractive lens exchange because of their clear advantages over glasses, contacts, and, in some cases, LASIK and PRK. ALTERNATIVE TO LASER EYE SURGERY The biggest advantage of the RLE is that more patients than ever before are able to undergo surgical vision correction. People, who cannot undergo LASIK, such as those with thin corneas, chronically dry eyes, or extreme refractive error, can enjoy the benefits of RLE. SUPERIOR QUALITY OF VISION The correction of high degree of refractive errors with an implant in the eye often results in enhancement in vision. Modern implants are now designed to neutralizes aberrations in the ocular visual system which can lead to poor quality viision EXCEPTIONAL PATIENT EXPERIENCE After the simple 20-minute outpatient procedure, patients experience an immediate improvement in vision quality and are wowed by the results. The recovery for the procedure is quick and painfree, and may be as little as one day, due to the very small opening required. Patients typically experience minimal discomfort, and many times go back to work in a few days.

9 YOUR NATURAL EYE While LASIK involves cutting and removing eye tissue that cannot be replaced, concerns involving the cornea typically do not apply. In fact, no natural corneal tissue is permanently removed or reshaped in any way during implantation of the refractive lens exchange. REDUCED RISKS OF COMPLICATIONS Patients undergoing corneal refractive procedures, such as LASIK and PRK, may be susceptible to side effects associated with corneal surgery including dry eye and thinning of the cornea. The LASIK procedure involves removal of tissue from the cornea, which means some of its complications may be more difficult to correct than the possible complications of refractive lens exchange.

10 KNOW YOUR OPTIONS. SEE HOW THEY COMPARE Vision Quality ICL LASIK PRK RLE Visual Acuity Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Patient Experience Recovery Time 1-2 Days 1-2 Days Up to 4 Weeks 1-2 Days Outpatient procedure minute surgery Immediate visual acuity No Contributes to dry eye No Occasional, No during recovery Patient satisfaction High High High High Safety Features Removable or reversable No No No UV protection No No Patient Types 20 Age Suitability Scale 45+ Nearsightedness Moderate Mild Mild Mild to severe to moderate to moderate to severe Farsightedness No Mild to severe Astigmatism No Thin Cornea Limited Limited Large pupil Limited Limited

11 ABOUT MIDWEST EYE CARE INSTITUTE Midwest Eye Care Institute is a state-of-the-art medical and surgical ophthalmological facility located within the Medical Arts Building in Saskatoon. Founded by Dr. M. Ronan Conlon, Midwest specializes in comprehensive eye care. Midwest Eye Care Institute is equipped with cutting edge diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, including Optical Coherence Tomography, Visante Omni OCT, Corneal Microscopy, Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, Digital Fundus Photography, IOL Master Biometry, Corneal Topography, and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty. The facility meticulously adheres with the standards recommended by the Canadian Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities (CAAASF) as a nonhosptial based surgical faclilty and is fully accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan as a non-hospital based surgical facility. DR. M. RONAN CONLON FULLY ACCREDITED BY THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF SASKATCHEWAN AS A NON-HOSPITAL BASED SURGICAL FACILITY. Dr. M. Ronan Conlon has been practicing ophthalmology in Saskatoon since His special interests in ophthalmology include laser refractive surgery, cataract surgery, oculoplastic surgery and implantable contact lenses. He regularly performs routine and complex cataract surgery, astigmatism correction, custom cataract surgery and refractive laser surgery. With subspecialty training in oculoplastic surgery he also has considerable expertise in cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery. Dr. Conlon completed his residency training in ophthalmology at the University of Western Ontario in Dr. Conlon has completed 3 years of fellowship training in ophthalmology; one year at Harvard University ( ) and two years at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics ( ).

12 THE GUIDE TO REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE BOOK YOUR CONSULTATION TODAY Making the decision to undergo eye or eyelid surgery is not to be taken lightly. Like any medical procedure, you want to be sure the team entrusted to your care is experienced, professional and attentive. As a client of Midwest Eye Care Insitute that s exactly what you can expect - regardless of what procedure you choose. The best way to find out if you are a candidate for RLE is to book a consultation with Dr. Conlon. Dr. Conlon will recommend a specific treatment plan that best meets your needs, depending on the unique physical characteristics of your eyes, and your specific visual needs OR BOOKING@RONANCONLONMD.COM PHONE: TOLL FREE: FAX: MRCONLON@RONANCONLONMD.COM