What are intra ocular lenses, or lens implants?
Unlike other techniques, intra-ocular lens (often referred to as IOLs, phakic IOLs, implantable lenses, clear lens extraction or exchange (CLE), intra corneal lens implants, STAAR® ICL, Artisan® lenses, Prelex® lenses, RLR, lens replacement surgery) use an artificial lens that is implanted into the cornea during surgery. The lens is permanent (but can be surgically removed), needs no maintenance and can remain in the eye for the patients entire life. To preserve the focusing ability needed for reading, the surgeon does not remove the eye’s existing lens, but implants the intraocular lens, sometimes referred to as an implantable contact lens, in front of it and therefore assists vision much as a conventional contact lens would. To implant the intra-ocular lens, the surgeon makes a small incision in the cornea and inserts a lens through this opening, positioned exactly in front of the pupil and fixed to the iris with two surgical clips. The incision is then closed.
