Discover the benefits of lens replacement in Melbourne
Dr Anton van Heerden explains the benefits of lens replacement
Who can our life-changing treatments help?
If you see yourself in how I describe my ideal patients below, we can certainly help you enhance your every waking moment with amazing natural vision
Your life after lens replacement
Every aspect of life becomes more enjoyable when you free yourself from the things that slow you down, hold you back and get in your way
Feel reinvigorated
We’re sure you’ll be amazed by how youthful and re-energised you’ll feel. Many of our patients feel as though they’ve got a new lease of life.
Treasure the little things
There comes a point in life when you start to appreciate what matters most. Great vision gives you the clarity to enjoy every moment with the people you love.
Escape your barriers
After Lens Replacement, you’ll have fantastic, unaided vision and will no longer be dependent on glasses and contact lenses to see clearly.
Feel reinvigorated
You will be amazed by how youthful and re energised you’ll feel. Many of our patients feel as though they’ve got a new lease of life.
Treasure the little things
There comes a point in life when you start to appreciate what matters most. Great vision gives you the clarity to enjoy every moment with the people you love.
Want to start your next adventure today?
Change how you see the world in 3 easy steps
WE’LL MEET
I’ll see you before treatment to ensure you’re a good candidate and treat you at my state-of-the-art refractive eye specialist clinic close to Melbourne CBD.
How does it work?
Change how you see the world in 3 easy steps
Lens replacement explained
Everything you need to know about lens replacement surgery
Lens replacement, also known as Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), is a surgery which can help you achieve freedom from glasses.
You could be suitable for lens replacement if you are:
- 50 years or over (although exceptions to this may be considered depending on individual circumstances)
- Have a spectacle prescription for distance or near vision, or both
- wish to become less reliant on their glasses or contact lenses
- want to be free from glasses and contact lenses
With lens replacement, we remove the eye’s natural lens and replace it with a clear plastic lens. The procedure is very similar to cataract surgery except we perform the surgery before a cataract develops.
The lens implant that we insert into the eye can be chosen from a variety of types and will be chosen based on your requirements and the examination findings at the consultation.
Advantages
- With lens replacement, we can achieve a choice of visual outcomes using a variety of lens implants. We can correct your vision for distance alone, or for distance, middle and near vision.
- Lens replacement prevents cataracts from developing in the future.1This is because the eye’s natural lens has already been removed and replaced with a lens implant.
Disadvantages
- Lens replacement tends to be a little more costly than laser vision correction
Lens replacement is a very safe procedure. However, like all types of surgery, lens replacement carries some risk. These risks are usually 1% or less, and the vast majority of patients are very happy with the results of their surgery.2
Lens replacement allows for a choice of visual outcomes.
Monofocal
You will see in the distance but need to use glasses for middle and near tasks.
Enhanced Monofocal
You will see in the distance and have some functional middle distance vision but will require glasses for finer middle distance vision and for near tasks.
Multifocal / Trifocal
You will see clearly in the distance, middle and near.
Multifocal – Extended Depth Of Focus (EDOF)
These lenses combine multifocal and EDOF technology.
Alternatives to lens replacement include:
- Laser correction with both eyes corrected for distance
- Laser correction with both eyes corrected for monovision
- Laser correction with both eyes corrected with a multifocal corneal ablation
We perform lens replacement with a local an anaesthetic applied in drop form to the eye. Overall the procedure takes around 15 to 20 minutes per eye.
The most common plan is to operate on one eye at a time. The second eye procedure often takes place one week following the first.
Lens replacement is done as an outpatient procedure, meaning you will have surgery and return home the same day to recover.
Step 1: We create a small self-sealing entry point in the front of the eye, where the cornea meets the white of the eye.
Step 2: We remove a thin circular disk from the membrane shielding the anterior (front) surface of the natural lens.
Step 3: We liquefy the eye’s natural lens and remove it from the lens capsule.
Step 4: We place the new artificial lens inside the eye.
Lens replacement is a very successful treatment both in terms of surgical safety and patient satisfaction.3
The surgical risks are very low. However, we will discuss these with you in detail during the initial consultation.
The vast majority of patients are delighted with the results of their lens replacement surgery.
Links to authoritative resources on intraocular contact lenses
Follow the links below for more information on intraocular contact lenses
About Eye Laser Specialists
Our eye doctors bring a combined 40 years of eye surgery experience to Armadale
Dr Anton van Heerden, MBCHB; FRANZCO
Ophthalmologist & Laser Eye Surgeon
Dr Van Heerden is renowned both domestically and internationally for providing the highest standards of vision correction surgery. While his skills and experience are second to none, it is his fun, caring and down to earth nature that truly set’s him apart from the rest. You can sit back and enjoy the journey knowing every detail has been carefully considered.
Dr Edward Roufail, PHD, FRANZCO
Ophthalmologist & Laser Eye Surgeon
As an experienced eye surgeon, Dr Edward Roufail has expertise in performing corneal refractive procedures, including SMILE, LASIK, PRK and Presbyond. He’s passionate about improving his patients’ eyesight through laser vision correction. Edward has performed thousands of cataract, retinal and macular surgeries and routinely, performs over 500 intraocular surgeries a year, including MFIOL and ICL. He is passionate about using the latest technology to deliver the best outcomes for patients.
Dr Benjamin Au
Cataract and Refractive Surgeon
Dr Benjamin Au is a registered ophthalmologist in Australia and Singapore specialising in Complex Cataracts and Refractive Surgery. Dr Au’s Singapore training in myopia and finesse in dealing with difficult cataract surgeries, combined with his passion for delivering predictable and outstanding visual outcomes, motivated him to refractive surgery. Ben aims to deliver the best professional and honest care paired with his personable and affable personality.
Ben is excited to be able to offer PRESBYOND surgery, a means to rid the need for reading glasses without compromises (loss of contrast, glares and haloes) available only through the Zeiss refractive laser system.
