Phacic implants

Wszczepy fakijne – korekcja wysokiej krótkowzroczności i dalekowzroczności.

General Information 

Myopia is a condition, in which a bundle of parallel  rays  flowing  into the eye is converged in front of the retina. That  causes that objects located far away from the eye are seen indistinctly or are perceived as distorted. This may be caused  by  excessive length of the eyeball, or high bending strength of the cornea or lens. The defect  of myopia is measured in dioptres. Phacic lenses are designed to correct myopia from -5.0 to -23.5 dioptres.  The ones used by our current models of lenses do not correct astigmatism, or astigmatism defect -commonly referred to as “cylindrical”.

Surgical correction by  using phacic implantation is one of many possibilities for correction of myopia. In this method, an artificial lens is placed into the eye. Phacic material is similar to the material used for the lenses  in cataract surgery. In  case of phacic   lens , however, there is no removal of the own  lens ; it is implanted into the eye with the natural viewable lens .

Implantation of phacic lens is a procedure performed at the patient’s request, it is not an  emergency treatment  or any  resulting from other medical indications. Phacic lens implantation as any surgery is associated with a potential risk. Despite the highest standards  of application and post-operative care, it may  lead to complications that can even worsen vision.

Phacic lenses

Plastic lenses are often compared to  contact lenses, which instead of being placed on the eye are implanted into the eye for good. Artisan  or Artiflex  lens used at  our center are implanted into the anterior chamber of the eye and fixed  on the iris.

The difference between Artisan and Artiflex lenses

Artisan is a rigid lens, composed of  material called PMMA, and the Artiflex  lens is made of foldable silicone. Foldable lens can be implanted into the eye through a smaller incision, and thus faster the healing of the surgical wound and visual rehabilitation. Artisan lenses are available in power from -3  up to -23.5 dioptres ,  and the Artiflex  lens from  -3  up to – 14.5 dioptres.

Alternative methods of surgical correction of myopia

There are several other methods for  correction of medium and high myopia . Laser procedures do not require opening of eye  interior  as in  case of phacic lenses.

1. PRK together with  excimer laser, models the shape of the cornea and allows you to correct the defects up  to about -10 , 0 dioptres
2. LASIK is a two-phase procedure . In the first stage,  cornea segment  is cut mechanically or with a lser , and then under the corneal petal, modelling is performed , and finally the petal falls into its place . The procedure allows for correction of approximatelyup to -10.0 dioptres  At high myopia, laser procedures provides   poor quality of vision , repetitive defects and other complications . Therefore,  these procedures are not applied at high myopia
3.  Refractive  lens replacement  is an intraocular method  and involves the removal of  own  healthy lens of patient, and then  the  lens is implanted in the  place  of the artificial lens . Because these treatments are associated with an increased risk of retinal detachment, they  are recommended for patients with very high defects .

Advantage of phacic lenses over other surgical methods

1. The possibility of correcting high myopia.
2. Stable refractive effect , much better than in laser techniques.
3. No effect on the central part of the cornea, which undergoes irreversible changes in  case of laser techniques.
4. The reversibility of treatment – a phacic lens can be removed from the eye.
5. The procedure leaves intact patient`s  own  lens , and therefore does not deprive the eye of accommodation.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION  OF PHACIC LENS IMPLANTATION

If you wear contact lenses , the doctor will tell you how long  before surgery,  or prior to the qualifying examination  the lenses will have to be taken off. In general, soft contact lenses should be removed  about a week before surgery, and hard lenses  about  3-4 weeks before . This is due to the fact that contact lenses change cornea shape  and  a certain period of time is needed  for the cornea  to regain its original and stable  shape

The doctor will make  a tiny hole in the colored part of the eye, called the iris to prevent the build-up of fluid behind the phacic  lens .The process,  during which a hole formed is called  iridotomy, and it is performed during  surgery , or  2 weeks prior to the surgery  with  the laser.

Before surgery, the patient receives  anesthetic to eliminate  pain, which may be under local anesthesia or general . The patient receives  respective drugs  that constrict the patient’s pupil and  next  anesthesia  is given , and the surgeon  performs an incision in the cornea in order to insert  an artificial lens . The lens is inserted  between the iris and cornea . stitches are placed on the wound and later they  are removed after healing  . In  case of foldable lens, suturing of the wound is usually not required. After surgery , a protective dressing  is sometimes put on the eye . On the first day after surgery  an  ophthalmologic check is needed ; the next visits will be determined depending  on the current state of the operated eye . Most frequently, some improvement in vision is observed  already on the first day after surgery , but full  improvement and stabilization of vision usually takes several weeks. The patient can usually return to daily activities a few days after surgery. During surgery, only one eye is operated on ; the other  may  undergo surgery no sooner  than  1-2 weeks . T he most convenient time will be established  by the surgeon, depending on  process of healing of  the first  operated eye .

Am I a candidate for the correction of vision defects by using phacic lens?

Candidates for the implantation of phakic lens should have:

1. Vision defect between -3.0 and -23.5 diopters
2. Age between 20-50 years of age,
3. Good general health,
4. Overall  good eyes condition (diseases like glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment eliminate from surgery),
5. Stable refractive defect for at least one year.
6.  Pregnant and nursing women cannot be operated,
7. Strong belief that they want to become free from  wearing  glasses and contact lenses when making the  decision for surgery

If you meet  the above mentioned criteria , you can arrange a pre-qualification test whether your eyes  may undergo  surgery.

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