45-plus? You don’t want to wear reading glasses any more?
Get rid of the hassle of reading glasses with lens replacement treatment. Lens replacement (PRELEX) is a great solution to help you restore your close-up reading vision and distance vision.
The Prelex, laser presbyopia surgery
PRELEX/RLE suitability criteria
Presbyopia is an inevitable phenomenon. No-one can avoid presbyopia; it starts developing from the age of 50 and results in a progressive loss of near vision. As the lens ages, it starts gradually losing elasticity. It thickens, hardens, losing its suppleness until it can no longer function properly. Accommodation (the lens changing focus) becomes insufficient.
PRELEX is a controlled, effective and life-lasting solution which stops this natural and inevitable phenomenon. PRELEX (PREsbyopic Lens EXchange) is for you whatever your age and your visual defects, if you don’t want to wear reading glasses anymore:
- Presbyopia Myopia+/- astigmatism and presbyopia
- Hyperopia +/- astigmatism and presbyopia
- Astigmatism and presbyopia
How does PRELEX/RLE work?
The lens replacement procedure consists of replacing the hardened lens with a multifocal lens. During the procedure, we make a 1.5 mm micro-incision on the surface of the eye using a device called a phako-emulsifier. This device emits ultrasonic waves to liquefy the eyes hardened lens and remove it through the incision.
We then introduce a new implant to replace the ageing lens. The new implant is a high-technology device called a ‘multifocal implant’. Used for the past 20 years, they provide an excellent viewing experience: from close-up reading; to intermediate vision, for example, on a computer; and finally, to distance vision for sports or to drive. A multi-vision experience!
The treatment is frequently performed, simple and effective. The visual recovery is rapid, and you can resume your daily activities the next day. Multifocal lenses allow you to experience vision at all distances, without feeling the sensation of having something on your eye. The structures inside the eye are left perfectly intact, and the lens feels natural and normal.
You will no longer depend on glasses or contact lenses to see and will not develop cataracts later in life. The new lens will last a lifetime and often provides better vision than the natural crystalline lens!
What are the advantages of PRELEX/RLE?
The PRELEX procedure is an excellent choice if you want to see clearly from near and far without glasses or lenses. It gives correction for most ranges of far-sightedness. The outcomes are predictable. The implant’s life span is unlimited. There’s a fast visual stabilization. There are barely no side effects. It prevents cataracts from forming later in life, it is the only eye surgery you will have in your life.
Choosing a qualified surgeon that uses high-end technology and ensures comprehensive care beyond your operation greatly reduces the risk of potential complications.
What are the disadvantages of PRELEX/RLE?
One of the PRELEX limits is the difficulties some patients might have reading very fine prints with dim light. Some people might experience visual disturbances such as glare and halos around light sources in the dark. This phenomenon depends on the type of implant chosen for the surgery. With the implants we use, patients are usually not disturbed and can easily drive at night. Some of them say that they don’t see halos after a few months.
What are the PRELEX/RLE risks?
As with any surgery, the operative risks depend on the quality of the patient’s care and compliance with pre and post-operative care. At the Bellecour Vision Clinic, we do everything we can to ensure the best results. The prevention of these complications requires a thorough pre-operative assessment, the rigour of our surgical processes, meticulous post-operative follow-up, and patient education in the prevention of these risks.
With this surgery, the main risks are:
An infection
If you use your eye drops as prescribed and respect the postoperative hygiene instructions, this risk is nearly zero.
The impossibility to position the expected implant
In France, it usually happens to 1/100 patients. At Bellecour Vision Clinic, 1/2000 patients. If this should happen, there would be another surgery where we would use another implant, the patient would need glasses again. To be completely reassured, do not hesitate to ask all your questions during the consultations.
What are the PRELEX/RLE alternatives?
The patients can wear glasses or contact lenses. But usually, people are not satisfied with the way contacts correct presbyopia. In some cases, the alternative to PRELEX can be PRESBYOND.
What are the PRELEX/RLE steps?
Before your operation
On the day of your treatment, you will spend one hour with us. You can choose your anesthesia according to your preference, whether that may be local or general. We usually use a local anesthesia (in 97%). Upon arrival at the clinic, Dr. Donate’s entire team will take care of you. We will give you a pre-medication and ask you to change into a sterile operating robe Dr. Donate’s entire team will take care of you. During your operation
During your operation
You will be lying on an ophthalmology chair. After following strict antiseptic rules, we will give you the anesthesia of your choice. The procedure, which lasts approximately 30 minutes, is composed of 2 stages:
- The liquefaction of the lens by the ultrasonic waves of the phako-emulsifier
- The insertion of the implant
The lens replacement procedure is not painful and is perfectly safe. The use of the Calisto ZEISS marker allows us to accurately align your implants along the axis of the corneal astigmatism. Your treatment is specific and personalized.
During your operation, the team will guide you, and the surgeon will give you some simple instructions to follow. At the end of the treatment, you will be able to get up, and the assistant will escort you back to the restroom. You must not touch your eyes.
After your operation
For your departure, it is necessary to be met by an accompanying person. During the first hours following the operation, it is advisable to rest with your eyes closed. We will provide you with some transparent shell-like goggles to wear for sleeping during the first week. You will need to start antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatment on the evening of the procedure as indicated on the prescription. After your procedure, you should avoid all situations that may expose your eyes to micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi) for the first week.
It is essential to observe strict hygiene rules, in particular, to wash hands well before the installation of eye drops. You should also avoid rubbing your eyes, and of course, avoid trauma to your eye. A follow-up visit is planned for the day after your procedure, then a week later and finally, a month after the procedure. The postoperative follow-up is provided by Dr. Donate, who remains at your disposal seven days a week for all your concerns or possible questions.
What are the PRELEX/RLE results?
After treatment, our patients can live without glasses for all their daily activities. Our statistical results found that 90% of activities are doable without glasses for all patients. Only very fine prints are uneasy to read with dim light. All our patients tell us how happy they are to gain freedom without glasses.
Visit the Bellecour Vision Clinic YouTube channel
Consult the testimonials of our patients who relate their experience in our clinic. In this video, our patient Valérie M. explains how Prelex surgery allowed her to eradicate the myopia from which she suffered.