Custom Lens Replacement: The CLEAR Solution for Getting Rid of Reading Glasses

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As we age, small print gets harder and harder to read. After a while you may feel you have no choice other than to purchase a few sets of cheater-readers. This adjustment can be especially frustrating for people who have never worn glasses before.

When patients start looking for a solution for reading vision, the temptation is to ask about LASIK. The problem is when it comes to fixing reading vision, LASIK can only correct at one general focal point. That is, if we correct your reading vision, you will most likely need glasses or contacts to see far away.

Many people muddle through with their readers or keep buying new pairs of glasses or bifocals until the natural lens in their eye grows a cataract, and they require cataract surgery to fix their vision. But if you need readers at age 45 but your eyes don’t have cataracts ready for surgery until you are closer to 65 or older, that’s at least 20 years of struggling with readers!

A Custom Lens Replacement (RLE) Solution

Dr. Chu and his team at Chu Vision Institute offer a procedure called Custom Lens Replacement [formally called Custom Lens Extraction And Replacement (CLEAR)]. This is also called Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE). Custom Lens Replacement is like cataract surgery before cataracts have formed. The natural lens in the eye is replaced with a custom, artificial one. This artificial lens is flexible and can help you focus on objects up close as well as far away.

How does Custom Lens Replacement work?

At Chu Vision Institute, Dr. Chu performs the CLR procedure for each eye separately, usually one week apart. The procedure is performed in an Operating Room while the patient is sedated. The natural lens is broken up with a laser and removed. Then, Dr. Chu carefully inserts the new lens. After the procedure, you can rest and recover at home. As the eye heals, vision becomes clear within a few days. The eyes adjust and sharpen even more throughout the next few weeks and months.

After CLEAR, the artificial lens will never grow a cataract! So, you won’t have to worry about coming back for another surgery down the line.

Candidates for Custom Lens Replacement

Good candidates for CLR-RLE are usually over 40 with refractive errors (nearsightedness or farsightedness) and presbyopia (aging eyes). These patients may need glasses or contacts for distance vision as well as reading correction. They haven’t yet developed cataracts and were told LASIK isn’t the best option to meet their vision goals.

If you are over the hassle of readers and want your youthful vision back, come see our team in Bloomington, Minnesota! We might have the perfect solution for CLEAR vision!

Find your true north with New Vision.

Dr. Ralph Chu LASIK surgeon Minneapolis Ophthalmologists

Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Ralph Chu is a fellowship-trained corneal specialist and a nationally recognized leader in refractive and cataract procedures. His specialty areas include cataract, LASIK, cornea, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries for patients in the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Twin Cities areas.

Posted on October 13, 2022

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