Secondary Intraocular Lens Implant
What is a secondary intraocular lens implant?
An intraocular lens implant is a small, plastic lens that an eye surgeon can put in your eye to replace a lens that has been removed because of a cataract. A cataract is an area of cloudiness inside the eye's lens. Usually the plastic lens is implanted during surgery to remove the cataract.
A secondary lens implant is one that is done in a separate surgery after cataract surgery. Many years ago, cataract surgery did not routinely involve replacing the eye's cloudy lens with a plastic one. After the eye's lens was removed, people had to use contact lenses or glasses with thick lenses to replace it. Now, a plastic lens can be implanted into the eye, even years after a lens was removed.
Sometimes after an injury or complex surgery, your surgeon may not be able to safely place a plastic lens in your eye during the first surgery. In this case, you may be able to have another operation to implant a lens at a later date, once your eye heals.
When is it used?
Secondary intraocular lenses are used to improve vision for people who have had cataract surgery and now rely on thick glasses or contact lenses.
How do I prepare for the procedure?
Your eye will be measured so that a proper lens implant can be chosen.
You will need to arrange for someone to take you home about an hour after your surgery. Allow some time to rest at home.
Follow your healthcare provider's instructions about not smoking before and after the procedure. Smokers heal more slowly after surgery. They are also more likely to have breathing problems during surgery. For this reason, if you are a smoker, you should quit at least 2 weeks before the procedure. It is best to quit 6 to 8 weeks before surgery. Also, your body will heal much better if you do not smoke after the surgery.
If you are taking daily aspirin or other blood thinners for a medical condition, ask your provider if you need to stop taking the medicine before your surgery. If you need a minor pain reliever in the week before surgery, choose acetaminophen rather than aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen. This helps avoid extra bleeding during surgery.
You should not eat or drink anything the morning of the surgery. Ask your healthcare provider if you can take medicine the morning of the surgery.
What happens during the procedure?
You will be given a sedative to relax you. Sometimes your surgeon will give you a shot to completely numb the eye. Eyedrops or numbing gel can sometimes be used instead of the shot.
Using a special microscope, your surgeon makes a small incision (cut) in the cornea or sclera (the white part of your eye) under your eyelid. Then your surgeon puts in the lens implant. The implant may need to be sewn (with small stitches) to the sclera or to the iris (colored part of the eye). The surgeon may also close the incision with a few stitches and put a patch over your eye.
A secondary lens implant can be more difficult and takes longer than having a lens implanted at the same time you have a cataract extracted.
What happens after the procedure?
You will be in the recovery area for about an hour after surgery or until you are ready to go home. You may want to rest at home for the rest of the day. Do not rub your eye or allow water or other substances to get into your eye.
Your surgeon will see you the next day and take off the patch. He or she will go over the instructions for the eyedrops that you will need to use. Often, there will be an antibiotic drop and an anti-inflammatory drop. More visits will be scheduled to check your progress.
Do not bend over, lift anything heavy, or exercise vigorously for 1 to 2 weeks. Otherwise, you will have few limits on your activities after surgery.
It may take several weeks for your vision to become clear.
What are the risks of this procedure?
Rarely, serious bleeding or infection can cause severe, permanent vision loss. Other risks include inflammation (pain, redness, and swelling), temporary high eye pressures, decentering of the lens implant, and retinal detachment.
What are the benefits of this procedure?
Implanted lenses have several advantages. They do not have to be put in and taken out like contact lenses do. They do not cause distortion or magnification like cataract glasses do. In fact, lens implants often provide good distance vision even without glasses. Most people still need reading glasses for close-up vision.
When should I call the healthcare provider?
Call right away if you have:
- unusual eye pain
- a sudden loss of vision
- new flashes or floaters (specks, squiggles, or bright flashes in your field of vision)
- a lot of drainage from your eye
Reviewed for medical accuracy by faculty at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. Web site: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/
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Published by RelayHealth.
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