What to Expect After Lens Replacement Surgery

This is a common question from patients who are thinking about getting a lens replacement surgery We want our patients to be informed that is why here is everything you need to know about what happens during and after the procedure and how to care for post-operation. 

Lens replacement surgery is a vision correction technique for patients who are frustrated with deteriorating vision. The surgery comprises of the removal of the natural lens in your eye and the implementation of an Implantable Contact Lens. ICLs are a permanent correction to your vision, in the same way as external contact lenses except that they are placed inside your eye. Prior to your lens replacement surgery, your surgeon and ophthalmologist will perform a variety of tests to determine the level of your vision. Your eye will be numbed with eye drops so you will not feel anything during the surgery. Next, the surgeon will create small incisions near the cornea using a blade or laser. Once the incision has been made, an intraocular (IOL) lens is inserted where the lens used to be. If you need surgery in both eyes, the surgeon will perform surgery one eye at a time. You will wait two to five days before having the surgery on the other eye.

Lens Replacement Surgery is an outpatient procedure so you will be able to go home. You will be required to have someone drive you on the day of surgery because you cannot drive a car after surgery. But you are lucky because one of our patient service hosts/hostesses will be always with you and will drive you everywhere related to your treatment. You will also be prescribed eye drops to use for a few weeks following the procedure.

It is common for patients to have blurry or distorted vision after the first few days. It can take time to adjust to the new lens. 

Lens Replacement Surgery improve vision to the point where patients won’t need glasses for most of the day. However, patients often require low-prescription glasses for reading and nighttime driving. The need for glasses is typically determined one to four weeks after the procedure.

It takes approximately four weeks for patients to fully heal and see at their sharpest vision after cataract surgery, but each person heals in their own time. Don’t feel discouraged if you can’t read every letter on the eye chart in your initial post-operative exams. It is normal to see a slow progression to clearer vision.

To help make sure your recovery period is a successful one, there are a number of things you’ll need to avoid post-surgery to ensure this, including:

And in the end, to promote a healthy healing environment within your eyes, always use the anti-inflammatory drops that have been prescribed to you.