Clear Lens Extraction (CXL)/Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)

Unlike laser vision correction, which alters the shape of the cornea, CLE changes the focusing power of the eye by removing the eye’s natural lens and replacing it with a better lens. In effect, the lens implant is like a permanent contact lens within the eye, with newer lens designs offering both distance and reading vision. This is the same as in cataract surgery and is indicated when other forms of refractive eye surgery are not suitable.

Like a cataract operation, CLE operation is performed under topical anaesthesia that takes about 30 minutes to perform. The surgical steps are identical to modern cataract surgery except that the lens is being removed, not for clinical reasons, but for refractive purposes only. In the first step the patients intraocular lens is removed. A modern sophisticated lens implant is then inserted into the eye. There is no need ever for future cataract surgery in the event that a CLE procedure has been performed.

Indications for CLE

  • Clients with very high levels of Nearsightedness: > -10D
  • Clients with very high levels of Farsightedness > +4D
  • Not suitable for clients with Astigmatism (need Bioptics)

Types of lens implants used in CLE

Bense Vision™ uses the most modern technology and materials available, and offer a highly specialized option for patients who have had their crystalline lens (lenses) removed in the CLE or Bioptics procedures, and even after regular cataract surgery.

Approved by the FDA in 1981, Intraocular Lenses (IOL’s) replace the eye’s natural lens and eliminate the need for special contacts or extremely thick eyeglasses typically worn after cataract surgery prior to 1981 in North America.

The first IOL’s were monofocal, meaning they only improved a patient’s vision at one distance – far, intermediate or close-up. Now, with the advent of multifocal IOL’s, Bense Vision™ patients have more choices than ever when it comes to restored vision after undergoing CLE or Bioptics.

Bense Vision™ currently uses a variety of multifocal lenses which can substantially help clients see up close and view distant objects without the aid of reading glasses or bifocals.

Our most popular lens is the ReSTOR™ Intraocular Lens (IOL) from Alcon. The ReSTOR lens is the most popular lens we use for cataract surgery, CLE, and Bioptics.