REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE aka RLE/NLR +IOLs

articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/201...ol-society-eye-sight

Accompanied by Google ads for Optimax & Clarivu (unknown quantity so far) this article explains how Indian villagers were given free RLE treatment and blinded due to infection.

Optical Express Clinical Director Professor Jan Venter can empathise with the surgeons as he too left his patient Myra Pridham blind due to post op negligence after IOL surgery.

Read the article for glaring comparisons with Optical Express - in fact I wonder if this was part of David Moulsdale's global philanthropy!?

A comments left on the article made me realise that no matter who or where we are, all of us feel the same way:

"Ritu (Hyderabad)
25 Apr, 2013 10:21 PM
Pour acid in the eyes of the doctor."

Dear Stupid...

I'm sure the patient values your insight into his condition as he waits to have stitches removed following emergency surgery last month with Michael Lavin.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindness
"Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors."

the man actually wasn't left blind.
____________________
admin: Which one, because there've been a few?

RLE is increasingly being promoted but is not as cut and dried as presented. Should the desired result not be achieved after lens exchange then a laser enhancement is offered. However more than one laser enhancement may in fact be required.

I needed a yag laser capsulotomy for capsular opacification/secondary cataract in less than a year and this not only caused me to suffer constant, shadowy movement within my vision (floaters) but also caused a shift in the lens implant with an associated change in my prescription!

The possibility of needing yag laser was mentioned to me at the consent appointment and is on the consent form but there is nothing about the possibility of being left with floaters, or that it might cause such a change in vision necessitating yet further laser.

These possible consequences from treatment with yag laser should be on the consent form and discussed with the patient.

I have been offered RLE surgery by Stephen Hannan to be performed by David Teenan - after reading the post today how he left someone blind in one eye!!

I think Stephen has got to be joking!! My eyes are precious to me even if they are not to Optical Express.

Last Saturday I was contacted by the very worried family of a man left blind in one eye following recent RLE surgery performed by David Teenan.

The patient underwent emergency surgery on Saturday to save his sight, the outcome not yet known.

Three days on and Optical Express have made no attempt to find out how the patient is or make an apology.

Myra Pridham was left blind for one year following IOL surgery performed by Prof Jan Venter.

Yet how many people ask the same question before any refractive eye surgery, "Can you go blind from this?" and are told "No"?!

Increasing numbers of patients under the age of 45 are contacting MBE with problems following RLE surgery, some only in their twenties!

"Cataract surgery is the removal of the natural lens of the eye (also called "crystalline lens") that has developed an opacification, which is referred to as a cataract. Metabolic changes of the crystalline lens fibers over time lead to the development of the cataract and loss of transparency, causing impairment or loss of vision. Many patients' first symptoms are strong glare from lights and small light sources at night, along with reduced acuity at low light levels. During cataract surgery, a patient's cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a synthetic lens to restore the lens's transparency."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataract_surgery

NB: There is a high risk of retinal detachment with RLE surgery.

When I asked him recently an eminent specialist told me that, unless it was an extreme prescription, he would only provide RLE to patients aged 50+ .

Yet Optical Express routinely offer this procedure as an option to laser, putting the patient at unnecessary risk of retinal detachment - which at least two MBE clients I know so far have suffered as a result of RLE.

Not ideal to use drops - however with increasing age pupils get smaller anyway.

Surely pupil restriction can't be a viable long term option, as it would restrict your night / dim light vision. Like Danny's says, seems like a cop out for a botched Laser procedure.

Bewareof the preservative in them ! !