You’re seriously thinking about opting for Artilenses. What can you expect in general and what steps will you go through:
Information meeting
You should of course be well informed before making a decision about something as important as insertable lenses. That’s why most clinics organise regular, non-committal information meetings. At such a meeting, you’ll first be given a presentation. After that, you can put any questions you have to an ophthalmologist, optometrist or someone who already has Artilenses.
Preliminary examination
To see whether your eyes are suitable for insertable lenses, you’ll undergo a preliminary examination. During this examination:
- You’ll be asked about your eyes and your health and your reasons for wanting the procedure;
- The correction for your eyes will be determined;
- Issues such as the ocular axis length, pupil diameter, eye pressure, condition of your cornea, depth vision and the field of vision will be examined;
- Any defects on the surface of your eye will be detected.
On the basis of this information, the ophthalmologist will determine if your eyes are suitable for insertable lenses.
NB: if you wear soft contact lenses, you must not wear them for one week before the preliminary research. Take two weeks for hard contact lenses.
Declaration of consent
You will then be given a consent form stating that:
- You have been sufficiently informed about the nature of the procedure, including the potential risks and advantages and disadvantages of implanting lenses.
- You consent to the procedure and you have arrived at this decision voluntarily. Once you have signed the declaration, an appointment for the procedure can be scheduled.
Once you have signed the declaration, an appointment for the procedure can be scheduled.
The procedure
- You will be received at the clinic by a nurse. They will apply eye drops to reduce the size of your pupil and then explain the procedure to you. You will then be helped into clothing for the procedure and taken to the operating room.
- You will be given an anaesthetic injection into the eye. This may hurt a little and is similar to an injection at the dentist. After about fifteen minutes, the eye will be completely anaesthetised and the physician will start with the lens implantation.
- A small incision will be made in the cornea. Through this incision, the lens will be inserted into the anterior chamber. Once the lens is exactly in front of the pupil, it will be attached to the iris. A small fold of iris tissue is placed between the tiny lens clips. These will hold the lens in place. The small incision is then stitched (no stitches are required for Artiflex lenses) and the surgery is complete.
- After this procedure, which depending on the type of lens takes about 20 to 30 minutes, the eye is covered with a temporary eye patch. You will then be taken to a room to relax with a cup of coffee or tea. A nurse will check that everything is okay and give you a few instructions for post-operative care.
NB: usually one eye is done first and the second eye follows only when the first eye is completely healed.
Post-operative rules
Naturally, it’s important that you recover with no complications. As such, there are a number of post-operative rules.
- Sleep with a protective cap over your eye for about a week after the procedure. This will prevent you from rubbing your eye during your sleep.
- Apply eye drops to your eye for three weeks after the procedure, using the prescribed medication.
- Avoid all pressure on your eyes for the first few weeks after the procedure, i.e. no bending over, lifting, blowing, etc.
- No showering on the first day after the procedure. Over the following days, make sure that no water goes into the eye.
- Don’t use any eye make-up for the first few weeks.
- No swimming for a few weeks.
Check-ups
After the procedure, the eye will be checked regularly to make sure that it is healing well and that everything is in order. The first check-up always takes place the day after the procedure. If you have any concerns or questions between the check-ups, you can always contact the ophthalmologist who has treated you.