|  | Conditions Treatments | Eye Vision Disorders

What Are the Side Effects of Interocular Lens Surgery?

Interocular lens surgery, or intraocular lens replacement (IOL), replaces the crystalline lens inside your eye. Doctors have done the procedure since the 1950s; it is most common for replacing cloudy crystalline lenses, also called cataracts. The surgery also helps people who are extremely near-sighted. As with any surgical procedure, crystalline lens replacement has potential side effects.

  1. Significance

    • Your crystalline lens is a small, transparent structure in the front of your eye. About 10 mm in diameter, the lens adjusts and helps you to focus, somewhat like a camera lens. If the lens becomes cloudy or damaged, an ophthalmologist can surgically replace your crystalline lens with a synthetic replacement lens.

    History

    • The first intraocular lens replacements were done after World War II, when a Royal Air Force ophthalmologist named Sir Harold Ridley noticed that pilots who had plastic from shattered windshield fragments lodged in their eyes were not bothered by the material. The replacement procedure did not become common until the 1970s, according to haroldridley.com. More than a million intraocular surgical replacements are performed annually in the United States; most of the synthetic lenses are made from silicone or acrylic.

    Common Side Effects

    • The most common side effects after IOL surgery include irritation, redness or infection. These usually go away after a few days. Medication or eye drops often resolve most minor complications. Your doctor will usually check you one day after your surgery then again a week later and will monitor your progress closely for several months.

    Less Common Side Effects

    • Although rare, more serious side effects following intraocular lens surgery may include inflammation of the iris, thinning of corneal tissue, cataracts or even decreased vision or loss of eyesight.

    Potential

    • Vision is usually blurry for several days after IOL surgery but in most cases returns to normal within eight weeks. Surgery.com indicates that approximately 90 percent of patients enjoy much improved vision after their procedure.

Eye Vision Disorders - Related Articles