Lens Replacement (CLE) Guide


CLE - Clear Lens Extraction

Refractive Correction

  • Myopia - Nearsightedness or short sightedness 
  • Hyperopia - Long sightedness or farsightedness 
  • Astigmatism

Lens replacement surgery involves replacing the eyes natural lens with an artificial lens so that vision is improved.  This is an alternative treatment to laser eye surgery particularly for high refractive errors such as extreme near sightedness and extreme far sightedness. 

Lens replacement surgery is based on cataract surgery but is called clear lens extraction/clear lens exchange (CLE) because the eyes natural lens is not cloudy from cataract when it is removed and replaced.  In CLE a none-cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one.  The principals of lens removal are however, the same as cataract surgery.  Once you have had lens replacement surgery you will never require cataract surgery because the natural lens is replaced and an artificial lens cannot become cloudy in the same way that a natural lens can.   

Lens replacement surgery is also termed RLR (Refractive Lens Replacement) and RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange).

If you are presbyopic, by exchanging your own natural lens for a multi-focal lens implant, both eyes can regain their ability to focus at all distances.  This surgery is known as PRELEX (Presbyopic Lens Exchange).

Contact your local eye clinic to find out if lens replacement surgery is suitable for you.

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