Experimental Lenses for RLE

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) utilizes the same procedure as cataract surgery: removing your eye’s clear natural lens and replacing it with an intraocular lens. This refractive eye surgery is especially for patients who are presbyopic (farsighted) and who are not good candidates for other laser eye surgeries, such as LASIK.

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Intraocular Lenses in RLE

The same refractive intraocular lenses (IOLs) used for cataract surgery are used for RLE: accommodating IOLs and multifocal IOLs. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved one accommodating IOL (Crystalens™), and three multifocal IOLs (ReZoom®, ReSTOR™ and Tecnis®). There are various experimental lenses for RLE that are undergoing testing and clinical trials.

Experimental Multifocal IOLs

Various versions of Acri.Tec IOLs are undergoing clinical testing. These lenses have been proven to significantly reduce fibrosis reactions and secondary cataract formation because they are made from a special biomaterial that is foldable at room temperature. The Acri.Tec IOLs are ultra-thin and emphasize different zones for near, intermediate and distance vision.

Future versions of existing, approved multifocal IOLs are also in the works. Some of these have toric designs (with two different optical powers at right angles), which also helps to correct astigmatism.

Experimental Accommodating IOLs

Smartlens™: Developed by Medennium of Irvine, California, this lens features a special "SmartMaterial" that mimics your natural lens, allowing your eye to focus seamlessly from near to far.
Accommodative 1CU: Made by HumanOptics of Erlangen, Germany, this lens was implanted for the first time in 2000 at a German university. Since then, over 200 people have had the 1CU implanted and are being monitored accordingly. HumanOptics reports no problems with the lenses to date.
Sarfarazi: This dual optic accommodative IOL was designed by Bausch and Lomb of Rochester, New York. This lens mimics that action of your natural lens by relaxing and contracting your ciliary muscles.

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