Some patients aged 45+ may also be eligible for refractive lens exchange ( RLE). RLE is essentially a cataract operation, but it is performed before a cataract has formed to reduce dependence on glasses. Mr Dan Lindfield is a multi-award-winning consultant ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon in Guildford and Farnham. To make an appointment with him, head to his Top Doctors profile. Mr Lindfield qualified in medicine at the University of SouthamptonMedical School in 2004 before going on to complete specialist trainingin hospitals throughout Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and London. This included work atthree teaching hospitals and a glaucoma surgical fellowship at St Thomas' Hospital in London, giving him a wealth of invaluable experience in treating a range of ophthalmological conditions. He was appointed consultant ophthalmologist in 2013 and fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in the same year. Mr Lindfield currently sees private patients at Farnham Eye Care and Guildford Eye Care, which is based at the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Whilst hearing positive or negative opinions from your friends or family is useful, it’s very difficult to draw parallels for such a precise decision targeted to your specific needs.

This is a technique to allow the benefits of monofocal lenses (relatively low cost and very low risk of adverse visual effects) whilst reducing the need for reading glasses.

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You'll be advised further about the use of eye drops at your follow-up appointment, usually 1 to 4 weeks after your operation.

There is often a learning curve associated with these lenses but within a few weeks, patients can often see clearly for distance and near tasks. It must be stated, however, that these lenses function their best in good light. They sometimes perform less well in dim light. Monofocal lenses perform very well in low sun, dim light or in the presence of other eye diseases (which may preclude the use of trifocal lenses).Since my partial sight loss, I struggle with the change in light conditions. If I move from a darker to a brighter environment, my eyes take time to adjust and also cause me some discomfort. Also, because I have difficulty with contrast, I find that wearing eye shields make things easier. There are different glasses / eye shields to choose from:

Cataract surgery and RLE take approximately 10 minutes per eye. We usually operate on both eyes 1-2 weeks apart, but both eyes on the same day is sometimes performed if deemed the best thing for your needs and can be standard practice for some surgeons. The dominant eye is set for distance and the non-dominant eye is set for varying amounts of nearer vision. The two eyes perform different tasks when measured on their own but when both eyes are open they allow a seamless range of vision. The ability to read without glasses depends on how close-focussed the non-dominant eye is set. During the operation, you’ll just experience a bright light, sensations or water around the eye and you’ll hear our theatre music. You don’t see any of the “work” happening. Some patients even see kaleidoscopic colours and patterns during surgery. When the operation is complete, you’ll sit up with a clear eye shield over the eye.

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At this appointment, you may be given advice on when to stop using your eye drops and when to apply for new glasses. How to apply eye drops As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, The glasses I choose to wear are from the RNIB – However, there are a lot of other companies and organisation out there providing both Wrap Arounds and Fit Overs. The glasses in this post can be found here at the Royal National Institute for The Blind These state of the art implants potentially allow for complete freedom of glasses. However, in practice, most patients feel that they are less dependent on glasses but still occasionally use them for prolonged periods of close work, such as reading a good book. Mr Lindfield has a passion for training the next generation of ophthalmologists and is a training programme directorfor Health Education England (HEE) and is responsible for teaching trainee eye surgeons across Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Heis also regarded as an expert trainer in cataract surgery.