Vision Scotland : Better vision for life

Lens replacement surgery

Vision Scotland help thousands of people to improve their vision permanently, enjoying a clearer, brighter outlook. Lens replacement surgery is a great option for the over 40s who want to be less reliant on glasses – or stop wearing them altogether.
Mr Ross discusses cataract surgery

What is lens replacement surgery?

Lens replacement surgery can significantly improve your vision. Our experienced Vision Scotland surgeons will replace the natural lens in your eye with a small, clear synthetic implant called an intraocular lens (IOL). The focusing power of the IOL can be chosen to reduce dependence on glasses.

Lens replacement (RLE) is identical to modern cataract surgery. Both operations involve replacing the natural lens with an IOL. The only difference is that cataract surgery is performed to correct blur or light scatter caused by a misty natural lens; whereas RLE is performed to reduce the need for glasses or contact lenses.

What happens during lens replacement surgery?

Under local anaesthetic eye drops, your Vision Scotland surgeon will make a tiny incision in your eye. With the use of ultrasound, your natural lens will be removed and replaced with an artificial lens. The whole procedure only takes about 20 minutes.

Mr Sanjay Mantry preparing for cataract surgery in scrubs
Cat, Optometrist at Vision Scotland

Your Vision Scotland consultation

You will enjoy the best levels of care from your very first consultation at Vision Scotland. We will take time to get to know you and your vision before recommending any treatment. This is your opportunity to ask questions and discuss any concerns. It’s perfectly natural to be a little nervous, but with Vision Scotland, you are in friendly, expert hands.

Pricing Examples

We do our best to make pricing clear and transparent. We encourage you to speak to our patient care team if you would like to talk through the options.

Monofocal Lens

£ 3190 Total
  • Consultation £0
  • Surgery £3190
  • Aftercare £0
Stirling

Monofocal Lens & Toric

£ 3337 Total
  • Consultation £0
  • Surgery £3337
  • Aftercare £0
Glasgow

Trifocal Lens

£ 4480 Total
  • Consultation £245
  • Surgery £4235
  • Aftercare £0
VS Edinburgh
Eye care specialists

Lens options

Monofocal lens
implants

Monofocal IOLs aim to reduce spectacle dependence for distance (driving) vision or close up vision. Monofocal lens exchange will not completely remove dependence on glasses but can drastically improve your vision for one distance.

Trifocal lens
implants

(also known as multifocal) lens surgery.
As the name suggests, Trifocal lenses have near and far focus built into them, so perform well at all distances and could mean you don’t have to wear glasses at all after surgery.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to tilt your head to enjoy the benefits. Trifocal lenses come in many variants, all subtly different, and our experienced surgeons are experts at ensuring you have the right one to make the biggest improvement to your vision and your lifestyle.

Toric lens
implants

Toric lens implants are great if you wear glasses all the time and suffer from astigmatism. They work by counteracting the effects with a rugby ball shaped lens surface, that when positioned correctly within your eye, cancels out the effect of your astigmatic rugby ball shaped corneal surface.

This ‘toricity’ can be added to standard lens implants as well as multifocal lens implants – and your Vision Scotland surgeon will be able to go over all your options at your consultation.

Eye care specialists

Experience how people see with eye conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

Vision Scotland lens replacement surgery cost between £3,190 and £3960 per eye, depending on the type of lens implants you choose. But this figure can rise to just over £4,000 if you need a more specialist lens.

Our consultant ophthalmologist will make a tiny incision on the surface of the eye, the natural lens is then dissolved with ultrasound and removed, and replaced with your new artificial lens. The small incision will repair itself in just a few days.
Unfortunately not. Lens replacement for vision correction is only available at private clinics like Vision Scotland in the UK.
Yes. Many of our lens replacement patients wear varifocals.

The two procedures are exactly the same – where your natural lens is removed and replaced by an artificial lens. Once you have lens replacement surgery, you will never develop cataract in the treated eye.

It’s quicker than you might expect. In just a few days you should be enjoying better vision – but it can take up to 6 weeks for your eyes and your brain to start working together before you see the full benefits.

Yes, once it is done and all healed, the benefits are permanent.

No, in the same way you can’t feel your natural lens, you won’t feel your new artificial lens either.
We recommend you wait 2-3 weeks before applying make-up around your eyes – and even then, you should always as gentle as possible.
In normal cases this shouldn’t be necessary but if you experience blurry vision following cataract surgery it may be because the lens isn’t correct or there are complications from the new lens. In this rare situation, a new lens can be implanted with lens replacement surgery.

About four out of five patients are completely free from wearing glasses after RLE with, widely used, contemporary trifocal IOLs. If you do need help from glasses after surgery, it is usually for a specific activity such as reading small print in low background lighting.

Although RLE is often bracketed with cosmetic surgery procedures, the benefits are mainly functional. It is designed to make you less dependent on glasses and contact lenses, helping you to lead an active lifestyle more easily.
RLE eliminates the need for cataract surgery in later life, and it is often preferred to laser vision correction for patients in the retirement age group in whom the early stages of cataract formation or presbyopia are often already present.

Nothing really. Your Vision Scotland surgeon will simply pause until your tears have cleared and you’re ready to continue.

Lens replacement surgery is a great way in improve your vision, but there are many things to think about – such as your prescription, your age and your lifestyle. Vision Scotland would never recommend surgery if it wasn’t suitable, and will discuss all your options at your consultation. For those under 40, laser eye surgery is often the better option – if you are over 40, we may recommend lens replacement surgery if we decide between us it’s right for you.

The private hospitals we work with can offer 0% finance, as well as pay monthly options. Speak to our team to discuss which finance option is best for you.
You’d have to really be looking to notice anything at all – but from a certain angle some people might see a slight reflection for a fraction of a second.

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