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Piggy back lenses 

Piggy back lenses are lenses that offer surprising effects of correcting high refractive errors. To improve the comfort of using rigid corneal lenses, additional soft compact lenses (the so-called “piggy-back” system) are sometimes put under them. Thanks to this, the patient can enjoy greater comfort of using lenses, while still using their optical advantages.

What is a piggy back lens?
A piggy back lens (additional lens) is a thin implant that is implanted in an eye that has already undergone lens removal surgery (cataract surgery or refractive lens replacement). An additional implant is placed in front of the previously implanted artificial lens. Implantation causes cooperation and enhancement of the power of the first implant, thanks to which the refraction and focusing of light on the retina of the eye is improved, and thus visual acuity is improved.

Who is it for?
The lens is implanted in the eye that is already after the surgery to remove the lens with the implant in the second stage, as a separate procedure to improve vision functions. It is recommended when, after the first surgery, the patient has a residual vision defect that needs to be corrected. This lens gives you independence from glasses. It can correct myopia or hyperopia (with or without astigmatism), and, in the case of multifocal lens implantation, presbyopia. It is most often implanted in patients who have undergone surgery with a standard, monofocal spherical lens and have not chosen the option of implanting a toric lens to correct astigmatism or a multifocal lens to correct presbyopia.

The lens can also be implanted simultaneously in the eye during cataract surgery as an additional lens to extend the power range of standard implants (in high hyperopia).

How long does the lens stay in the eye? Do you need to remove it?
The lens remains in the eye permanently. The lens, however, can be removed easily and safely if necessary.

Who is Eligible ?
Patients who have glasses that interfere with their everyday life and whose first procedure was uneventful are eligible for surgery. Each patient must undergo a detailed qualification for the procedure and be assessed by an experienced physician dealing with the implantation of these lenses. The condition for implant placement is the absence of complications during and after the first surgery of the lens: undamaged capsulorexia, undamaged peripheral fibers of the lens, healthy corneal endothelium. It is a good option for patients who have had radial keratotomy or have a silicone oil-filled vitreous chamber in the eye.

Who is not eligible?
Contraindication to surgery is the coexistence of glaucoma or diffuse pigment syndrome in the patient, shallow anterior chamber, as well as traumatic damage to the peripheral fibers of the lens, posterior adhesions, condition after uveitis. Implantation is also not recommended in patients with PEX syndrome and after CTR implantation.

What are the benefits of implantation?
The procedure is safe, gives predictable refractive results with very good visual acuity. The complication rate is very low. Satisfaction with the procedure is high, patients are very satisfied with the results. Implant replacement is often an alternative to removing the original implant from the eye and replacing it with another. Implant fixation is safer and less risky than replacing the original implant and involves less surgical trauma. Removing an implant that has “grown over the eye tissue” is difficult and risky.

How is the procedure going?
The procedure and preparation for the procedure are similar to those for cataract surgery. The effects are often seen after removing the dressing. The healing and rehabilitation process is the same as in the case of cataracts, about 1 month.

What are the risks of the procedure?
The risks and complications are similar to those of cataract surgery. They occur less frequently because the procedure is shorter, less invasive, and therefore safer. The procedure is reversible (the lens can be safely removed). This is very important, especially in patients who are concerned about the halo effects and glare after multifocal implants and have not decided to implant them during cataract surgery. Undesirable photo-optical effects may occur after each refractive procedure. In the case of unacceptable effects, removal of the piggy-back implant is not problematic.