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The Eye Institute Of West Florida

Clear Lens Exchange | Lens Replacement

Are glasses and contact lenses affecting your lifestyle?

At The Eye Institute of West Florida offers the most advanced laser surgery procedures to improve your vision and say goodbye to glasses.

The Eye Institute of West Florida is a premier surgical eye care facility in Tampa Bay, with offices in Largo, South Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Patients receive the most technologically advanced care available in a safe and caring environment.

At The Eye Institute of West Florida, we have some of the nation’s top experienced surgeons. Our surgery center is designed specifically for eye surgery and is accredited for the highest quality care possible. Whether this is your first consult or you are interested in a second opinion, you can trust your eyes to us.

Schedule a Clearn Lens Evaluation

Stephen M. Weinstock, MD Cataract Specialist

Stephen M. Weinstock, M.D.

Schedule your clear lens consulation with Dr. Stephen Weinstock below by calling the number below.

Robert J. Weinstock, MD Cataract Specialist

Robert J. Weinstock, M.D.

Schedule your clear lens consulation with Dr. Robert Weinstock below by selecting a time at the location you want to be seen.

Neel R. Desai, MD Cataract Specialist

Neel R. Desai, M.D.

Schedule your clear lens consulation with Dr. Neel Desai below by selecting a time at the location you want to be seen.

Chad D. Hummel, MD Cataract Specialist

Chad D. Hummel, M.D.

Schedule your clear lens consulation with Dr. Chad Hummel below by calling the number below.

Woman reading book in lobby
Woman reading book in lobby

Why choose Clear Lens Exchange

If glasses affect your lifestyle, a clear lens exchange is a great option for you

Enjoy 20/20 vision without glasses! Vision correction provides the freedom from glasses and contact lenses at any age. The ideal candidate for a Clear Lens Exchange procedure is after the age of 40 and before developing cataracts. It is important to consult a an experienced refractive surgeon to see what your vision correction options are.

Benefits of choosing a Clear Lens Exchange:

  • Eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses
  • Stop spending money on new glasses, lost contact lenses and repairing broken glasses
  • Never develop cataracts: therefore, never need to undergo cataract surgery when you are in your 60s, 70s or 80s
  • Freedom to participate in new activities
  • Stop the process of presbyopia that causes progressive problems reading

A clear lens exchange is quick, easy, and painless — with almost immediate vision recovery. Schedule a Consultation today at (727) 581- 8706.

About Clear Lens Exchange

Clear lens exchange (CLE, also commonly referred to as refractive lens exchange) is a procedure very similar to cataract surgery and is ideal for patients over the age of 40 who have not yet developed cataracts.

Symptoms of a cataract:

This procedure involves the implantation of an intraocular lens to replace the eye’s natural lens. The difference between CLE and cataract surgery is that the natural lens being replaced during the CLE procedure is clear, while a cataract lens is cloudy. This refractive procedure is often the best option for patients with high degrees of farsightedness and may be appropriate for certain other patients, depending on age, visual concerns, and lifestyle.



Intraocular lens implantation
Dr. Robert Weinstock Clear Lens Exchange
Dr. Robert Weinstock Clear Lens Exchange

Why Choose Us

Helping people have a better vision is our specialty!

Dr. Stephen Weinstock, Dr. Robert Weinstock, and Dr. Neel Desai are board-certified and fellowship-trained in refractive laser surgery. Each of our surgeons is nationally recognized for their surgical skills and are internationally known for their expertise in ophthalmology. This means the best vision results possible for you.

Your surgery will be performed at our Largo Ambulatory Surgery Center, the premiere ophthalmology surgery center of Pinellas County. Our surgery center is attached to our Largo office location to make it easy for patients to receive the pre-surgery consultations, surgery, and post-surgery follow up care all under one roof. Our patients receive safe and cost-effective care along with the most advanced technology

If you are considering what life without glasses would be like, call (727) 581-8706 to make an appointment with one of our specialists.

Still interested in learning more?

When you are choosing where you will have your clear lens exchange, what type of lens, and which surgeon, we are available to talk with you. Give us a call at 727-581-8706 to schedule your consultation.

If you are interested in reading more about types of lens implants, the equipment we perform your surgery with, and more of what you can expect, please refer to the following pages:

Choose The Eye Institute of West Florida for your clear lens exchange to get the best vision results possible for you.

Last modified on May 19th, 2021 at 5:25 pm

"I just wanted to say “thank you” from the bottom of my heart for giving me back my sight. I can’t even describe what a luxury it is to be able to see clearly, which I haven’t done since 1991. Everyone involved in my care was absolutely wonderful from the moment I first walked into your office. Thank you again and I will definitely recommend you to anyone looking to have laser surgery."

Jim – Patient of Dr. Robert Weinstock

Meet Your Clear Lens Exchange Specialists

Stephen-M.-Weinstock,-MDStephen M Weinstock, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a cataract and LASIK specialist. He founded The Eye Institute of West Florida in 1974, pioneering sub-specialty eye care in Pinellas County. Today, as President and Medical Director, Dr. Weinstock is recognized as a world renowned cataract and LASIK surgeon. He teaches the latest techniques such as"no-stitch, no-patch" cataract extraction and implantation of premium intraocular lenses (IOLs), here and abroad. Dr. Weinstock is also very proud of being the first ophthalmologist to introduce the excimer and YAG lasers to Pinellas County.

In 1999 for his outstanding performance as a refractive surgeon, Dr. Weinstock was honored with the"VISX Star Surgeon" award and placed in the top 5% of refractive surgeons nationwide. He is one of the only surgeons in the country who has been certified by the American Board of Eye Surgery in both Cataract and LASIK surgery.

Dr. Weinstock is also an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida.


Robert-J.-Weinstock,-MDRobert J. Weinstock, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist and is fellowship-trained in cataract and refractive surgery. He became interested in ophthalmology at an early age - as he watched and assisted his father. Dr. Weinstock has joined the practice in 2001 after completing his residency at the St. Louis University School of Medicine.

He is the Director of Cataract and Refractive Services at the Eye Institute of West Florida and The Weinstock Laser Eye Center. He also is an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida, and serves as the Surgical Director of the Largo Ambulatory Surgery Center. He was named one of 250 in Permier Surgeon's List of Leading Innovators of 2010 for his contributions to cataract surgery and premium IOLs. In addition to performing thousands of vision correcting cataract and LASIK procedures each year, Dr. Weinstock speaks and teaches nationally and internationally on customized cataract surgery and surgical innovations. He is continuously engaged in clinical research and studies to evaluate new technology, many of which are sanctioned by the FDA. He is recognized internationally as an expert on new implant technology and microincisional surgical techniques. He has authored many book chapters on cataract surgery and continues to write journal articles on cataract and refractive surgery.


Neel-R.-Desai,-MDNeel R. Desai, M.D. is a fellowship-trained ophthalmologist strictly specializing in LASIK, cataract and corneal diseases of the eye. Dr. Desai is a top graduate of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed his fellowship in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He is recognized throughout the country and internationally as one of only 100 surgeons able to perform advanced corneal transplants and other complex cataract, corneal and refractive procedures. He holds pending patents to new surgical products and advanced cornea surgical procedures of his own design. Additionally, Dr. Desai has authored many book chapters in his field of study and continues to write articles in peer review journals.


Cataract Surgeon Chad Hummel, MDChad D. Hummel, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and refractive surgery. Dr. Hummel received his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies (Medical Scholars Program) from the University of Delaware. He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. Hummel completed his residency training in ophthalmology at the University of Florida ‐ Jacksonville. Dr. Hummel trained under Dr. Robert Weinstock and Dr. Neel Desai as their first Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery fellow.