There are many different procedures that offer permanent vision correction. While LASIK is the most popular, it isn’t always the right choice for everyone.
Refractive lens exchange is an entirely different operation that can produce results that are just as amazing as LASIK. It even has a few benefits that LASIK doesn’t!
Keep reading to learn more about refractive lens exchange and what the benefits are!
What is Refractive Lens Exchange?
LASIK, along with many other vision enhancement surgeries, works by changing the shape of your cornea. During LASIK, your LASIK surgeon opens a flap in the top layer of the cornea and reshapes the cornea.
The flap is then repositioned for healing, and the vision is corrected. Creating a flap in the cornea with a laser is where the similarities between LASIK and RLE begin and end.
During refractive lens exchange, instead of creating a flap, eye doctors make a tiny opening in the side of the cornea. The refractive lens exchange surgeon will then carefully insert a device through the pupil next to your eye’s natural lens.
The device uses sound to break the lens apart without damaging any of the surrounding structures of the eye. The tiny lens pieces are removed from the eye, and a synthetic lens is put in its place.
This device is called an IOL, which stands for intraocular lens. The IOL will act similar to your natural lens, bending the light that passes through and focusing it onto the retina.
The tiny incision in the cornea is so small that it will naturally heal on its own and requires no stitches. The incision will reattach very quickly as long as you are careful and follow your recovery instructions closely.
Types of IOLs
Prior to the RLE procedure, you will need to choose which IOL will replace your natural lens. There are two main types of IOLs to choose from, monofocal and premium.
The premium IOLs provide a more seamless range of vision, compared to monofocal IOLs, which provide clear vision at one range of distance. Premium IOLs provide crisp vision through multifocal IOLs or through accommodating IOLs.
You can also choose a toric IOL, which will correct astigmatism. You can find out which IOL is best for you by booking a consultation at Stahl Eyecare in NYC.
Why Choose RLE over LASIK?
Some permanent vision correction procedures can be better for some people than others. Although your eye doctor will be able to tell you which will be the best fit for you, there are many benefits to choosing RLE.
Since you are entirely replacing your natural lenses, you won’t ever have to worry about getting cataracts or needing cataract surgery in the future. Cataracts are something everyone develops eventually, so by choosing RLE, you would be getting a head start.
RLE is also a better treatment option for the treatment of presbyopia. Presbyopia happens when your natural lens hardens and is unable to bend and flex naturally.
During RLE, your eye doctor replaces your natural lens so you will no longer need to deal with the symptoms of presbyopia. Also, while LASIK is hard to match when it comes to easy recovery, recovery from RLE is by no means difficult.
You should be able to return to most normal activity within a week. The only way to determine if RLE is right for you is to see your eye doctor for a consultation.
Do you want to find out if you could be a candidate for RLE? Schedule a consultation at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Garden City, NY, today!
