Refractive lens exchange is an eye surgery that can improve vision and allow you to reduce your dependence on visual aids like glasses and contact lenses. During the RLE procedure, your natural lens is replaced with a synthetic one.
While the natural lens allows you to adjust and focus your vision, it can also become cloudy and hardened with age. Replacing a malfunctioning natural lens with a modern artificial internal lens may benefit your vision significantly in the long run.
Keep reading to learn five reasons to consider refractive lens exchange!
1. RLE Increases Your Visual Freedom
Glasses and contacts are great short-term solutions for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. However, they have a significant impact on your lifestyle and opportunities.
Glasses are fragile and need to be protected. They also change the way your face looks by covering it up with frames.
Contacts are not visible, but they need to be cleaned regularly and replaced often. Some people may also have trouble adjusting to them, making them uncomfortable.
RLE can reduce your need for glasses or contacts and can even replace them entirely!
2. RLE Corrects Presbyopia
Your vision typically gets worse as you get older. This can be due to any number of reasons, but a very common one is presbyopia.
Presbyopia is a condition that causes the lens inside your eye to become rigid. Normally, the lens is supposed to flex and move to adjust your eye’s focus.
When you develop presbyopia, the lens gets stuck in position, making it difficult to see things up close. Replacing the neutral lens clears up this condition.
Some types of RLE lenses can even mimick the function of the natural lens.
3. RLE Prevents Cataracts From Forming
Presbyopia is not the only eye condition that RLE can prevent or treat. Cataracts form inside the lens of the eye.
They are essentially clumps of protein that clump together and block light from entering. RLE replaces the natural lenses with artificial lenses, so there is no organic material present.
It is impossible for a cataract to develop inside the lens after RLE, meaning you’ll never have to have cataract surgery later in life.
4. RLE Makes Allergies More Manageable
Pollen, dust, dander, and other allergens can be a nightmare to deal with, especially with eye-related symptoms. One of the best ways to handle eye allergies is with eye drops.
They hydrate and lubricate the eyes while also washing out the allergens. Eye drops may need to be reapplied frequently throughout the day, and external lenses can get in the way.
Having to remove your glasses or contacts every time you need some relief is annoying and time-consuming. While RLE won’t cure your allergies, it removes the barriers that get between you and comfort.
5. RLE Is A Long-Term Improvement
Investing in your eyesight with a procedure like RLE can change your life. The results are meant to last forever.
The materials used in the synthetic lenses are extraordinarily durable. RLE isn’t a guarantee that your vision will stay the same forever, but most patients have thrilling outcomes.
Are you interested in learning if you may be a good candidate for RLE? Schedule an appointment at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Hauppauge, NY, today!