Essentially, refractive lens exchange is a cataract surgery. Its main goal is to help people with poor eyesight to see clearly without having to wear contact lenses or eyeglasses.

During the procedure, the eye surgeon creates a tiny incision around the edge of the cornea. A fine instrument is then used to make a smooth opening in the capsule of the lens. The natural crystalline lens of the eye is then gently broken up and suctioned out of the capsule. When the old natural lens is completely taken out, a synthetic lens implant is set in its place, planted securely within the natural lens capsule. The procedure is very quick, completed in about twenty minutes or less.

The newly placed lens increases the refractive power of the eye, providing clear vision much like corrective eyewear but instead, this is permanently fixed in the eye. So there is no more fear of broken eyeglasses, lost contacts, and costly replacements.

One advantage of RLE is that it causes only minimal trauma to the eye. The surgery requires no stitches because in time, the very tiny incision that was made closes by itself. It is a quick, painless, and proven way to correct refractive errors of the eye.

Since the natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens, the patient will never develop cataracts even in later years. Also, the normal contour and thickness of the cornea remains unchanged. Lens exchange also provides stable vision with no loss of corrective effect even during the succeeding years.

Both short-sightedness and long-sightedness can be corrected with this procedure. For people with cataracts, it is almost like two treatments with a single surgery. Current eye problems like myopia and hyperopia are corrected and in addition, the cloudy lens is removed. There are special lens implants that can also correct focusing problems caused by astigmatism.

One type of replacement lenses used is single vision lenses, meaning they can correct either short-sightedness or long-sightedness. However, these are not very ideal because they are designed to correct only one type of visual defect. So if the patient is short-sighted for instance, the lens will allow a clear view of far objects but the single vision lens cannot adjust when viewing objects that are up close.

Multifocal lenses are a type of enhanced lenses that can focus both near and far objects. Thus, there is no more need to wear bifocals or reading glasses unlike with monofocal lenses.

Patients who are not suitable for eye laser surgery are also ideal candidates for RLE operation. Compared to laser surgery, lens exchange can correct a wider range of refractive errors including astigmatism. It is also a possible alternative to LASIK surgery for people with very thin corneas who cannot be subjected to laser correction. Many eye surgeons also opt to reserve RLE for patients with severe long-sightedness and those with presbyopia and over 45 years old.

Much like other surgical procedures, there are also risks related to refractive lens exchange. The potential complications are essentially similar to those seen in cataract surgery like bleeding inside the eye, infection, loss of vision, increased risk of developing retinal detachment and glaucoma. Other complications may include overcorrection or under correction and displacement of the intraocular lens.

Another disadvantage can be in terms of price. Refractive lens exchange costs more than most laser eye correction procedures.

There are certain prerequisites before the procedure can be done. The patient must be at least 21 years of age, no history of eye disease, have stable vision and had not changed prescription for at least six months.

Compared with eye laser surgery, refractive lens exchange is more invasive but also offers better results.

Reading more on both refractive lens exchange and possible procedures alternative to laser eye surgery will help in understanding the advantages and disadvantages of these surgical methods. Discussing with an eye surgeon regarding, age, general health, eye condition, and lifestyle is best.