Does wearing reading glasses frustrate you? You’re not alone!
One of the many struggles of getting older is worsening eyesight. Whether you like it or not, you’re likely to experience a condition called presbyopia.
Presbyopia is a common age-related condition that affects many adults over 40, making it harder for their eyes to focus on up-close things. If you have presbyopia, you’ve probably resorted to using reading glasses to do any up-close tasks like reading the newspaper, sending emails on your phone, or sewing.
But readers aren’t the only solution for presbyopia. A vision correction procedure called refractive lens exchange or RLE can help you see better and reduce your dependence on glasses and contact lenses.
Why should you get RLE? Keep reading for the top 4 reasons to get refractive lens exchange and find out if it’s a solution that’s worth considering!
1. RLE is for Patients with Presbyopia
Unlike other vision correction procedures you may be familiar with, like LASIK, RLE is specifically designed for patients who have trouble seeing up close due to presbyopia. The primary cause of presbyopia is that the eye’s natural lens loses flexibility due to getting older and aging.
Your natural lens is supposed to change shape to focus up close, but when it hardens and becomes less flexible, it’s more difficult for the muscle that surrounds it to get it to curve or stretch.
RLE removes your eye’s natural lens entirely and replaces it with an artificial lens. The artificial lens is an intraocular lens or IOL.
These IOLs are designed like glasses or contact lenses and can help you see better at most distances, correcting many of the visual problems associated with presbyopia. There’s a distinct advantage to many IOLs, in that you can end up with some of the best vision you’ve ever had in your life.
2. You Won’t Ever Need Cataract Surgery
If RLE sounds similar to cataract surgery, it’s because it’s almost identical to it. The most significant difference between the two procedures is that one involves removing a cataract while taking out your natural lens.
That’s cataract surgery. But with RLE, you don’t need to have cataracts to have the procedure, and you can avoid having cataracts at any time in the future.
Cataracts naturally develop inside the natural lens as a side effect of aging. Cataracts are another age-related eye condition that you develop, like presbyopia.
Both are almost inevitable due to aging. And like presbyopia, cataracts are also incredibly common.
Half of all adults will get at least one cataract by the time they turn 75. The only way to treat cataracts is by removing the entire lens they’ve formed on by removing it during cataract surgery. You’ll then have the natural lens replaced with an IOL.
Because RLE also removes your lenses and replaces them, you’ll never need cataract surgery if you have RLE. Cataracts cannot develop inside IOLs.
If you have RLE long before you ever develop cataracts, you’ll never need to worry about getting them. That means you can look forward to many years of clear vision and never worry about cataracts!
3. You Can Choose From a Variety of IOLs
Just as glasses and contact lenses come in many varieties, so do IOLs. Many IOLs, however, are considered premium.
If you don’t mind using glasses or contact lenses, you can choose a standard IOL, called a monofocal lens. Monofocal IOLs are a single, uniform lens designed to help you see best at a single focal point.
The focal point is either up close or far away. Patients that opt for monofocal lenses may end up with something called monovision. If you have monovision, your surgeon puts one lens in your eye for seeing up close and another lens in the other for seeing things far away at a distance.
When you use both eyes to work together, you can see decently at most distances, providing you with good enough vision. But patients who get monofocal IOLs often still need to use reading glasses when viewing things up close.
On the other hand, premium lenses are a fantastic option to see well up close and reduce your dependence on glasses. They also have other benefits. Here are some of the premium lenses you can choose from at Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute:
Multifocal IOLs
Multifocal IOLs have alternating rings that go outward from the center of the lens. Some of the rings are for seeing up close, while others are for seeing things further away.
Splitting the lens up into multiple sections allows the eyes to learn to look through the right part of the lens, depending on what you’re seeing. This ability will enable you to see much more clearly up close without needing reading glasses while still seeing well at most distances.
Toric IOLs
If you have astigmatism, a toric IOL may be the best option during RLE. Toric IOLs correct both presbyopia and astigmatism.
If you have mild astigmatism, usually between 1.00 and 3.00 diopters, a toric lens can help you see better without needing glasses or contacts.
Aspheric IOLs
Aspheric IOLs correct spherical aberrations in the eyes. These aberrations, which occur naturally, can cause issues for both nearsighted and farsighted patients.
They can also affect your night vision, making it more challenging to drive at night safely. Aspheric IOLs compensate for these aberrations to help you see more clearly.
4. RLE Can Reduce and Even Eliminate Your Dependency on Reading Glasses
You can reduce your dependence on readers by getting RLE and choosing a premium IOL. Some kinds of IOLs can also reduce your dependency on regular glasses and contacts.
There’s even a chance that getting RLE will eliminate your need for glasses. There’s no guarantee that you won’t still need reading glasses on occasion after surgery, no matter what IOL you choose, but chances are very high that you’ll need fewer visual aids after getting RLE.
Do you think that refractive lens exchange may be right for you? Learn more about RLE by scheduling an appointment at Herschel LASIK and Cataract Institute in Orlando, FL, now!
