RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE
You’ll be able to enjoy greater independence and a wider range of activities after RLE surgery. And all this will be possible with less dependence—maybe even no dependence—on eyeglasses. Your world will be brighter and clearer. You’ll be able to focus better. Typically, you’ll see well enough to watch TV and go out to dinner immediately after surgery, and drive a car and exercise the next day, all without glasses. If you had a monovision correction or a multifocal lens, you will typically be able to read a menu, a newspaper, and your cell phone without glasses. Statistically, about 75 percent of patients achieve 20/25 or better vision after the RLE procedure. If your vision is not good enough, LASIK enhancement can be done to refine it.
No replacement lens, however sophisticated it might be, is as good as a young, healthy, crystal-clear natural lens. Though your vision will almost certainly be better than before your surgery, it will not be as sharp as a teenager’s. You may find that although your distance vision is good enough to see almost everything far away, you may still put on a pair of glasses for night driving or other situations in which you need perfect vision. Also, refractive lens exchange isn’t the fountain of youth. Even with monovision or a multifocal IOL, you still probably won’t be able to read the tiny print on a label without some reading glasses, but you will be much less dependent on glasses.
Your vision will fluctuate for a week or longer, depending on the type of lens implanted. Even so, within twenty-four hours your eyesight will be markedly improved—so much so that you’ll probably be eager to schedule surgery for the other eye as soon as possible.
Potential Complications With Refractive Lens Exchange
