Refractive Lens Exchange

Refractive lens exchange (RLE) is frequently used as a refractive surgical procedure for the correction of high presbyopia and high hyperopia, for which laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or phakic intraocular lens (IOL) refractive surgery is unsuitable. The RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange) is a vision correction technique for patients who are over 45 years old and frustrated with their reading glasses and decline in vision. RLE is also known as the Life style Lens because it allows patients to return to many of the activities that they enjoy. The procedure for refractive lens exchange is virtually identical to cataract surgery. The difference is that in RLE, the lens being replaced is clear, rather than a cloudy lens due to a cataract.