Health

Is Refractive Lens Exchange the New LASIK Surgery? Insights from Discover Vision Centers

In North America, LASIK is among the most popular elective surgeries. In order to correct common refractive defects like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, the cornea is reshaped using a laser during the process. The need for glasses and contact lenses is decreased and occasionally eliminated after a successful lasik surgery procedure.

RLE OR REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE BENEFITS OVER LASIK

RLE proponents point out that since the natural lens has already been replaced with the plastic implant and cataracts cannot form on plastic implants, if RLE is used to correct eyesight instead of LASIK, the patient will never experience cataract development. The argument put up by supporters is that people in their mid-50s or older already have stiffened natural lenses due to presbyopia, necessitating the use of reading glasses or bifocals, or a “dysfunctional lens.”

They would contend that it is more appropriate to remove and replace an older lens that does not perform as well as a younger lens as it is to remove a completely working, flexible lens from a 30-year-old, for example, who has not yet experienced presbyopia. In addition, although imperfectly, there are currently implant methods that can correct presbyopia. These would consist of a multi-focal and extended range of focus lenses, each with advantages and disadvantages of their own. If a patient survives long enough and undergoes LASIK in their mid-50s or older, their lens will still eventually develop a cataract, as it, and they will eventually need cataract surgery. RLE supporters claim that replacing lenses in your mid-50s.

LASIK OVER RLE OR REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE BENEFITS

However, there are compelling reasons to do PRK or LASIK rather compared to RLE on a patient in their mid-50s or older, up until the point at which a cataract actually develops. First, it is claimed that RLE is far more intrusive than LASIK or PRK. While LASIK or PRK remains outside the eye, RLE enters the eye. As a result, RLE carries a significantly higher risk than LASIK or PRK. And, perhaps more concerning, numerous studies have indicated a long-term rise in the yearly risk of retinal detachment following lens replacement surgery, with many studies indicating a risk rate of 1%-2% per year.

An extremely serious medical problem that could even result in blindness is retinal detachment. Therefore, there is a larger risk of RLE both during surgery and for the rest of the patient’s life afterward. Additionally, RLE is less precise than PRK or LASIK. When the patient eventually does develop a cataract following PRK or LASIK, cataract surgery can be done without a doubt. In reality, the recent FDA clearance of the light-adjustable lens has significantly improved the accuracy of cataract surgery performed after PRK or LASIK.

To consult for your eyes, please visit discover vision centers.

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