Refractive Lens Exchange

Discover if Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) is right for you by taking our 60-second self-test.

Why do you need bifocals and reading glasses over age 40? There are multiple elements within the makeup of your eyes that contribute to your ability to see clearly. One of the most important is the actual lens in your eye that light passes through.

When you are in your 20s and 30s, this lens is clear and flexible. Light passes easily through the lens, and the lens itself can flex to focus on objects at different distances, much like a camera lens.

As you enter your 40s, you begin to experience near vision changes due to changes in your eyes’ lenses. It’s completely natural and part of the aging process – it will happen to all of us. This phenomenon is known as dysfunctional lens syndrome (DLS).

When you enter your 40s, and you begin to experience the onset of DLS, the lens in your eye is undergoing a series of gradual changes. We categorize these changes into 3 stages:

• Stage 1 – This is the beginning of DLS, and what is commonly referred to as presbyopia. In stage 1, the lens of your eye begins to harden and lose its flexibility. This rigidness makes it difficult for you to focus on things up close, and is the reason you may start to need reading glasses or bifocals. This stage usually begins in your early to mid-40s.
• Stage 2 – With stage 2 DLS, the lens of the eye has started the gradual process of yellowing. This affects the amount of light the lens can filter, which in turn reduces the clarity of your vision, both near and far. Symptoms of stage 2 most often begin in your late 40s to mid-50s.
• Stage 3 – This is what’s known as a cataract. With cataracts, the lens of your eye has become cloudy enough that it is significantly affecting your vision, and you need treatment to restore the quality of your sight. In the United States, the average age that people get cataract surgery is 73.

There are multiple options available for stage 1 DLS. Your lens is still healthy and clear, so you may not need to replace it just yet. Some people choose to wear bifocals or reading glasses at this stage. Laser vision correction such as LASIK may also still be a viable option for some patients.

For patients in DLS  stage 2 or stage 3, we often recommend a lens replacement procedure instead of laser vision correction, and replace the dysfunctional lens with a technologically advanced lens. We call this procedure Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE).

Refractive Lens Exchange is an amazing advancement because we are able to fix many vision correction issues with one simple procedure. The procedure not only corrects your glasses prescription, but it also improves vision quality by removing the yellowing, distorted lens.

The lens replacement procedure also eliminates the possibility of progressing into stage 3, thus preventing any future development of cataracts.

With RLE, we use our advanced diagnostic and lens technology to help you see both far and near, and reduce any astigmatism, making it possible to reduce your dependency on bifocals – for life!

RLE Benefits:

• prevents any future development of cataracts
• helps you see both near and far
• reduces any astigmatism
• reduces your dependency on reading glasses and bifocals
• permanent solution that lasts a lifetime

The first step to minimizing visual barriers is to discover your options. At Kugler Vision, we administer one of the most sophisticated exam and screening processes in the country, and will consult with you on all treatment options available. We offer this examination and evaluation to all new vision correction patients.