Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), also called Lens Replacement Surgery or Clear Lens Exchange, is a surgical procedure to permanently correct the focus of your vision.

During RLE, the natural lens of your eye is replaced with an artificial lens implant. This new lens is designed to refocus your vision so that you can see in both the distance and up close with little or no need for glasses.

RLE is a very similar procedure to cataract surgery. The difference is that in RLE, the lens of your eye is replaced before it has turned cloudy from cataract formation.

RLE is a good option for patients over the age of 45 who want to reduce or eliminate their need for glasses. The procedure can treat the full range of prescriptions, including short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.

Cataract surgery is the term used when a patient’s lens has become cloudy. Cataract surgery is a medical procedure and it therefore attracts a Medicare rebate (and a private insurance rebate if applicable).

“Refractive lens exchange (RLE)” is the term used when the surgery is performed proactively, before a cataract develops, with the sole aim or reducing a person’s need for glasses. Refractive lensectomy is a cosmetic procedure and as such it does not attract a rebate from Medicare or your private health insurer. If you have a RLE, you will not develop cataracts and will not require “cataract surgery” in the future.

The key advantages of RLE include:

• A permanent correction of your vision. A refractive lens exchange can give you freedom from glasses for the rest of your life, without the need for any future eye surgeries. This is different to LASIK and phakic intraocular lens surgery, as these procedures typically give clear vision until age 45 – 50 years only.
• Can restore the full range of vision to each eye, from near to far.
• Spares you from ever needing cataract surgery in the future.

The idea of eye surgery can be daunting, but fortunately the recovery is very easy! Most of Dr Andrew’s RLE patients achieve “20/20” vision within 1-2 days, and most return to normal activities 48 hours after their surgery.

Most of Dr Andrew’s patients report either no discomfort or only minor eye irritation for a few days.

After your surgery, you can do everything you normally do, with a few important exceptions:

• No driving for 24 hours.
• No eye make-up for 5 days.
• No eye rubbing for 2 weeks.
• No swimming or heavy weight-lifting for 2 weeks.

Dr Andrew is a trusted eye surgeon who performs well over a thousand cataract and RLE operations every year. He has also been personally trained by the most influential ophthalmologist in the world (Dr Ike Ahmed, Canada). This prestigious training has given Dr Andrew the surgical skills to manage difficult cases and to also perform the complex corrective operations for patients experiencing any problems after eye surgery.

But what sets Dr Andrew apart most is his attention to detail when planning surgery for his patients. At Sight Specialists, we push the very limits of what is possible. Rather than measure your eye with one device, we use seven devices. Rather than use standard, default software to plan your surgery, Dr Andrew uses his own, custom-built software. The result is a surgical plan that is as perfect as modern technology permits. This approach is unique to Dr Andrew’s clinic and it is fundamental to achieving sensational refractive lens exchange results.

Vision correction surgery is an investment in yourself, as your vision is one of the few things that you use every waking moment of your life. For this reason, every year thousands of Australians chose to undergo RLE surgery.

Since RLE surgery is considered a cosmetic procedure, there is no Medicare or private health insurance rebate. Therefore, it does not matter whether you have private health insurance or not.

The total out of pocket cost for RLE surgery is approximately six thousand dollars per eye, but this may vary depending on the exact lens implant you need.

Beware that there can be hidden fees with eye surgery. Therefore, if you compare different clinics, always ensure that you are comparing the total out of pocket cost of your entire treatment journey, from first appointment through to final discharge. Also ensure that you compare the results of different surgeons, ie ensure that you are comparing “apples with apples”.

RLE surgery will set your eyesight for the rest of your life, so it must be done well. RLE and cataract surgery are Dr Nick Andrew’s core line of work, and our clinic is purpose-built to achieve the best possible results for our patients.

Would you like to immediately find out what vision correction procedure(s) you are suitable for?  Click below to take our simple, free, online suitability test!