Refractive lens exchange is a procedure that gets rid of presbyopia by removing your stiffening natural lens and replacing it with an intraocular lens, or IOL. At Crews LASIK & Cataract Center, this procedure is performed by experienced, board-certified ophthalmologists led by Stanley L. Crews, M.D., who has provided advanced vision correction care in Portland for over 30 years.
The IOLs used in refractive lens exchange can give you a full range of vision with little need for glasses, allowing you to move seamlessly from reading up close to seeing clearly at a distance without blurred vision.
What Is Presbyopia?
Age-related farsightedness, also called presbyopia, is an inevitable side effect of aging. It results from the stiffening of the natural lens in your eye as you get older.
Presbyopia is the reason why you need reading glasses in your forties. As your lens loses flexibility, it becomes less able to focus on objects close to your eyes. It becomes stuck in a farsighted position. Therefore, you need reading glasses to compensate for your inability to focus up-close.
This stiffening of your natural lens is an unavoidable aspect of getting older. But that does not mean you need to wear reading glasses for the rest of your life. Refractive lens exchange can restore your vision to clear eyesight after presbyopia has affected your lenses.
How Refractive Lens Exchange Works
During refractive lens exchange, your surgeon removes your natural lens. They do this by first making an incision in your cornea, the outer layer of your eye.
This incision allows them to access your natural lens, which sits behind your cornea. When they can reach the lens, they use an ultrasound device to break it into smaller pieces.
After it’s broken down, they can remove your lens using gentle suction. Removing the lens gives them space to replace it with an IOL.
They insert the IOL you’ve chosen into the cavity left by your natural lens. Then they close the corneal incision and send you home to recover.
The Benefits of Refractive Lens Exchange
Refractive lens exchange offers more than improved vision—it provides lasting visual freedom.
Benefits include:
- Clear vision at near, intermediate, and distance ranges
- Little to no need for reading glasses
- Permanent correction of presbyopia
- Prevention of cataracts
- Customized vision with advanced IOL technology
With premium IOL options, refractive lens exchange can be tailored to match your daily activities and visual goals.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Refractive Lens Exchange?
Refractive lens exchange is an ideal option for adults who want to correct presbyopia and reduce or eliminate their dependence on reading glasses. It is most often recommended for patients over 40 whose vision changes are caused by the aging natural lens.
You may be a good candidate if you:
- Struggle with reading glasses or bifocals
- Want clear near, intermediate, and distance vision
- Are not a good candidate for LASIK due to age or corneal factors
- Want a permanent solution that also prevents future cataracts
A comprehensive eye exam is the best way to determine whether refractive lens exchange and which IOL option is right for your vision and lifestyle.
Recovery and Results
The IOL should improve your vision within a few days. It could even give you clear eyesight within a couple of hours after your procedure.
Full recovery from refractive lens exchange is less than two months. But you should be able to return to your everyday routine within 2 or 3 days.
Refractive Lens Exchange vs. LASIK
LASIK and refractive lens exchange both reduce the need for glasses, but they treat vision problems in different ways.
LASIK reshapes the cornea and is typically best for younger patients. However, it does not prevent presbyopia, which means many LASIK patients still need reading glasses as they age.
Refractive lens exchange replaces the natural lens, directly addressing presbyopia and eliminating the possibility of future cataracts.
For patients over 40 seeking long-term visual freedom, refractive lens exchange is often the more comprehensive option.
What Are IOLs?
Intraocular lenses or IOLs are artificial lenses used in refractive lens exchange. Before your procedure, your eye doctor will help you choose the best IOL for you.
When you develop presbyopia, your natural lens can no longer elongate to focus on objects near your eyes. IOLs replace your natural lens to do the job it can no longer perform.
The right IOL, like the PanOptix trifocal, Vivity, or Synergy, can give you good up-close sight as well as crisp intermediate and far vision. They allow you to read, knit, or look at your cell phone without glasses.
With the same lens, you can also play golf or attend a concert without glasses. Premium IOLs like these give you true visual freedom.
You may need glasses to read food or prescription labels. But those are rare cases, and you should use visual aids only when necessary.
The PanOptix Trifocal IOL
The PanOptix trifocal IOL is the first trifocal IOL available in the country. Most premium multifocal IOLs are bifocal, meaning they have two refractive rings.
These rings are set into the lens and focus light at near and far distances. The PanOptix trifocal has a third ring in its lens, giving it a broader range of vision.
Unlike other multifocal IOLs, the PanOptix trifocal also gives you focused intermediate vision. The extra refractive ring in the lens is set between the near and far rings.
This third refractive ring extends the outer focal point beyond that of other IOLs, eliminating blurriness between focal points. These gaps in your vision between distances are the most common side effect of multifocal IOLs.
Having three focal points means it can give you continuous vision from far away to up close, with no gaps between distances.
The PanOptix trifocal gives you distance, intermediate, and up-close vision. It eliminates your need for glasses, no matter what you’re doing.
If you are getting a refractive lens exchange to end presbyopia, the PanOptix trifocal can give you more visual freedom than you may have ever had.
The Vivity IOL
The Vivity IOL is a non-diffractive extended depth-of-focus (EDOF) IOL. It is the first and only IOL of its kind.
Rather than have focal points etched into the lens as in multifocal IOLs, the Vivity IOL has extended focal ranges. It gives you a field of clear vision with elongated focal points.
This elongation differs from standard focal points, which are set to a single distance. Set focal points like this also split the light entering your eye.
Splitting light can cause small gaps in your vision. The Vivity IOL uses something called X-Wave technology to avoid these gaps.
It bends and shifts the light entering your eye to eliminate the gaps created by other IOLs. This shifting of light gives you disturbance-free vision as you transition between distances.
You can go from seeing clearly far away to looking at something directly in front of you, with no gaps in your eyesight. The Vivity IOL is another IOL that can give you true visual freedom.
You may need reading glasses for the finest of text. Besides that, you can see everything around you, near, far, and between.
The Light Adjustable Lens
The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is a revolutionary technology in ophthalmology, offering customizable vision correction. It utilizes a unique material that can be precisely adjusted post-implantation to refine visual acuity.
Patients can experience improved vision without the need for additional surgeries. This dynamic adaptability sets a new standard in cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange.
Why Choose Crews LASIK & Cataract Center for Refractive Lens Exchange?
Crews LASIK & Cataract Center is led by Stanley L. Crews, M.D., a board-certified ophthalmologist with over 30 years of experience providing advanced vision correction to patients throughout Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Crews is an active member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and has extensive training in refractive lens exchange, cataract surgery, and LASIK.
His background includes advanced ophthalmology training at the University of Washington and decades of hands-on surgical experience using the latest technologies. Patients trust Crews LASIK & Cataract Center for personalized care, proven results, and a commitment to helping each individual achieve clearer vision with confidence through refractive lens exchange.
Advanced Refractive Lens Exchange in Portland, OR
Living with presbyopia does not mean you have to rely on reading glasses for the rest of your life. Refractive lens exchange offers a permanent way to restore clear vision at every distance while preventing future cataracts.
If you are considering refractive lens exchange in Portland, the experienced team at Crews LASIK & Cataract Center is here to guide you through your options and help you determine whether this procedure is right for you. To learn more and take the next step toward clearer vision, call 800-757-3525 to schedule a consultation.