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ALTERNATIVES TO LASIK

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)

Traditionally, prescription glasses and contact lenses have been used to aid with farsightedness and reading glasses and bifocals have been used to help with presbyopia. These options are not only a hassle, but they can be expensive to maintain.

Here at Providence Eye & Laser Specialists, we are pleased to offer several different vision correction surgeries to people who previously thought they had no options. If you think you are "too old" or "too farsighted" to have laser vision correction surgery, think again. Thanks to advancements in technology, those who were previously thought to be too old or too farsighted for LASIK now how a safe, permanent option for laser vision correction surgery.

RLE - An Alternative to LASIK

Our surgeon here at Providence Eye, Dr. Trey Nunnery, recommends Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) for two types of individuals:

  • People who are between the ages of 45-65 who are experiencing the effects of presbyopia, the medical term for the stiffening of the eye lenses that makes it increasingly difficult to focus on objects up-close without reading glasses
  • People between the ages of 21-45 who are not good candidates for LASIK vision correction because they are severely farsighted (have trouble focusing on up close items more than distance)

The RLE procedure involves removing your eye’s natural lens and replacing it with an artificial Intraocular Lens (IOL) that is designed to match your specific vision needs. After a comprehensive evaluation, Dr. Nunnery will help you determine which type of IOL (monofocal, multifocal, extended depth of focus, or toric) will best help you reach these goals.

How does farsightedness differ from presbyopia?

  • Farsightedness (hyperopia) occurs when an eye has a flatter cornea or is shorter, which forces light entering the eye to focus behind the retina. This causes blurry vision and typically affects reading, texting and performing other up-close visual tasks.
  • Presbyopia (from the Greek word meaning old eye) occurs to most people over age 40. It is the gradual loss of your eye’s ability to focus on nearby objects because the eye lenses become less and less flexible. When a lens slowly loses its flexibility, it struggles to focus on up-close items such as restaurant menus, prescription labels and magazines – especially in low light.

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Learn More About RLE Today

Call 704-540-9595 or complete the short form below to schedule an appointment to discuss Refractive Lens Exchange with Dr. Nunnery.

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You will be receiving a call from our team within 24 business hours from our main number (704) 540-9595. We use this number for both phone calls and text messaging. We do not use a call center. We recommend you add this number to your contacts enabling you to recognize us when we call.

We look forward to getting to know you and assisting with your seeing more and living better!

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