
Refractive Lens Exchange
Modern RLE Surgery
Restore clarity and brightness to your vision with the new standard in Refractive Lens Exchange surgery—safer, gentler, and highly customizable. Quite simply, this is the best technology in the world.
Refractive Lens Exchange
Enjoy perfect vision now.
Why wait until you need cataract surgery? Laser-assisted RLE with multifocal intra-ocular lenses make it so there are no needles, no blades, and potentially NO glasses afterward. This is the future of vision over 45!
Precision
Laser-assisted RLE surgery is a precise treatment that’s highly customized to each patient. The method allows for little to no discomfort during surgery and a more rapid recovery. Patients will experience a gentler lens removal versus traditional techniques, reduced inflammation, and the potential for a reduced need for glasses or contacts after surgery.
Personalization
One size does not fit all. There are different options for you to choose from when it comes to your replacement lens. Your doctor will help you determine the best option for you based on your anatomy, expectations, and lifestyle. RLE pricing can also be confusing. We will walk you through the process and help you fully understand the costs, including what your insurance will and won’t cover, so you can make a confident, informed decision.
Performance
These are not your parents’ lenses! Technologically advanced multi-focal lenses can give you back the eyesight of your youth. Combined with state-of-the-art laser-assisted surgical equipment and over 100,000 successful lens replacement surgeries performed, our SharpeVision surgeons take RLE surgery to a new level.
Laser RLE
The Catalys Method
CATALYS is a precise treatment that’s highly customized to each patient. The method allows for little to no discomfort during surgery and a more rapid recovery. Patients will experience gentler lens removal, reduced inflammation, and the potential for a reduced need for glasses or contacts after surgery.

What to expect
Modern RLE: Start to Finish
Comprehensive exam
A comprehensive, dilated examination is the only way to know which vision-correction procedure is best for you. While your exam involves comprehensive diagnostic testing, it is also our opportunity to learn more about you, your expectations, and your lifestyle. All of these factors play an important role in recommending if RLE is the best procedure for you:
The complete exam can take up to 90 minutes. After all the data is collected, our doctor will examine you, discuss the treatment recommendation, and answer any questions you have. Your visit will include dilation of your pupils, which will affect your eyesight for about 4-6 hours, as you may have experienced with a routine eye exam.
Before Procedure
The SharpeVision team will discuss various lens implant options that may eliminate glasses after RLE surgery. Depending on your pre-operative vision and desired visual result, your doctor may recommend a tailored treatment plan that could include creating ultra-precise laser incisions in the cornea and a specific clear lens type, such as a multi-focal lens. This tailored treatment may reduce your need for glasses or contacts after surgery.
Your doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops that reduce swelling and the risk of infection. We’ll provide specific instructions on how to use them after surgery. Depending on your location, your surgery will be performed in either a hospital or an outpatient surgery center. When you arrive, you will be checked in and asked to sign an informed consent document. You will be taken to a room and given drops to prepare your eye for the surgery. You will be given an IV with medicine that will help you relax. Most people feel sleepy during the procedure.
Day of Procedure
Because every eye varies in size and shape, the CATALYS advanced 3D imaging builds a 3D map of each eye and tailors the treatment to that map. This mapping technology allows your doctor to create a customized treatment plan that matches the uniqueness of each eye.
During the procedure, eye drops are used to completely numb the eye—no needles are used at all. Your surgeon then uses the CATALYS laser to create a circular opening for accessing and removing the lens. This opening is about 10 times more accurate when performed with CATALYS than what is achieved by hand.
Post-Procedure
After your surgery, you will spend a short period of time resting in the outpatient recovery area before you are ready to be driven home. You should expect to have blurry vision and mild soreness after the procedure, but you will be able to see your doctor the very next day at your SharpeVision location.
Refractive Lens Exchange
What is RLE?
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Candidate Quiz
Are you Eligible?
Could Refractive Lens Exchange be right for you? There are some conditions that could exclude certain patients. Take our quick and easy candidate quiz to find out if RLE surgery could be your vision correction solution.
