Is Refractive Lens Exchange Right for You?
The #1 Choice for Cataract Surgery in Southwest Florida*
Request an Appointment at Quigley Eye Specialists
Please fill out the form to request an appointment. You will be contacted within 1 business day to confirm availability. For immediate concerns or emergencies, please call 855-734-2020.
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Improve Your Vision.
Improve Your Life.
A diagnosis of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism means glasses or contact lenses become a daily part of life. These tools can greatly improve your vision, but they limit certain activities and can take a toll on your finances over the years. Maybe it’s time to consider refractive lens exchange (RLE).
Request an Appointment at Quigley Eye Specialists
Please fill out the form to request an appointment. You will be contacted within 1 business day to confirm availability. For immediate concerns or emergencies, please call 855-734-2020.
Experience Better Vision
at All Distances.


If you’ve been told you’re not a candidate for LASIK or PRK,
Refractive Lens Exchange May Be Your Option for Better Vision.
Request an Appointment at Quigley Eye Specialists
Please fill out the form to request an appointment. You will be contacted within 1 business day to confirm availability. For immediate concerns or emergencies, please call 855-734-2020.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is refractive lens exchange?
RLE is identical to cataract surgery, only it’s performed before cataracts have developed, and prevents them from developing. The procedure takes approximately 15- 20 minutes per eye and touts a short recovery time.
Who is a candidate for RLE?
What are refractive errors?
Farsightedness (Hyperopia): The eye is too short or the cornea is relatively flat. Before light has covered enough distance to focus, it reaches the retina, which causes images that are close at hand to be blurred. Depending on age and the eye’s ability to accommodate, distant objects usually appear blurry as well.
Astigmatism: The cornea is oval-shaped like a football. When light passes through the cornea, it focuses in more than one place relative to the retina, which causes images near or far to appear blurred and distorted.
Emmetropia: the absence of a refractive error, and the ultimate goal of RLE.
What lens options are available?
Monofocal: Corrects nearsightedness and farsightedness (but not astigmatism or presbyopia), and provides excellent vision at one point of focus, usually distance. This lens can be used to provide “monovision” or “blended vision,” where one eye is corrected for distance, and the other eye is corrected for either intermediate or near vision.
Toric IOL: Corrects higher amounts of astigmatism using a special IOL to provide clear distance vision, near vision or both, depending on the desired result.
Limbal Relaxing Incisions: At the same time the RLE is performed, an incision is made either by hand or with a laser in the outer margins of the cornea to improve vision for individuals with mild amounts of astigmatism. These micro-incisions, called limbal relaxing incisions (LRI), create a more symmetrical cornea, which can reduce or eliminate astigmatism.
Multifocal IOL (also known as presbyopia-correcting IOL): Provide a full range of clearer vision at multiple distances – near, distant and intermediate. This allows you to perform most of your daily activities with reduced or no dependence on glasses. The PanOptix Trifolcal Lens is an example of a multifocal IOL.