LASIK Versus Refractive Lens Exchange

Both LASIK and refractive lens exchange treat refractive errors in your eyes such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, but they are very different surgical procedures that each serve a different purpose for our patients. Our LASIK surgeons will recommend the procedure that is right for you based on your current eye health and vision.

During LASIK surgery, your cornea is reshaped to correct the irregularities that cause blurry vision. LASIK is generally appropriate to treat patients who are suffering from refractive errors alone.

With a refractive error, your cornea is either curved too much so that your eye is elongated like a football or it is not curved enough to be rounded like a basketball, the ideal shape for good vision. This error in shape prevents light from focusing correctly on your retina.

LASIK surgery allows our ophthalmologists to correct the shape of your cornea with a laser so that you can see clearly. Recovery from LASIK usually takes about a week, and you may experience clearer vision almost immediately.

Refractive lens exchange is most often used to treat presbyopia or cataracts. Presbyopia is a condition that affects everyone as they age. The lens in your eye becomes less flexible as you grow older and prevents you from focusing clearly. Cataracts are a clouding of your lens because of protein fibers that clump within your eye and block light from your vision.

A refractive lens exchange procedure can help both of these age-related conditions. During a lens exchange procedure, the doctor replaces your eye's natural lens with a new lens, such as Crystalens, ReZoom, or ReSTOR. Each type of lens has different advantages that our surgeons will discuss with you.

Recovery from refractive lens exchange can take over a week, and it can be six to 12 weeks before your final results are apparent and you are seeing clearly again.

If you are interested in vision correction surgery, please contact Hummel Eye Associates by calling 405-755-6111 today to schedule a consultation. We serve patients in Oklahoma City, Norman, Edmond, and the surrounding areas of Oklahoma.