Refractive Lens Exchange

There are many ways that you can improve your eyesight through fairly routine and simple procedures. Many people choose to have LASIK surgery. Others have PRK surgery. Another option that you should consider if you want to improve your vision is refractive lens exchange or lens replacement surgery. On this page, you can learn more about this option, the potential risks, and what to do if this procedure hurt you more than it helped you. Call us for claims involving Connecticut refractive lens exchange malpractice.

What is Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE)?

Refractive lens exchange is a procedure that replaces a person’s natural eye lens with an artificial one. This is meant to help the patient have clearer focus in their vision and it can fix refractive issues in the eye. Those who need glasses or bifocals might be good candidates for this procedure. If you are extremely farsighted, RLE also might be a better option than something like LASIK surgery.

A refractive lens exchange procedure is essentially the same thing as the cataract procedure. The only difference is the lens itself – in cataract surgery it is cloudy and in RLE surgery it is clear. There are a few intraocular lens (IOL) options if you are having an RLE procedure:

• Accommodating IOL: This type of lens enables the eye to focus across multiple distances.
• Multifunctional IOL: This type of lens also allows for clear vision across multiple distances.
• Monofocal Fixed Focus IOL: This will usually correct astigmatism and offer clear vision across multiple distances, just not all at once.

The surgery itself is a quick outpatient procedure and recovery usually takes about a few weeks or up to a few weeks to see the full results of the procedure.

Risks of RLE Surgery

Like all procedures, the RLE surgery comes with some risks that you should be made aware of before you agree to this treatment option. If your doctor does not review these risks with you, and knowing about these risks would have impacted your decision to have the surgery, you could sue your doctor for lack of informed consent. A few common side effects or issues that may occur after the refractive lens exchange are:

• Dislocation of the IOL.
• Retina detachment.
• Drooping eyelids.
• An increase in eye pressure.
• Eye infection.
• Bleeding eye.
• Blurry vision or other vision issues such as seeing spots or halos.

Consult a Connecticut Malpractice Lawyer on RLE Claims

If you do experience a side effect of this treatment option, you then need to determine if it is the result of the general risk of the procedure, or if something went wrong. For example, did your surgeon follow proper protocol when performing the procedure? Or did they commit a medical error that caused an issue with your eyes? Also consider the equipment used in your surgery. Was the equipment faulty in any way? Did issues with the equipment lead to complications with the procedure? If a medical error occurred or if the equipment was faulty, you could sue the doctor or the product manufacturer. For further assistance with a medical malpractice case, contact my office. I am happy to provide more resources about Connecticut refractive lens exchange malpractice and help you through this experience.