If you require glasses to see clearly, you are either far-sighted, near-sighted, and/or have astigmatism. To put it simply, when your eyes are trying to put things into focus, they are bending light too much, too little, or unevenly. 

While laser may be used to neutralize these abnormalities in some patients, not everyone is a good candidate for laser vision correction.  For example, if your cornea is too thin, laser vision correction may be unsafe.  Or your prescription might be too bad for laser.  Also, laser alone often doesn't eliminate the need for glasses in patients over the age of around 50-55.

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This is where Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) comes in.  It can correct a much wider range of refractive errors than laser, including presbyopia and astigmatism.  The results are usually permanent, improving your vision well into your 70's and 80's (so long as your eye is otherwise healthy).

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RLE involves replacing the natural lens in your eye with an artificial lens that has your prescription inside of it.  The surgery usually takes about 10 minutes per eye and does not hurt. 

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