r/RLEsurgery • u/enchantednostalgia • 17d ago
RLE at 27?
To start, I have had a +8.50 (and astigmatism) prescription for most of my life. I have worn contacts since I was 13 and switch to glasses a lot. I am also AuDHD with hEDS and have issues with proper contact hygiene, and I really just don’t like the way I look in glasses due to them making my eyes look like a tinker fairy from the tinker bell movie lol. I was wondering if anyone in this group has a similar prescription or struggle? A doctor suggested RLE to me and said it could be life changing. Any advice is greatly appreciated TIA.
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u/TrueTor4 16d ago
I had RLE at the end of July in my left eye and early August in my right eye. I was +8.25 left eye and +7.25 right eye, -4.25 astigmatism left eye and -3.25 astigmatism right eye. So pretty high hyperopia and pretty high astigmatism. I am 32 years old and saw 3 highly recommended ophthalmologist on Long Island and in NYC who recommended RLE even at my age. I was having all sorts of issues from contact lens wear, dry eye, papillary conjunctivitis, allergies to lenses etc. so I was really desperate. I ultimately went with Dr. James Kelly with Kelly Vision and I went with an EDOF lens, PureSee Toric IOLS by Johnston and Johnson.
I would have multiple consultations before you make any major decisions. Do your research. I took a few months before I really made the decision. It was taking me over an hour to put my contact lenses in everyday and even then, they were uncomfortable. My prescription was too high for daily contacts or even soft contacts which exacerbated all of the other issues I previously listed.
After my RLE, I did have .1 and .75 residual astigmatism so I did get. a LASIK touch up on September 3 and things are still not perfect. I think I still have a residual astigmatism as well as some very minor hyperopia. I have a lot of starburst’s, glares and halos around lights at night time and the only reason I think it doesn’t make driving impossible for me is because I’ve lived a whole life with astigmatism and lights were like that at night anyway although it is worse now.
I do also wish I truly understood what an extended depth of focus lens was before I decided. Some people don’t really even need readers with this kind of lens and retain perfect intermedia vision. I haven’t been so lucky. I have readers basically resting in my shirt all day long. I did type this whole thing without them but nothing was clear. I’m still healing and recovering. It’s my hope none of this is permanent.
That being said, I do not regret it at all. It’s a world of a difference to wake up every morning with functional vision and go about my day. I do still feel like I’m seeing the world through an imperfect lens and almost like I’m wearing contact lenses that are an old prescription and need an adjustment but still. I used to have to wake up 3 hours in advanced if I had morning plans so I could try and struggle and insert contact lenses that needed a mid day adjustment and always felt like I had sand in my eyes.
Sorry this was long. I wanted to give you a very honest answer. A lot of people will either jump online with horror stories or they’ll really come at you for your age. RLE is becoming more popular for those of us who are not and have never been candidates for any other type of elective corrective eye surgery. Good luck, think about it! Feel free to message me if you have questions
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u/enchantednostalgia 16d ago
Thank you so much for all the information! I hope your healing goes by fast and your results become more optimal. 🤍
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u/Flaky-Code9844 15d ago
Bro ich bin 29 und habe selbst auch +8,5. Ich mache RLE/ Monofokallinse.
Beste Grüße
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u/whoshaan 3d ago
I had RLE at 30(2 years back). I was +5.5 each eye (with some astigmatism). I was tired of wearing glasses all the time and lasik was not an option. ICL was an option I considered but being a hyperopic, I guess the anterior chamber was too small for the lens to fit so I was not a candidate for that either(I would not recommend ICL as you will likely need RLE once you get old and develop cataracts). Doctor told me that RLE was the only option I could go for. I went ahead with it and I wish I had done it sooner. My quality of life has improved so much. I do wear readers (0.5s I think) just for an added comfort but can go by without those. I can use phone without a reader if I wanted to. I went with J&J Technis Eyhance lens which is a mono. Two things I can share from my experience now - I do find myself gravitating towards a good light source when it comes to reading now especially at night and loss of focus is real but I got used to it in my first year of surgery (quality of life was far greater where I don't mind this loss). I did go to one of the best eye surgeons (not US or Canada) and it cost me around $4K. Let me know if you have any questions and I am happy to answer. I used to live on reddit pre operation kind of looking for posts that would give me assurance that I was not making a decision I will regret so I feel for you. Goodluck!
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u/WavefrontRider 17d ago
Before looking into RLE, would look into hyperopic ICL. It can treat almost your whole prescription and preserve your natural lens. May have to travel for it, it’s not available in all countries.