Refractive Lens Exchange
in Seattle & Portland
King LASIK is the Pacific Northwest’s trusted source for lifechanging corrective vision surgeries, and one of our most popular is refractive lens exchange (RLE). Dr. King partners with Andrew Kopstein, M.D., Lorne Schlect, M.D., and our sister practice, K2 Vision, to help patients see better with this excellent alternative to LASIK.
What is RLE?
After turning 45, our vision tends to change as the eye’s lens becomes stiff — a natural aging process called presbyopia. This makes it harder for us to focus on objects up close and is why we tend to need reading glasses as we age. If this sounds familiar, you may be a perfect candidate for refractive lens exchange.
During an RLE procedure, your surgeon replaces your eye’s natural lens (which prior to surgery has the wrong “prescription” for good eyesight) with an artificial intra-optical implant (IOL) – an artificial lens that will give you clear, crisp focus across multiple distances.
Benefits of RLE
RLE can be an exceptional alternative for those seeking improved visual clarity but aren’t candidates for LASIK or similar procedures. RLE shares many benefits with LASIK and other similar surgeries, and even has a few of its own. Benefits of RLE include:
- Improved vision, particularly with premium IOL offerings
- Reduced dependency on corrective eyewear
- Leaves the cornea intact, which can prevent certain complications, such as dry eye
- RLE is permanent, so you won’t need to worry about your artificial lens degrading
- Prevents cataracts from developing in the future
Why Choose Us for Your RLE Procedure?
For RLE surgeries, King LASIK’s sister practice, K2 Vision, turns to Board Certified ophthalmologists Dr. Andrew Kopstein and Dr. Lorne Schlect. Drs. Kopstein and Schlect are regarded as the Pacific Northwest’s foremost RLE surgeons. They have performed thousands of successful RLE procedures and more than 100,000 successful eye surgeries in their over 50 years of combined experience. Dr. Kopstein’s tremendous skill has led him to become one of the few doctors in the country to run a practice entirely dedicated to RLE and ICL surgery. Dr. Schlect’s important research and specialized training have resulted in him winning many awards and accolades for his contributions to the industry.
K2 Vision is the area’s premier source for RLE surgeries, and boasts industry-leading expertise and technology for reliable and ultraprecise vision correction. We understand sometimes the best solution for our patients isn’t LASIK, which is why we offer lifechanging vision correction through this exceptional alternative to LASIK. We want our patients to have choices for how they improve their vision, and there are few choices as extraordinary as LASIK with King LASIK or RLE with K2 Vision — so speak with our doctors, and we can discover if RLE is right for your needs!
Which Procedure Is Right for You?
LASIK Procedures
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, commonly known as LASIK surgery, is a corrective vision surgery where your eye’s cornea is gently reshaped with an incredibly precise laser. LASIK can improve your vision and reduce or eliminate your dependency on eyewear.
LASIK Procedures
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, commonly known as LASIK surgery, is a corrective vision surgery where your eye’s cornea is gently reshaped with an incredibly precise laser. LASIK can improve your vision and reduce or eliminate your dependency on eyewear.
RLE Procedures
RLE is a permanent vision solution for older patients who suffer from myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) and aren’t eligible for LASIK. The procedure involves replacing your eye’s hardened natural lens with a vision-enhancing IOL.
RLE Recovery
RLE is a quick outpatient procedure, with almost no downtime. The surgery itself takes about 10 minutes, and most patients can return to their everyday activities after just a day or two. Most patients also report improvement to their vision immediately! In the weeks after your procedure, you may feel a scratchy sensation and potentially experience blurred vision, halos around lights, or glare as your eyes heal. These side effects are both normal and temporary, and you should be able to enjoy your enhanced clarity — and quality of life — within a few weeks.
TESTIMONIALS
Me and my husband had our vision corrected here. My husband had his RPK done 2 years ago, they said in 5 days you can be back to work but it took him 2.5 solid weeks before his vision became 20/20. He was worried that his vision was blurry but friends and family assured not to worry and stay away from screen whatever it's computer, TV or cell phone. In the end he really liked the results and recommended I do it too.I had Lasic and they said next day it's going to be 20/20 but it's been 7 days and still not perfect.. yet. But I believe when it's fully healed I'll have 20/20.The people who work there are wonderful and I will explain and answer all your questions. Dr. King is great and reached out with text message in evening of procedure to make sure that everything was okay.In the end I recommend this place, just don't panic if results are not immediate as promised.
I had a really good experience with King Lasik. The surgery was just as they described, so was the recovery. My eyes were dry for about four days afterward and that was it. I now have 20/15 vision!
Going into any surgery always puts a person a bit on edge.. especially surgery on your eyes! For the weeks leading up to my big day, I tried not to think about the process and just focus on the fact that I was going to be able to see when I open my eyes in the morning! Same for the day of surgery, although I did feel most nervous in the car ride down. Dr. King and his wonderful staff took great care of me! The procedure was so quick, it was over before I could process that it had begun. I also loved that they talked to me the entire time to let me know exactly what they were doing and what I was going to experience. I was definitely uncomfortable afterward and couldn’t wait to get to sleep but, after a great sleep, I woke up this morning feeling great and seeing better than I ever have, even with glasses/contacts! I can’t believe I can see! I can’t believe I never have to put in my contacts again. This is real, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to completely change my life! Thanks King Lasik!!
Review of LasikSee all the benefitsFrom my initial visit I have been very pleased with King LASIK. The people at the Lynnwood office were very helpful, inviting, and comforting in my decision and having laser eye surgery. I have been very hesitant to have surgery since they are my eyes. The clinic in Lynnwood gave me all the information I needed to make an informed decision. They did talk a lot about monovision which I decided against and I am very glad that I did because my vision is exceptional. If in 10 years I need readers so be it. But I am glad that I went with 100% correction today.On surgery day I was a little nervous as you can imagine. Driving to Renton, over an hour, not a pleasant experience, but upon arriving wonderful staff greeted me and again went over all the necessary required details for the surgery day. Again a very welcoming staff. Extremely informative staff. I felt very at ease, as much as you can be on a surgery day.After going over all measurements again. Time for the surgery.One of the things I really like about the actual procedure, was the nurse or doctor's assistant who kept me informed throughout the surgery. She let me know how long something would take - 5 seconds or 10 seconds. And pretty much made sure I knew what was going on for the entire 11 minutes surgery. Because again it is very scary to have somebody suctioning your eye and then lasering it. I found that person to be very helpful in settling my nerves and making sure I knew what was going on for the procedure.After the procedure the drive home I will tell you now bring a box of Kleenex. My eyes and nose were running copiously. After all, they did just experienced an extreme trauma so it is a given. But nonetheless make sure you're prepared for the eye watering and nose running. And I mean lots lots lots of watering and nose running for 2-3 hours. When I arrived home I did as the staff informed me to do and that was take a nap. My eyes were stinging therefore kept watering for another 2 hours. I rested with my eye goggles on, super sexy goggles I will have you know. After about three hours my eyes stop stinging, stop watering and my nose stopped running. My vision was a little cloudy, but that is again expected as I did just have laser eye surgery. I rested for the rest of the day not doing a whole lot no computer no TV no phone (supposed to refrain from TV and monitors for 2-3 days). When I awoke in the morning I put my drops in as prescribed and noticed I had very good vision. My eyes were tired as if you were to be reading for a long time. They did not hurt. As the day went on I found it best to rest my eyes more frequently keep them hydrated and pretty much just be a calm little meditating person. Which is very difficult for me to do.The day after the surgery I went in for my post-op check up, and the doctor said that my eyes were looking very well. My vision was exceptional.One of the main drivers for me choosing King LASIK was the fact that they have satellite clinics for the post-op so you don't have to drive all the way back to Renton. Driving an hour and a half for a 10-minute appointment is an awful lot of time in a car. So having the convenience of driving 25 minutes down the street was a huge plus for me and of course my driver.As the week progressed Friday and Saturday my eyes were very tired and dry of course. I kept putting the refresh drops in about every hour and I rested quite a bit because my eyes were very tired. Doing anything like television or looking at my phone was very straining so I refrained for most of it. I would go about a half hour of walking around to a half hour of sitting with my eyes closed.Finally eyes felt good Sunday (not sure I could have gone back to work for 2-3 days - surgery Wednesday). Felt good enough to go out and about walking around as long as I had my hat and sunglasses on. After a couple hours out and about my eyes were very tired but felt good. About every 45 minutes I have been putting in restore drops to keep my eyes hydrated especially since it's warm and sunny ou
I finally got it done! I was, understandably, nervous to get Lasik. However Doctor King and his staff really made it an easy decision. They prepare you and ensure you are well informed. I was able to see 20/15 the next day, and my new night vision makes me feel like a super hero! I felt completely back to normal in just two weeks and no more glasses and contacts! Highly recommended.
Price was really affordable which made it really easy to get it done. I am a grad/med school student so I am pretty broke. The staff was really great and answered my questions about the procedure and my eye condition. Waiting rooms are always filled with snacks and they do a great job of making you feel comfortable. Procedure itself was really fast and well worth being able to see and not use glasses anymore! No more hassle!
