Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) in Vienna: The 2026 Generation for Your Life Without Progressive Lenses

Surgically, it is the same procedure. Standard cataract surgery is performed when the lens is already severely clouded and uses a simple standard lens (reading glasses remain necessary). Refractive lens exchange uses high-tech lenses (EDOF/Trifocal) for a life largely without glasses.

Trifocal lenses (like ODYSSEE, PanOptix Plus, ENVY) use fine grooves to divide light into three focal points. They offer maximum freedom from glasses even for the tiniest print, but can cause slight halos at night. Refractive EDOF lenses (like PureSee, LuxLife) use a smooth principle. They offer excellent vision at a distance and on the PC without halos at night. For extremely fine print, reading glasses may be needed.

No. Your eyes are completely numbed locally with drops. You will only feel slight pressure during the surgery (10 to 15 minutes per eye).

Absolutely not. The premium lens is inserted with micrometer precision into the capsular bag of your eye. There are no pain nerves inside the eye.

The biocompatible acrylate materials do not decompose. The lens lasts your entire life and does not need to be replaced.

No! Since your natural lens, which is prone to clouding, has been replaced by a crystal-clear artificial lens, you can never again suffer from cataracts (cataract) in your lifetime.

Months or years after lens exchange, the body’s own tissue capsule, in which the new lens sits, can become slightly cloudy (secondary cataract). This is a normal cellular reaction. We “polish” this capsule painlessly with a YAG laser in 60 seconds. After that, vision is crystal clear forever.

Your brain must learn to perfectly filter the new, high-resolution optical signal from the premium lens and to suppress any nocturnal light effects. This learning process (neuroadaptation) usually takes 3 to 6 months.

Visual recovery is extremely fast. Most patients see excellently at a distance on the very first day after surgery. The fine-tuning of near vision stabilizes in the following weeks.

Most patients are able to return to work and work on a screen 2 to 3 days after the operation. Heavy physical work should be avoided for 1 week.

Light sports (jogging) are permitted after 3 to 4 days. Swimming (Alte Donau, thermal baths) and sauna are strictly forbidden for 3 weeks to avoid severe bacterial infections inside the eye (endophthalmitis).

Absolutely not on the day of the surgery. During the medical check-up on the following day, the doctor will give you permission as soon as the legally required visual acuity is reached.

FLACS (Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery) is the premium method. A computer-controlled femtosecond laser opens the lens capsule in a mathematically perfect circle. This guarantees the exact centering of the new high-end lens, which is crucial, especially for trifocal and EDOF lenses.

Make-up particles and cream vapors massively endanger microbiological sterility in the operating room.

Please completely refrain from eye make-up for at least 1 week to prevent infections from bacteria in mascara or eyeshadow.

Contact lenses deform the cornea and influence the AI-supported biometry values that we need to calculate your lens with micrometer precision. Remove soft lenses 1 week and hard lenses 4 weeks before the examination.

For lens exchange, for safety reasons, we often prefer a gap of a few days to a week between the right and left eye to optimally monitor wound healing.

Yes, absolutely. We order the premium lenses (whether EDOF or trifocal) in the “toric” version. These are precisely adapted to your axis and correct presbyopia and astigmatism simultaneously.

In extremely rare cases (approx. 1-3%), the lens can rotate in the eye in the first few weeks, leading to blurred vision. In this case, we simply readjust the lens to the perfect position in a short sterile procedure.

The risk of a severe complication leading to blindness is extremely low (far below 1:10,000). We minimize this risk through highly sterile operating conditions (Class 1 operating room), strict hygiene, and antibiotic drops.

In curved, longer eyes, the retina is under tension. If we remove the body’s own large lens and insert a flat artificial lens, the vitreous body moves. The risk of retinal detachment increases significantly. We do not unnecessarily expose your retina to this risk (especially before the age of 55).

The tear film is the very first refractive layer of the eye; it must be intact for a premium lens to function optimally. We analyze your tear film in detail beforehand and, if necessary, initiate therapy (e.g., IPL light therapy).

To utilize the perfect advantages of both lens systems, we often place a halo-free EDOF lens (e.g., PureSee) in the dominant eye (for perfect night vision) and a trifocal lens (e.g., ODYSSEE) in the non-dominant eye (for fine reading). The brain seamlessly blends both visual impressions.

Premium safety tolerates no haste. The optical AI measurement, endothelial cell count, and retinal check with dilated pupils require time. In addition, there is the detailed consultation with the surgeon about the optical compromise.

Refractive lens exchange with state-of-the-art premium lenses often costs between 3,000 and 4,500 Euros per eye. The price reflects the high-precision customisation, the use of the femtosecond laser (FLACS), and the extremely high material costs of the global market lenses.

No. The health insurance funds only pay for a simple standard lens in cases of medically pronounced cataracts. Lens exchange for freedom from glasses is considered a private service. However, you can deduct the costs for tax purposes in your employee assessment.

Yes, in cooperation with our reliable financing partners, we offer convenient installment payment models.

Yes. Since every body heals individually, in rare cases (approx. 2-5%), there may be a small residual refractive error. Here, our EyeLaser quality promise: We can usually perfect the result easily through a fine laser touch-up on the cornea.