Eyes over 40
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the result of the loss of "near focus" capacity of the human eye after a certain age. As a result, and not so infrequently in a fairly sudden manner, one realises that reading in dim light, or trying to decipher incoming calls on your mobile phone, just picking one’s food from the menu, or putting make-up on becomes progressively difficult.
This is not about the eyes becoming sick, but it's a normal age-related phenomenon, experienced by all humans, although at different moments of their lives and with different intensities. For example, hyperopes (farsighted people) begin to feel the presbyopia at an earlier age, whiles for the myopes this happens later.
The last 20 years have brought a great deal of spectacular changes in ophthalmology, but in spite all the breakthroughs, until recently the only options offered for presbyopia correction were those producing a non-natural visual situation called monovision.
What is monovision?
Usually, both eyes work together equally when one looks at an object, producing what's called binocular vision and giving a three dimensional image of the object.
In monovision one eye is set for distance vision and the other is set for near vision This is obtained by inducing in the latter eye a low amount of myopia (shortsitedness) which allows it clear vision at reading distance but blurs its distance vision. There are several ways to induce monovision:
LASIK-induced monovision
LASIK surgery can be used to produce monovision in a presbyopic patient by purposely leaving one eye slightly nearsighted so that these patients can see up close without glasses (out of one eye). This technique is not universally desirable because not everyone can become accustomed to the absence of binocular vision, and one always must bear in mind that Lasik is a temporary solution and a presbyopic patient is bound to have at least one other eye surgery (cataract surgery) later in his or her life.
Conductive keratoplasty (CK) induced monovision
CK is a in-the-office technique which uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to reshape the cornea and make it steeper, and as a result objects at reading distance are coming more into focus with the treated eye.
After the eye being numbed with a topical anesthetic (eye drops), controlled RF energy is applied in a circular pattern to shrink the corneal tissue in the periphery of the cornea.
Patients don’t need to wear a patch, and are able to retake normal activities the following day. Vision generally begins improving in about a week's time. As with other procedures, the level of improved vision is temporary.
The only binocular permanent solution for presbyopia : PRELEX.
The only procedure which offers today a binocular solution for presbyopia is the one called Presbyopic Lens Exchange (PRELEX). This means that, unlike in monovision, both eyes work together at all distances after surgery, preserving the 3-dimensional vision (natural capacity to asses the distance to the object the person looks at).
PRELEX involves removing the eye's natural lens and inserting an artificial one in a procedure based on the coming together of all the recent sophisticated advances in cataract surgery and the space-age optic technology applied to manufacturing of intraocular lenses (IOL). The complex design of the new generation of IOLs (multifocal IOLs) allows vision at different distances, far and near.
Once the patient’s case is studied and the ophthalmologist finds it suitable for these types of lenses, they are implanted in the eye through a 12-15 minutes procedure similar to the standard cataract surgery, under topical anaesthesia (anaesthesia with drops) on an outpatient base. No stitches are used and the patient begins to experiment the visual benefits as early as the following day.
As a result of the surgery, the patient doesn't need glasses neither for his or her usual distance-bound activities like driving, nor for the near ones, like reading a restaurant menu, checking a mobile phone screen or a wrist watch.
Cataract patients are of course within the group of patients who can benefit from this technique.
The emotional benefits of this visual outcome are remarkable. Patients report having noticed a definite improvement of their personal image and well being, as they feel like regaining a capacity they didn't experience since their thirties.
Read the testimonial of our PRELEX patients
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