Presbyopia is a common age-related condition that affects near vision and makes it difficult to perform tasks such as reading, working on a computer, or seeing fine print. Surgery for presbyopia is a procedure that aims to correct or improve near vision. There are several surgical options available, including corneal inlays and onlays, laser refractive surgery, and implantable contact lenses. Each procedure has its own benefits and risks, and the best option for each patient will depend on their individual needs and preferences. With modern surgical techniques, patients can enjoy improved near vision and increased quality of life after presbyopia surgery.
Reasons for Presbyopia
Throughout our youth, the lens of our eye and the muscles that control it are versatile and soft, permitting us to concentrate on close things and shift focus from close to remote things without a problem.
As the eye ages, however, both the lens and the muscle fibers start to harden, making near vision a greater challenge.
Surgical Treatment for Presbyopia
The most typical kind of treatment for presbyopia is wearing checking out glasses, bifocals or progressive lenses. Bifocal and multifocals are likewise readily available in contact lenses for those who prefer to be glasses-free. A third option, however, is a number of surgical procedures that enable you the liberty of fixing your near vision without using glasses or contact lenses.
LASIK
Monovision LASIK
Monovision is a technique that began with presbyopia-correcting contact lenses designed for people with presbyopia and nearsightedness or astigmatism. Each eye gets various lens power– one lens is used in the dominant eye to correct for distance vision and the other for near vision. The eyes adjust to the 2 lens powers by learning to utilize the suitable eye for the essential range power.
Monovision LASIK surgery is based on the exact same principle of remedying each eye for a different refractive power and has revealed simply as high if not higher success rates than the contact lens method. Normally, clients will try out monovision with contacts first to make sure that it works and that the eyes adapt properly.
Presby LASIK
PresbyLASIK is a procedure that is currently offered in Canada and Europe and undergoing medical trials in the United States. Instead of monovision LASIK, this procedure is a multifocal option in which different rings of refractive power are created on the cornea, similar to multifocal lenses. This supplies vision correction at all ranges simultaneously.
Conductive Keratoplasty (CK)
Conductive Keratoplasty uses radio waves through a hand-held instrument to mold the corneal surface area to improve near vision. The procedure can be done on one eye utilizing the monovision concept and is a great service for those that do not need vision correction for nearsightedness or astigmatism.
The results of CK, however are not permanent and the enhancement in near vision will diminish over time.
Corneal Inlays or Onlays
Corneal inlays and onlays include surgically implanting a small lens into the eye to increase focus and near vision. The difference between inlays and onlays remains in where the lens is placed on the eye.
Refractive Lens Exchange
In refractive lens exchange, the eye’s solidified lens is changed with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL) to provide multifocal vision. This surgical treatment is similar to and frequently performed in combination with cataract surgery.