Presbyopia Treatment with Surgery
Presbyopia may also be addressed with a few types of eye surgery including Laser Eye Surgery, Presbyopic Multifocal and Accommodative Intraocular Lens Implants and Surgical Reversal of Presbyopia.
A popular method of Laser Eye Surgery is to use monovision LASIK to correct one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. Using monovision LASIK allows patients to experience a relatively seamless transition of focusing from far to near, and near to far, however it does require some adaptation. Therefore patients considering monovision LASIK should first have a trial with monovision contact lenses in order to simulate what they will experience with their presbyopia corrected with Laser Eye Surgery. In the event patients cannot adapt to the simulated monovision correction with contact lenses, it is best to find out before having a permanent correction with Laser Eye Surgery.
Since presbyopia is a result of the lens of the eye losing its elasticity, it would seem obvious that the best place to address the condition is in the crystalline lens. Today we have a number of presbyopia correcting intraocular lens implants that can be used to replace the faulty crystalline. These lenses include multifocal lens implants that provide vision at a number of different distances as well as accommodative lens implants that actually change their focus and attempt to mimic the functioning of the crystalline lens. If you have a cataract or any clouding of your natural lens and you are presbyopic, the decision to have a presbyopia correcting lens implant is simple as the only way to have clear vision is to remove the crystalline lens. If on the other hand you are simply presbyopic and have no clouding of your lens, the decision becomes more complex and you should have a consultation with an eye surgeon who can provide you with a complete understanding of the risks and benefits and your likely outcome.
There are a number of experimental surgical procedures being investigated in clinical trials to study to evaluate whether they are safe and effective. These include scleral expansion bands, laser reversal of presbyopia with Surgilight Laser and Anterior Ciliary Sclerotomy. None of these surgical procedures for presbyopia has been FDA approved at this time.
[Page updated 1/2011]
