Presbyopia is sometimes mistaken for myopia (farsightedness), but there are inherent differences between the two conditions:
The crystalline lens located behind the iris in the eye is a biconvex transparent layer made up of cells that have no blood supply. The lens is soft and flexible and controlled by ciliary muscles that push and pull it into shape in order to focus on objects at various distances.
As you age, the lens hardens and loses its natural flexibility resulting in an inability to adjust correctly to bring near objects into focus.
The cornea and the crystalline lens are responsible for refraction or the bending of light in the eye with the cornea accounting for two thirds of the eye’s refractive capability and the lens making up the other one third.
Refractive power is measured in diopters (D) and each eye has a total of 60D. Any inability to focus objects up close is reflected in a positive (+) prescription.
The decline in the lens’s elasticity declines gradually, usually at a rate of 0.3D per year but between the ages of 40 to 64 this decline can become more rapid.
Corneal inlays combined with refined laser technology are the latest breakthrough in corrective refractive procedures used to treat presbyopia.
Presbia is one such innovative corneal inlay that alters the near power in the pupil centre without infringing on distance power.
This minimally invasive technique available at Optilase restores sharp near vision without the need for reading glasses.
The Presbia corneal inlay has a neutral center point that has zero refractive power, while the peripheral zone houses positive refractive power.
This unique design works by creating two focal points in a patient’s non-dominant eye so that far vision doesn’t change while near vision is corrected.
To find out more about presbyopia and whether a corneal inlay is suitable for you, book a free consultation by calling +353 1 223 8821.