Correcting Presbyopia in Prior LASIK Patients

If you have undergone laser refractive surgery in the past, you will know firsthand the transformative impact it had on your lifestyle in terms of eliminating the need to wear glasses or contact lenses.

However, presbyopia is not a refractive error and is simply an unavoidable side effect of the aging process on the lens that affects the vast majority of the population over the age of 40.

The initial decline of near vision is slight, but after the age of 45 the change becomes more apparent as the lens rapidly loses its flexibility and its accommodative ability to focus clearly on close objects.

Getting the Presbia corneal inlay after LASIK

LASIK eye surgery to correct near or farsightedness will have removed some corneal tissue through cell ablation, but this does not necessarily prevent you from undergoing further corrective procedures such as a corneal inlay to treat presbyopia.

The Presbia microlens available at Optilase can be used on presbyopic patients provided they are considered viable candidates during the free consultation process.

Placed in your non-dominant eye, the inlay does not remove any corneal tissue; but instead has been developed to permanently sit in the cornea.

Corneal thickness and implantation

One of the most important considerations that will influence eligibility for the Presbia microlens on prior LASIK patients is corneal thickness since it has previously been reshaped.

The average cornea is 550 microns deep and houses six different tissue layers with different functions. The stroma which is the middle layer accounts for 95% of corneal thickness and becomes home to the corneal inlay.

The Presbia microlens is usually implanted at a depth of 200 microns.

Creation of corneal pocket

The Presbia microlens requires a small pocket to be created using a femtosecond laser, but this is unlikely to cause any damage to the initial flap was created.

More often than not the pocket will be created beneath the original flap and then the microlens is easily slotted into the stroma using a special custom-made device.

Central positioning

It is vital the Presbia microlens is positioned in the centre of your line of sight. Usually patients will be asked to fixate on a certain point in the distance, often a blinking light, to ensure correct placement.

If you suffer from presbyopia having already undergone refractive laser surgery, call to book a free consultation to explore your options on +353 1 223 8821 or visit www.optilase.com/presbia-reading-vision-solution/