Presbyopia correction surgery, also known as age-related long-sightness. The loss of the eye’s ability to shift focus from far to near vision is called presbyopia, which today can be corrected with a multifocal intraocular lens implant. This surgery is the fastest growing treatment for refractive errors.
Presbyopia is caused by reduced elasticity of the aging lens, called loss of accommodation, leading to poor near vision. The first symptoms are slow focusing, a need for stronger light and a habit of holding text further away in order to focus when reading.
During the surgery, the non-accommodating natural lens is replaced with a clear acrylic lens. The lens is multifocal, enabling clear sight at different distances without having spectacles. Also, the unwanted property of progressive glasses (i.e. having to tilt your head to change focus between near and far) is not present with intraocular implants.
Presbyopia correction surgery will also correct refractive errors, such as shortsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The results are permanent and the artificial lens will not need to be replaced or updated. Lens Exchange surgery uses the same technology as cataract surgery, where the blurred lens is replaced with a clear (monofocal) lens. A future cataract surgery will also not be necessary because the lens has already been replaced. This surgery can be an early cataract operation where the patient benefits even more by not having to wear glasses at all!
