Home » Eye Clinic » Eye surgery » Presbyopia correction surgery
In the surgery the inflexible lens will be replaced with a clear acrylic lens. The lens is multifocal, enabling sight at different distances, far or near, without having to use glasses. You will see clearly from every angle and you will not have to tilt your head or focus the same way as you need with multifocal glasses. The presbyopia correction surgery is used to correct refractive errors, presbyopia and possible astigmatism, all in the same surgery.
The results are permanent and the lens will not need to be replaced. Lens replacing surgery uses the same technology as cataract surgery where the blurred lens will be replaced with a clear lens. Presbyopia correction surgery can be performed for healthy eyes or eyes with cataract. After the surgery, cataract surgery is not longer necessary because the lens has already been replaced. This surgery can be called an early cataract surgery where the patient benefits even more by not having to wear glasses anymore.
More than 90% of the patients will no longer need glasses after the surgery. However, treating presbyopia is always a compromise whereby the viewing distance and visual acuity are optimized. Even the smallest text can be seen with a strong lens but in that case, for example, working with a computer will be more difficult. For each patient an optimal lens is selected, to optimize near, intermediate and far vision. This will ensure maximal satisfaction after the surgery. It should be noted that there are no surgeries to achieve the vision of a 20-year-old, but presbyopia correction surgery is the next best option.
A small amount of patients, about 5%, will need correcting laser surgery afterwards. Out of 100 operated patients, 98% would still choose presbyopia correction surgery, which means that only a few patients felt that they did not achieve what they wished for. The percentage of satisfaction is higher in eye surgeries than in other surgical procedures.
The worst complication in all intraocular operations is bacterial infection. Statistically probability is 1 to every 30 000 operations, which is very small. Complications during the operation are unlikely because our surgeons are very experienced. Elevated eyepressure or odema in the macular area are possible after operation. They are treatable with medication. After the operation dazzling is common, it will disappear within couple of weeks. Also you can feel drye eyes after operation, this will stop when antibiotic eyedrops stop.
It will take a couple of months to learn to see with new multifocal lenses. At first reading text can show inaccuracies, you can see haloes, feel a mild ache in the eyes or your eyes can feel tired. Usually the symptoms are mild and vanish during the first few months. Haloes around bright lights are very common, they usually decrease or even disappear within couple of months. Some people will always see haloes, for example from the driving lights of oncoming cars in dark. In this instance these symptoms should be accepted as a compromise. These symptoms don’t usually interfere everyday life and don’t prevent driving car. Side effects are mild compared to your freedom from using glasses or contact lenses. Your life will change for the better.
Make an appointment to see our specialists at Sol Eyes for examination of your eyes. During the appointment we measure all parameters of your eyes that will be needed. Treatment will be planned together with you. This way we can optimize the results and maximize satisfaction of patient. After examination we will order the correct lenses and give you an appointment for the operation. The operation can be approximately two weeks later once your lenses have arrived. Check ups are usually in the first month and 6 months after operation.
Make an appointment to see our specialists at Sol Eyes for the examination before the operation. During the visit we examine the refraction error of your eyes, the health of your eyes, take pictures of the macular area of the eyes, take ultrasound measurements of the layers of the macula, measure length and curvature of the eyes to optimally choose the right lenses for your eyes. During the examination we will also tell you the risks and possible side effects of the operation. After the examination it is possible to reserve an operation time , for example 2 weeks later.
On the day of the operation you should be accompanied to the clinic, be sure not wear eye make-up, perfumes or after shave. A nurse will talk with you before the operation regarding all the information ( previous medication, history of illness etc.) and she will put eye drops in your eyes that will dilate the pupils. We will also adminster antibiotic eye drops in our clinic. After about half an hour you will enter the operation room and we will proceed with the operation that was planned. The operation will take only about 5-10 minutes/eye. After the operation we will discuss the aftercare instructions for when you are home.
At home it is wise to rest with your eyes closed for a couple of hours and continue use of eye drops as you have been advised. Vision can seem a little blurry for a couple of days, but it will be quite good in a short period of time. We don’t recommend driving a car during the first couple of days until you are restored to your new vision, especially at night time. Dazzlinge is common in the beginning, therefore sunglasses are necessary. Reading is easier in good light and the distance of reading can vary. For example, texts on television or texts in reading can be a little inaccurate at first but the brain learns very fast to focus on the texts. In dark you almost always see haloes around lights, this will decrease during first few months. You will usually need to use two different kinds of eye drops at home, one is antibiotic-cortisone and other is to prevent irritation of the eyes.
Eye medication lasts usually first 3 weeks.
The first check up appointment is set for the following day from the surgery, and the next usually a month later. During the next couple of months it is possible that vision can vary, vision can be inaccurate at times, you can feel mild aching or burning in your eyes, blurring vision or reflections of lights. Symptoms will decrease with time. You should contact the clinic immediately if your eyes are aching a lot, are red or have secretion. Also you should contact the clinic if vision suddenly changes to blurred. Check ups will be 1 and 6 months after operation.