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FRUSTRATED WITH READING GLASSES? LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE NEAR VISION WITHOUT THEM
DO YOU WEAR READING GLASSES FOR MUNDANE DAILY TASKS LIKE USING YOUR SMARTPHONE OR READING A MENU?
If so, you’re not alone. According to the Archives of Ophthalmology, age-related loss of near vision, also called presbyopia, affects more than a billion people worldwide(1). In fact, everyone eventually develops presbyopia.
This common ailment affects most people in their 40s and early 50s, and it happens when the natural lens inside your eye loses elasticity, making it difficult for you to change your focus to see objects up close. You may start to notice presbyopia if you find yourself constantly repositioning reading material to find the correct focus, or if your eyes get tired when you’re reading in poor lighting or at the end of the day.
EXISTING SOLUTIONS
Although wearing reading glasses is the most common approach to correcting presbyopia, repeatedly having to put them on and take them off is frustrating. Furthermore, as you age, presbyopia advances meaning you’ll need to frequently replace your reading glasses with a more powerful pair. Let’s also admit that reading glasses may add a few unwanted years to your look, which, in addition to having to keep track of your many pairs of readers around the house, can be just as frustrating.
Presbyopia-correcting contact lenses take away the hassle of reading glasses, but dry eyes are a constant problem for contact lens wearers, especially in Phoenix’s hot, dry climate where tear evaporation is a major problem. Some patients opt for monovision LASIK—a type of LASIK surgery that corrects one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. This helps with presbyopia because even slightly nearsighted eyes can still see objects up close with clarity and without the help of glasses. However, some patients experience less clarity in seeing distance following this procedure, and there is a risk of significant side effects, such as glare and halos and reduced night vision, to name a few.
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH
There is an answer for those who want a long-term solution for improving near vision without glasses or contacts. Enter Raindrop Near Vision Inlay, the world’s first inlay to change the shape of the cornea (the clear, front part of the eye) to improve near vision. It is designed to reduce or eliminate the need for reading glasses by improving your ability to focus up close without greatly affecting your ability to see at a distance.
“For many patients, reading glasses are the first pair of glasses they ever needed,” said William Schiff, OD, director of vision correction at Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center. “Not being able to read a cell phone or computer without glasses is a huge burden in today’s world. Being able to restore a patient’s near vision, so they are no longer constantly putting on and removing their reading glasses to perform their daily activities gives patients a renewed sense of freedom. It’s as if they have regained a part of their youth.”
The Raindrop Near Vision Inlay is a tiny disc, about the size of a pinhead. It is made of a soft material that is bioengineered to mimic the cornea and consists of mostly water, similar to a soft contact lens. The procedure is performed the same way as LASIK with the surgeon creating a LASIK-like flap in the cornea and placing the inlay just beneath the eye surface. The procedure takes about 10 minutes and patients can resume most normal activities the next day.
Most people who have had the Raindrop Near Vision Inlay implanted see an improvement in their near vision within one week with improvement continuing for several weeks after. “Losing our near vision is a natural but frustrating part of the aging process,” said Scott Perkins MD, a founding eye surgeon at Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center. “The Raindrop Inlay has proven itself as a superb and quick procedure to help us avoid the hassle of using reading glasses. We have been impressed with its quick recovery and have a rapidly growing group of happy patients.”
As with all procedures, it is important to discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor. Raindrop Inlay may not eliminate the need for reading glasses in all patients.
VISIT REVISIONOPTICS.COM/FIND-YOUR-SPECIALIST
(1) Holden, B et al. Global Vision Impairment Due to Uncorrected Presbyopia. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(12):1731-1739
