Disclaimer

This website is only for basic information. It is not to be considered medical advice or a substitute for obtaining your own medical consultation, during which you will be informed also about possible risks, side effects and restrictions of refractive & cataract surgery. Not all treatment options are approved or offered in every country and approved labeling and instructions may vary from one country to another. This site is also not intended for patients and healthcare providers residing in the United States of America and Japan.

A common sign of aging

Presbyopia

The facts about LASIK for presbyopia

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Getting older is part of our life, and as we age our body changes. Once you get into your forties (or latest fifties), you will notice that it gets harder to read things and see nearby objects clearly. This is a result of presbyopia, an inability to focus on objects nearby that gradually gets worse as you get older. Although the condition is more annoying than harmful, it can also cause headaches and eye strain when doing close-up work.

If you suffer from presbyopia and are looking for an alternative to wearing glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision, you may want to consider laser vision correction like PRESBYOND. Read on to find out more.

Affected by presbyopia?

Causes and symptoms of presbyopia as well as treatment options to improve your eyesight

Presbyopia is part of the natural aging process. In fact, the word presbyopia comes from the Greek for “old eye”. Once you enter your forties, the lens in your eye becomes more rigid. It cannot change shape as easily as it could when you were younger. As a result, the eye loses the ability to focus on near objects, making nearby objects blurry.

With presbyopia, you need to hold books, documents and newspapers further away to read them. And you may need a bit more light to see the text. When performing close-up work for longer periods of time, you may also suffer from headaches or eyestrain.

Although there is no cure for presbyopia, there are several ways to treat the condition. Prescription glasses, whether they are readers, bifocals or progressive lenses, are the most common way of correcting your vision. As an alternative to glasses, you may want to consider multifocal or monovision contact lenses. And, of course, you can also consider laser vision correction such as LASIK to improve your eyesight.

Treating presbyopia with LASIK

Understanding the laser vision correction techniques your surgeon may use

LASIK is not a direct cure for presbyopia as it does not restore the natural ability of the eye to focus on objects nearby. Presbyopia is caused by the eye’s lens becoming more rigid and LASIK surgery targets your cornea rather than your lens. However, surgeons can leverage the LASIK technology to improve your eyesight and lessen, or even eliminate, your dependence on glasses or lenses.

Monovision LASIK

A specialist procedure creating different refractive power in each eye

Monovision LASIK creates a condition called anisometropia, where the refractive power of each eye is different. During the procedure, your surgeon corrects your dominant eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. Post-surgery, your brain needs some time to learn and ignore the blurred images coming from one eye and focus on the sharp image from the other. As a result, you can enjoy sharp vision at a range of distances.

Monovision LASIK may not be the right choice for everyone. Some people just can’t cope with two different vision refractive powers, resulting in eye strain and headaches. Furthermore, you may experience side effects such as reduced depth perception, decreased contrast sensitivity or increased glare.

ZEISS PRESBYOND

Laser blended vision to combat the effects of presbyopia

ZEISS PRESBYOND, sometimes referred to as laser blended vision, creates different depths of vision in each eye – one covering distant and intermediate vision on the dominant eye and one covering intermediate and near vision on the other one. The depth of vision for each eye can be customised to suit your individual prescription and needs.

Patients usually enjoy better overall vision after being treated with ZEISS PRESBYOND and can easily read without glasses. And thanks to the increased depth of field in both eyes, distance vision is significantly improved. However, in some very rare cases you may experience minor reduction in contrast sensitivity which can be improved punctually with a pair of glasses. In very rare cases you can experience some halos around lights during the nighttime.

Presbyopia and hyperopia both result in blurred and unclear near vision. However, presbyopia is a result of the ageing of the lens, whereas hyperopia is a result of an eye that is not perfectly shaped. Depending on the severity of the issue, glasses, contact lenses, or laser eye surgery are some of the options available. You should consult your optician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist to establish your condition and discuss the best way to treat it.
LASIK does not cause presbyopia. What’s more, LASIK doesn't make presbyopia worse or accelerate its progress. Patients usually notice the condition when they are in their forties. Presbyopia is a natural occurrence due to aging and can occur regardless of whether you have had laser vision correction earlier in life.
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