Other Vision Correction Treatments
Vision correction procedures aim to correct vision and reduce or remove the need for visual hardware such as glasses or contact lenses via surgical means.
Generally offers a more permanent solution and surprisingly more cost effective when compared to the cost of purchasing glasses or contact lenses over time.
Vision correction with visual hardware such as contact lenses and glasses can often be a barrier or at the very least be cumbersome when attempting to perform daily tasks like reading, cooking or playing sports. Reducing the need for reliance on visual hardware to see clearly is possible through vision corrective procedures.
The aim of vision corrective procedures is all the same – to reduce reliance on visual hardware by changing the eyes’ ability to focus without the need to put on glasses or contact lenses.
Laser vision correction reshapes the cornea – the clear part at the very front of the eye and lens-based procedures requires the insertion of an intraocular lens to improve the eyes’ ability to focus.
What procedure you are suitable for will depend on the health & the architecture of your eyes and your prescription. With lens and laser based corrective procedures there are very few who are not suitable – with the ability to correct myopia or short-sightedness, hyperopia or long-sightedness, astigmatism or a combination of these, there is a procedure suitable for most.
At Hunter Street Eye Specialists, we understand that it’s not a one size fits all solution and hence customise each treatment to individual needs. The decision as to which procedure is the best suited to you requires a full eye health review and thorough discussion with the eye specialist regarding the pros and cons of each procedure.
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Treatment Options
Presbyopia
Though there is no reversing the aging process of the crystalline lens, vision correction procedures can certainly aid in reducing and at times removing the reliance on visual hardware for close range tasks.
Laser vision correction like LASIK, PRK and clear lens extraction are just some of the procedures that can help reliance on visual hardware for close tasks.
Often starting for most from the age of 45 years old, presbyopia results in the need to rely on reading glasses for near tasks such as reading, knitting, sewing, using the computer, mobile phone, shopping, and even simple tasks such as reading a menu. For those who have never required or relied on spectacles, the sudden need to wear reading glasses may be onerous or inconvenient or worse yet some may become symptomatic suffering from eye strain that can cause migraines or headaches.
Removing the need for reading glasses via laser vision correction (LASIK, PRK) or clear lens extraction is a definite possibility for those who want to alleviate the need for visual hardware such as glasses or contact lenses to perform near tasks.
What is Presbyopia?
Presbyopia is a condition which affects all people from the age of about 45 which cause difficulty with close visual activities. It is not a disease and is part of the normal aging process.
What causes Presbyopia?
The focusing mechanism of your eye is very similar to that of a camera. A varying amount of focus is required when viewing objects at near compared to distance. This mechanism also occurs in the human eye.
Inside your eye is a lens which focuses the light rays which enter your eye onto the retina, which contains your visual receptors. To focus on objects at close range the lens in the eye has to change shape in order to maintain a clear image. This process is called accommodation. Hence the closer an object to the eye, the more accommodation of the lens is required.
As we age the lens losses some of its flexibility and the lens gradually losses its ability to accommodate. As a result, items viewed at near become increasingly blurred. This process is part of the natural aging process, the same as developing grey hair! The development of presbyopia does not mean that the health of your eyes is deteriorating or that you are going blind.
How does Presbyopia affect my vision?
Presbyopia causes close visual activates such as reading and sewing to become difficult. Over time near visual tasks become increasingly difficult and object need to be held further away from your eyes to be seen clearly.
How is presbyopia treated?
Presbyopia is treated with either spectacle, monovision contact lens and surgically.
Presbyopia is most commonly corrected with spectacles. Spectacles lenses are prescribed which enable near items to be viewed clearly. The power of these lens mean that distance objects viewed through these will be blurred hence these spectacles often come in the form of bifocals or multifocals with both a distance and near correction.
Another option of correction of presbyopia is monovision. Monovision is created when one eye is corrected for distance and the other corrected for near. This allows for a degree of spectacles independence. A pair of glasses for fine near work may still be required. Monovision can be created with either contact lens or laser vision correction.
Presbyopia can also be corrected with multifocal lens implants.
Monovision or blended vision
Blended vision or monovision is a treatment option for people with presbyopia. With presbyopia typically affecting people over the age of 40, blended monovision has been used for many years as a reliable strategy to achieve the ability to perform near and distance tasks without the aid of glasses or contact lenses.
Blended monovision is a term that describes the treatment of the dominant eye for distance and the non-dominant eye for close-up vision. Since both eyes work together when viewing, the brain “blends” the images together for clear vision at both distance and near, reducing reliance on visual hardware for clear vision.
Blended vision can be achieved with laser vision correction or via lens exchange and offers a more permanent solution for those who want to be able to perform both distance and near tasks free from visual hardware.
Refractive Lens Exchange
Though most people are suitable for laser vision correction whether it be LASIK, PRK or SMILE, there are going to be those who are not, but doesn’t have to be the end of the road!
One alternative option is refractive lens exchange or clear lensectomy, where the lens behind the coloured part of the eye is replaced with an intraocular lens.
Intraocular lenses can correct short sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hypermetropia) and also astigmatism, in fact it can correct much higher ranges for all types of correction than any type of laser vision correction. As with any type of procedure a full eye health assessment is necessary to ascertain suitability.
Refractive lens exchange or clear lensectomy, is where the lens behind the coloured part of the eye is replaced with an intraocular lens.
Educational video on lens extraction and intraocular lens implant
This video provides a simple visual explanation of how IOL’s are used for Refractive Lens Exchange or clear lensectomy.
Educational Videos
Blended Monovision
The eye is a sensory organ part of the nervous system that allows transmission of light and images to the brain via the Optic nerve.