A new procedure lets people bypass the bifocal benchmark for middle age
and stop having to search for reading glasses.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year approved a cornea implant
(Kamra) that gives people with age-related nearsightedness the ability
to focus on small print and smart phone content. It's a tiny pinhole
that works similar to the aperture of a camera. This is the first time
the FDA has approved a surgical fix for presbyopia, the condition where
the lenses of the eyes become increasingly rigid with age, sending people
returning to bins of reading glasses for ever stronger magnifications.
But freeing your face from frames comes with a price. It costs $6,000 --
more if a patient also gets a Lasik procedure as an option for ditching
bifocals. People have been driving more than 100 miles to Dr. YESnick
to determine if they are a good candidate for the implant. The device
is made by California-based AcuFocus Inc.
The implant is inserted into the cornea over the lens of just one eye.
The dominant eye, the one that people use for driving or sports activities,
isn't involved.
But it does take a period of adjustment to become accustomed to fully utilizing
the inlay.
The FDA reviewed the results of three clinical studies before approving
the procedure. The results of the main study indicated that 83.5 percent
of people who had the surgery scored 20/40 or better a year later on vision
tests -- an acuity enabling them to read most text in magazines and newspapers.
The procedure may cause unintended consequences, the FDA said, including
glare, night vision problems and blurry vision. There is also the potential
for surgical complications. It is not intended for people who have had
cataract surgery or those with severe dry eye problems, uncontrolled diabetes
and other vision-related diseases.
If you are tired of reading glasses or contact lens give Dr. YESnick a
call for your free consult at 702 966 2020.
Warm Regards,
Dr.Y
