Presbyopia, or presbyopia, affects almost everyone. Eyesight deteriorates in old age, but fortunately it can be easily corrected by properly selected glasses and contact lenses for seniors. Presbyopia occurs after the age of 40. It is a natural process related to the aging of the body.
Presbyopia , otherwise known as presbyopia, affects us after the age of 40. The organism is aging, the muscles responsible for the accommodation of the eye weaken, the lens itself swells / hardens / loses its elasticity. This process is practically unstoppable, although a proper diet and exercise may delay it a bit.
Contents:
- Presbyopia - what is it?
- Presbyopia - treatment
If you have trouble reading the price on the label, reading from the monitor or the text in the book, you may suspect presbyopia. The symptom of presbyopia is "hand too short for reading", in other words having trouble seeing up close. First, we put away the product label in the store, book or newspaper to read the text. After that, the length of the hand is not enough - we have no choice and we have to reach for reading glasses.
Presbyopia - what is it?
Presbyopia is not a visual impairment and should not be confused with hyperopia. When light enters the eye, it first reaches the cornea. It is a transparent film that covers the pupil and iris of the eye. Because it is convex, it focuses light rays so that they can reach the lens at the right angle, which, by contracting and straining, can focus the image of objects at different distances from the eye exactly on the retina. As a result, we can just as well see a ship on the horizon and an ant in our hand.
Ophthalmologists say that with presbyopia, the so-called visual near point. It means that we have problems with sharpening the image of objects seen up close. For example, it is difficult for us to read or thread a needle. Therefore, glasses are needed that will replace the ability of the eye to accommodate. Glasses or other procedures that greatly improve the quality of life.
For several years, ophthalmologists have been offering patients a permanent solution to this problem. This is the RLE or refractive exchangelenses. In this way, distance and near vision defects are corrected and good indirect vision is also ensured. The operation is technically similar to cataracts. First, the patient's lens is removed and replaced with a new, artificial one.
According to an expert
Author: press materials
- Ophthalmic surgery already has several solutions to the problem of presbyopia. We already have several years of experience in such methods. However, the last two or three years saw a significant increase in patients' interest in the permanent disposal of reading glasses and distance vision defects.
Presbyopia - treatment
The already mentionedrefractive lens replacement (RLE)is a procedure technically similar to cataract surgery, but usually multifocal or the newest lenses are implanted during it, which are a combination of the functions of multifocal lenses and EDOF - Synergy lenses, not single vision lenses. RLE uses lenses that mimic the functions of a he althy, young lens. Instead of accommodation (that is, changing the shape of the lens depending on the distance we are looking at) - we have advanced technology of constructing such lenses.
In this way, the patient can see well at a distance, close up, or at intermediate distances without the use of glasses. RLE is even performed simultaneously, i.e. during one patient's stay in the operating theater. If the patient does not choose such a solution, then the interval between the operation of one and the other eye should not exceed two weeks.
- This operation time is important for binocular vision - says prof. Iwona Grabska-Liberek - remember that we are removing a he althy, but still with weakened accommodation, lens. In its place we put an artificial lens that mimics the functions of a he althy, young lens, and therefore allows good vision from any distance.
The effect of the operation is felt by the patient almost immediately after the procedure. If the other eye is operated quickly, the patient can see very well with both eyes. If we postpone the operation for a few weeks, we have such discomfort that one eye sees well and the other needs corrective lenses.
The decision about RLE is made after careful examination of the patient. Then the parameters of the lens are determined. At present, the new Synergy lenses allow for a very accurate mimic of the function of a he althy, young lens. This means that we give the patient the chance to see clearly at any distance without the need for glasses. We even carry out such operations on people 40+ who are just entering presbyopia. The RLE treatment is for life, which is why it is so important to be preciseperforming the qualifications and choosing the best lenses for a given patient.
- Most patients come to us with the problem of severe vision defect, astigmatism, and are usually 40-50 years old. In addition to the usual pair of glasses, there are problems with the so-called closer - says prof. Iwona Grabska -Liberek. - for them it is particularly difficult to function in two pairs of glasses. And here the surgery to eliminate these two pairs of glasses seems to be the best solution.
Before the procedure, the eye is anesthetized with drops and the patient is additionally sedated intravenously. Then the patient is placed on the operating table and the surgeon starts the operation. With the help of specialized equipment for phacoemulsification, it removes the patient's natural lens.
After a while, he introduces an artificial lens, rolled into a roll, so that it fits through a small incision. The lens develops inside the eye and the surgeon makes sure that it is properly positioned. No sutures are needed after the procedure, the eye heals very quickly. Visual acuity changes almost immediately after surgery. If there is a decision to operate the other eye right away - the whole procedure is repeated.
In the postoperative period, for two to four weeks, be careful: do not bend over, lift or rub your eyes.
According to an expert
Author: Libermedic
- In some patients, presbyopia can be corrected with the PresbyMax procedure, for which we use an excimer laser. - says Łukasz Kołodziejski, MD, PhD - this procedure does not require lens replacement, it is performed on the surface of the cornea.
The PresbyMax treatment is only possible with the only type of excimer laser. During this procedure, the distance defect is corrected (as in standard laser correction) and the near defect is corrected. Some people only have presbyopia. Then you can also perform the PresbyMax treatment - only to remove one pair of glasses.
Some patients decide to correct high vision defects and leave their reading glasses on.
- Such possibilities are provided byphakic lenses- says prof. Iwona Grabska-Liberek - their grafting is a completely reversible method, most often used in young people, without presbyopia. But I also operated on patients who were starting to have trouble with their proximity and were aware of the need to read with glasses. According to the manufacturer's information, multifocal phakic lenses will be available already in 2022, i.e. those that correct the distance and also the near.
For patients who do not want to use reading glasses but are also not ready for surgery yet, we recommendmultifocalcontact lenses .
- Such lenses have the function of distance and near correction. We choose them individually, precisely defining the power to the distance and the addition to the near. Such examination is always supported by a typical ophthalmological examination, in which we analyze the general condition of the eyes and check the quality of the tear film. - says Dr. Dawid Wiącek from the LIBERMEDIC clinic - The tear film must be good when the patient is considering using contact lenses. You also need to learn how to put on and take off contact lenses, although some patients naturally switch from spherical to multifocal lenses.
Presbyopia is a significant social problem - in recent years we have been dealing with an aging society. Reading glasses become a necessity in everyday life: not only when we want to read the price on a price tag in a store, read a book, but also work at the computer. Many people with presbyopia are active people who practice sports. It is difficult to drive a car when we cannot read the speedometer clearly, or to ride a bike when we do not see how many kilometers we have traveled on the gauge.
ImportantIn Libermedic, for the first time in Warsaw, and probably also in Poland, prof. Iwona Grabska-Liberek performed an innovative RLE operation - she used Synergy lenses for the first time. Until now, we have had the option of operating patients with the use of multifocal lenses (where vision was slightly lost at intermediate distances) or EDOF (where the imperfect lens was closer). Synergy lenses are a combination of these two technologies. In addition, a very good sense of contrast, even in low light. It is an innovative solution, never seen before.