Shealy Eye Laser Center's 'Reading Glasses-NearVision CK' Page - 1-800-644-6393

It seems to happen overnight. You suddenly can't read a menu, see your alarm clock or review the scores on your golf card. Rest assured, you're not alone. Millions of baby boomers like you are losing their near vision as part of the natural aging process. In 2009, we find that the general public could be mislead when speaking about monovision. Omni vision or blended vision emphasizes that the outcome is binocular rather than monocular as implied by the term monovision according to Graham D. Barrett, MD, head of ophthalmology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Australia. Furthermore, binocular fusion can occur. He also suspects that patients compromise of their quality of vision when having multifocal IOL's is that they are accustomed to poor vision due to cataract and refractive error.

Current technology seems to indicate that accommodative IOL's are becoming more and more popular as they simulate omni or blended vision. At the Shealy Eye Laser Center, we have found that patients do not readily accept multifocal contact lenses. This is thought due to the variability and the lack of exact focusing. According to Robert J. Cionni, MD, director of the Cincinnati Eye Institute in Ohio, not every patient will be thrilled with presbyopia correcting IOL's. The most common reason for patients dissatisfaction is residual astigmatism. Patients are thus candidates for Surface Epi-Laser or Thin Flap LASIK at the Shealy Eye Laser Center. Other likely etiologies such as dry eyes, retinal edema, and posterior capsual opacification should be evaluated before we conclude the presbyopic IOL's are not working properly.

When we turn 40, our eyes begin losing their ability to easily focus on near objects. This can be the result of two different conditions:

The Theoretical Cause of Presbyopia

Presbyopia was previously thought to be caused by a hardening of the lens of the eye, which made it difficult to focus. This loss of focusing ability occurs in nearly everyone by age 50. You will become aware of this condition of aging when you notice difficulty reading due to fuzzy vision. With further aging, the ability to focus near objects is lost.

However, a revolutionary new understanding to this age-old problem has been proposed by physicist Dr. Ron Schachar MD, Ph.D. He has published both theoretical and laboratory data which support the concept that presbyopia results from physiologic growth of the crystalline lens of the eye with age. The increase in the size of the crystalline lens reduces the distance between the edge of the crystalline lens and the ciliary muscle. Because of this decrease in distance, the ciliary muscle, which changes the shape of the crystalline lens by traction on the zonules, is unable to exert sufficient force to alter the shape of the lens. This results in presbyopia. Click to view illustration.