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Shealy Eye Laser Center
Shealy Eye Laser Center, 6036 Trier Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 800-644-6393.  
Blended Vision for Presbyopia

Aging And Your Eyes

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.

Why The Loss of Near Vision with Age?

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.

Presbyopia occurs when the lens inside your eye loses its elasticity, making it more difficult to read smaller print. This loss of elasticity affects the ability of the eye to focus close up. This usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 50. Everyone experiences presbyopia at some point as they get older, resulting in nearsighted people to begin wearing bifocals in their forties, and those who never needed glasses before may require reading glasses. The one advantage to mild myopia (nearsightedness) once you begin to be presbyopic is that you may be able to remove your glasses to read (your myopia effectively counteracts your presbyopia).

Farsightedness (hyperopia): When the surface of the eye (cornea) is too flat, changing the way our eye focuses light. Young eyes are often strong enough to compensate, which is why it may only be a problem after age 40.

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SELC Poll Shows Multifocal Preferences & Trends

  1. In our practice, four out of five patients prefer Laser Blended Vision.

  2. If you were a 55-year-old emmetrope in 2009, which technology would you choose?
    1.  AMO Rezoom: 8%
    2.  Eyeonics Crystalens: 15%
    3.  Alcon Acrysof Restor: 5%
    4.  Blended Vision Thin Flap or Surface Epi-Laser: 67%
    5.  Other: 5%

  3. The treatment of presbyopia is developing presently. It now is being combined with laser and astigmatic refractive surgery to produce relative independence from reading glasses and bifocals. Below are listed procedures that have been chosen by refractive surgeons like myself, to be independent of glasses and contact lenses.

Testimonials from Leading Refractive Surgeon Ophthalmologists Who Have Had Presbyopia Correction

Study Considers Blended Vision Characteristics

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Shealy Eye Laser Center
6036 Trier Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 ♦ Tel: (260) 486-0065 or (800) 644-6393 ♦ email: shealy@shealyeye.com
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