Laser Eye Surgery to Correct Reading Vision
There exists a saying that there are only a pair of things guaranteed in life: death and taxes. However, a loss of your reading vision ought to be added to this list. If you're over the age of 45, you've got likely or will quickly experience a decline in your near vision. It starts by holding recption menus a little farther away, and subsequently thing you know, you might be increasing the font size on your smart phone, and trying on readers on the local drugstore. Fortunately, this can be 2015 and the technology for laser vision correction for reading, has been invented, improved and reinvented!
Laser Eye Surgery
You likely aren't interested in wearing reading glasses. So what are your options to correct reading vision? You will find three surgical options commonly recommended by ophthalmologists to enhance your reading vision (and distance if needed).
Monovision LASIK
Monovision LASIK can be a tried and true procedure with proven results for reading vision correction. Monovision corrects one eye to focus up-close, as a reading vision correction solution, and your dominant eye will give you your distance vision (If needed, you can correct distance vision as well on the dominant eye). This sounds a bit crazy but the brain and eyes are incredibly powerful when they interact. Trained reputable ophthalmologists who perform this type of laser vision correction for reading always require the patient to do a "test drive" utilizing contact lenses. This lets you determine if you are at ease with this solution. With monovision, you can basically "select" the reading vision correction that best suits your needs by adjusting the effectiveness of the single contact lens.
Ideal Candidates: Patients between 40 and 60 who're looking for reading vision correction or looking for near and distance vision correction.
Non-Ideal Candidates: Patients who want or require either their reading vision or distance vision being perfect. One example will be golfers. They prefer to achieve the best possible distance vision to adhere to the ball, making them less than ideal candidates for monovision.
Corneal Inlay
In April 2015, one manufacturer, Kamra, received FDA approval for the Kamra corneal inlay as a solution for a decline in reading vision. However, there are a few other inlays awaiting FDA approval. Exactly why are there multiple manufacturers and approvals? Corneal inlay operated on several principals, and one inlay may not be right for everyone. Additionally, a corneal inlay might not be the best solution for all. Generally speaking, a corneal inlay is great for patients over the age of 45 who've seen a loss of their reading vision but have perfect or near perfect distance vision. Only an ophthalmologist who has been trained can perform the Karma corneal inlay, typically a LASIK surgeon, because the procedure requires the same lasers that are used to perform LASIK surgery. Unlike monovision laser vision correction with, the inlay is actually a device that's implanted into the eye, and it's also always only a one eye procedure.
Ideal Candidates: Patients trying to find reading vision correction only with nearly perfect distance vision and no previous laser vision correction surgery.
Non-ideal Candidates: Patients who need to correct both distance & near vision or that have already had some form of laser vision correction surgery (RK, PRK, LASIK).
Lens Implants
Some LASIK surgeons recommend lens implant surgery like Restor�, Rezoom� or Crystalens� with vision correction. These solutions could be excellent for patients that have cataracts or the onset of cataracts. Most of these procedures (simply different manufacturers) are cataract procedures where your lens is taken away and a synthetic lens is implanted inside your eye. If you do not possess the onset of cataracts, this procedure is probably not the best solution for you personally. It is fairly evasive and costly. Additionally, most doctors would agree that if you have a healthy a part of your body (in this case the lens), then you should keep it for as long as possible before replacing it with something synthetic.
Ideal Candidates: Patients with cataracts or perhaps the onset of cataracts typically within their late 60s or early 70s that are looking for distance and reading vision correction.
Non-Ideal Candidates: People between the ages of 40 and 60 with healthy lenses that are likely ideal candidates for another form of laser vision correction with and distance.