The crystalline lens is a structure located inside the eyeball that allows us to focus and see clearly at all distances. Dr. Ortuño, an expert in Ophthalmology, talks about the importance of having an ophthalmologic checkup when the symptoms of presbyopia begin to appear.
What is presbyopia?
The crystalline lens has a function similar to that of a camera zoom, which is called accommodation. After the age of 45, there are usually natural variations that cause deterioration of the lens, so the ability to see clearly decreases and blurriness begins to occur, which is called presbyopia.
When a patient begins to notice the symptoms of presbyopia, he or she reports having difficulty reading or performing everyday tasks involving near vision. This occurs when using a cell phone, tablet or laptop. When this difficulty occurs, patients tend to move away from what they want to see in order to focus better. What to do when you begin to notice this is to perform an eye examination to analyze the visual quality and determine the necessary interventions to improve near vision, always analyzing each case individually.
Treatments to improve vision in patients with presbyopia
The most traditional treatments are contact lenses and glasses. The problem with multifocal glasses is that not all patients can adapt to them and the near glasses cannot be used for distance vision. In reference to contact lenses, multifocal lenses require maintenance, revisions and replacement.
Different corneal techniques have been developed to correct presbyopia: multifocal LASIK, aspheric ablation corneal profiles, intrastromal device implants or even monovision. Of all the treatment options, the most suitable alternative to improve the vision of patients with presbyopia are intraocular lenses, as they provide better visual quality and comfort.
Improvements in intraocular lenses as a treatment for presbyopia
The improvements that have been introduced in the design and technology of these lenses allow the patient’s vision to be perfectly restored. The different procedures that have been developed in patients with presbyopia and who have not manifested posterior cataracts are:
- Clear lens surgery: consists of removing the lens if it is opacified through a small incision. This procedure avoids a second cataract surgery, since the crystalline lens is fragmented and removed for the implantation of trifocal intraocular lenses that restores vision at all distances. Premium intraocular lenses provide high percentages of independence from glasses after the procedure, since the patient’s refractive error is corrected. These improvements allow the introduction of aspheric profiles that optimize the quality of vision even at night. There are currently several trifocal lenses on the market that improve vision at different distances, based on a diffractive design and incorporate a toric design that corrects astigmatism.
- Diffractive phakic intraocular lenses: in this treatment, removal of the crystalline lens is not required since the intraocular lenses are placed in front of it. This treatment also allows correction of vision at different distances and provides excellent visual results.