Dr. Kameen's Blog

There are many options on the near term horizon for the correction of the normal, age related loss of near focusing ability that affects individuals older than 40 years of age. This condition is termed "presbyopia" and has long been the holy grail of laser eye surgery. Surgical procedures to correct presbyopia include cornea based procedures such as LASIK, PRK, conductive keratoplasty and corneal inlays. In addition, there are lens based procedures such as refractive cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange. Monovision, primarily a contact lens term, is also both a laser and lens option, though it does come with some visual side effects. Monovision, by definition, implys that one eye is corrected for distance and the other for reading. Generally, as you might suspect, this leads to some loss of depth perception, so this is not one of my favorite choices. There are other procedures, however, that create a multifocal effect, so that both eyes are better able to see well for distance as well as near vision.

Recently, a procedure using the Intralase FS laser(Abbott Medical Optics), a laser available at Kameen Eye Associates, has been targeting the treatment of presbyopia. While not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, this procedure may shortly prove to be a safe and effective alternative for an in office presbyopia correcting procedure. Please know that I will be watching the development and approval of this procedure closely. I am also constantly keeping a look out for a safe and effective method of correcting the presbyopia issue and will pass along all information as it comes available.