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Another Option for Treating Myopia
Folks with significant nearsightedness (myopia) now have another treatment option. Traditional spectacles optically shift the visual image onto the retina but these are often heavy and unattractive eyeglasses (think Henry Kissinger). Besides, there are all kinds of optical aberrations that emerge with 'high minus' corrections.
Soft and hard contact lenses eliminate these drawbacks and are very popular except for those with a history of previous corneal inflammation or dry eyes.
Refractive surgery was invented for myopes. Nearsightedness can be greatly reduced with tiny corneal incisions, silicone bands, corneal flaps, laser ablation or any combination of the above. Unfortunately these refractive surgery procedures do not always fully correct the refractive error. Patients often need eyeglasses afterwards. Hmmmm...spend $2000 and still need new glasses?!?
Extreme nearsightedness can be reversed by surgically removing the natural lens inside the eye. Think of it as removing an +18.00 diopter lens from the eye. Removing the eye's own lens also removes the eye's ability to see things up close (accommodation). Life is full of tradeoffs. Clear lens extraction is the same operative procedure as cataract surgery except there is no cataract, however, all of the potential complications of cataract surgery persist!
You may have recently heard about the Visian implantable lens - a different kind of artificial intraocular lens. The Visian implantable lens is a foldable device that is surgically inserted through a tiny corneal incision. It opens up and rests between the colored iris and the natural lens. The neat thing about this approach is that all of the nearsightedness can be eliminated without sacrificing the eye's ability to accommodate because the procedure preserves the eye's natural lens. That's important for anyone wanting to read the fine print!
No surgery is perfect for every patient and some patients are not good candidates for any surgery. Having said that, it's always good to know that options exist.
Related Topics: Implanted Lens Approved for Nearsightedness, Implantable Contact Lenses Safe, Effective
Soft and hard contact lenses eliminate these drawbacks and are very popular except for those with a history of previous corneal inflammation or dry eyes.
Refractive surgery was invented for myopes. Nearsightedness can be greatly reduced with tiny corneal incisions, silicone bands, corneal flaps, laser ablation or any combination of the above. Unfortunately these refractive surgery procedures do not always fully correct the refractive error. Patients often need eyeglasses afterwards. Hmmmm...spend $2000 and still need new glasses?!?
Extreme nearsightedness can be reversed by surgically removing the natural lens inside the eye. Think of it as removing an +18.00 diopter lens from the eye. Removing the eye's own lens also removes the eye's ability to see things up close (accommodation). Life is full of tradeoffs. Clear lens extraction is the same operative procedure as cataract surgery except there is no cataract, however, all of the potential complications of cataract surgery persist!
You may have recently heard about the Visian implantable lens - a different kind of artificial intraocular lens. The Visian implantable lens is a foldable device that is surgically inserted through a tiny corneal incision. It opens up and rests between the colored iris and the natural lens. The neat thing about this approach is that all of the nearsightedness can be eliminated without sacrificing the eye's ability to accommodate because the procedure preserves the eye's natural lens. That's important for anyone wanting to read the fine print!
No surgery is perfect for every patient and some patients are not good candidates for any surgery. Having said that, it's always good to know that options exist.
Related Topics: Implanted Lens Approved for Nearsightedness, Implantable Contact Lenses Safe, Effective
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