There comes a time when suddenly, from the age of 45 and 50, we begin to see everything more blurry, especially close objects. The simple fact of reading a book, looking at the mobile or working on the computer becomes an increasingly difficult and tedious task
Why do we stop being able to focus and everything becomes blurry?
This loss of ability to focus is what is called presbyopia or tired eyesight. We could go on a lot in explaining this phenomenon, but we are going to try to summarize it as much as possible and explain it in a simple way:
Our eye has two lenses to be able to focus on objects at different distances: the cornea, which is a fixed lens, and the lens , which has the ability to change its shape thanks to the movement of contraction and relaxation of a muscle to which it is attached. By modifying the shape, what you are doing is also modifying its power, and this variation in power is what causes us to be able to focus at any distance: close, medium and far.
When presbyopia appears, what occurs is a loss of mobility of the ciliary muscle, which is the one that is attached to the lens and changes its shape by stretching or contracting it. This causes us to stop being able to focus at all distances. In fact, what we lose, totally or partially, is the ability to focus on nearby objects. That is why a person with presbyopia tends to move away from the mobile or the newspaper more and more.
Solutions for the presbyopia
There are different treatments to solve presbyopia that allow us to regain our ability to focus. Let’s see what they are:
- Glasses: The traditional way to correct presbyopia or tired eyesight has been through glasses with bifocal lenses (capable of focusing at two distances) or progressive lenses (capable of focusing at any distance).
- Contact lenses: As with glasses, we can solve presbyopia by using contact lenses. There are two options: we can place a lens to focus close in one eye and another to focus far in the other. Or, we can choose to place two multifocal lenses – capable of focusing at any distance – in both eyes.
- Laser: A third possibility is to correct presbyopia using an Excimer laser. The technique consists of using the same laser with which we correct myopia or hyperopia by modifying the curvature of the cornea. But in this case, what is done is to reshape the cornea by carving different concentric circles – with different powers – that will allow us to focus at all distances. This technique has been falling into disuse in recent times because it has been gradually displaced by intraocular lens surgery, among other reasons because the latter is much more effective.
- Surgery: It consists of replacing the lens with an artificial lens (intraocular lens ) with the same multifocus capabilities that the healthy natural lens possessed.
Main advantages and disadvantages of the different treatments
Using contact lenses or glasses can be a good solution for many people that will allow them to carry out their daily tasks normally and comfortably. But for many other people, putting on glasses or contact lenses can be uncomfortable and cumbersome. Especially contact lenses that require daily maintenance care and cleaning. In addition, they are very delicate to put on and take off and if it is not done well, it can cause redness of the eye and even injuries to the cornea.
Also, both glasses and contact lenses generate great dependence. This causes that the day we forget or they are damaged we stop being able to see clearly. Not to mention the continuous expense that must be made renewing them as our graduation increases.
Surgery, on the other hand, has two great advantages: it does not generate dependency and it is permanent. In other words, a person who decides to undergo presbyopia surgery will no longer need any extra elements to be able to focus clearly and the correction will last for life.
And what’s more, there is still an extra advantage: it will be impossible for the person operated on for tired eyesight to suffer from cataracts in the future. This is because with presbyopia surgery the lens material is removed, which is what hardens over time causing the appearance of cataracts.
What does presbyopia surgery consist of?
Although surgery is, in most cases, the best option, we also do not want to emphasize that for many people this solution can present a really important handicap, which is the fact of having to go through an operating room. This is so and we cannot deny it, but it is also true that it is a very simple and safe surgery.
The intervention to eliminate presbyopia forever consists of aspirating the lens material in a very precise and controlled manner using a special probe. As this material has a fairly gelatinous form, aspiration is carried out very quickly. It takes no more than 5 or 10 minutes per eye. The level of control and safety is maximum and there are hardly any risks or adverse effects.
After the intervention, as it is an outpatient procedure, the patient can return home on their own feet. The only impediment he will have will be not being able to drive, not so much because of the surgery itself, but because having received light sedation, he should not drive any type of vehicle until at least the next day.
Intraocular Lens: the most advanced solution with the best technolog
Some truly spectacular intraocular lenses are currently being manufactured. Both its design and its ability to focus have been greatly improved. We must bear in mind that the first intraocular lenses that appeared on the market only allowed focusing at a distance. Subsequently, bifocal intraocular lenses capable of focusing near and far appeared. And until a few years ago these were the only options and, really, they were not entirely satisfactory solutions because they forced the patient to choose between having optimal vision only at a distance or up close. To cover the excluded distance, it was necessary to continue wearing some type of glasses or contact lenses to perform certain tasks such as reading or driving. Later, the first multifocal intraocular lenses appeared, capable of focusing at any distance, even intermediate.
The main problem with this type of lenses, apart from the fact that they were not as precise as current ones, was the appearance of night halos. It must be taken into account that in order to provide the lenses with different focuses for each distance, they were molded with a series of concentric circles (in the same way as is done on the cornea in laser intervention), each one with a different power, to be able to have all the focus needs. The transition between circle and circle made these reflections appear, which were visible especially at night.
Today the capabilities and design of these multifocal intraocular lenses have been greatly improved. The technology with which they are manufactured is so precise that night halos have practically disappeared and the level of comfort and satisfaction of the patients who undergo the intervention is very high. They allow you to focus smoothly at any distance with great sharpness and clarity.
Pioneers in Presbyopia
At Clínica Oftalmológica Castanera we can proudly state that we are one of the most advanced centers in performing presbyopia surgery. Dr. Fernando Castanera was a founding member of the Prelex group, the first group of surgeons that already in 1997 began to treat tired eyes surgically. Since then, both he and his successor, Dr. Diego Castanera, as well as the other members of the medical team, have specialized in this type of surgery, being one of the most demanded, and at the same time most successful, of those that we carry out. carried out in our clinic.
Clínica Castanera is a guarantee of quality and satisfaction. If you are planning to get rid of your glasses or contact lenses forever, we offer you the most advanced technology and the best specialists. We will wait for you!
