How long does laser eye surgery work for presbyopia?

A common question about laser eye surgery is around how long the effects will last. We have a wealth of evidence that the shape change which we induce in the cornea with laser eye surgery correction remains stable. For younger patients, the eyeball itself can elongate resulting in a return of myopia. For older patients, the crystalline lens can begin to turn into a cataract resulting in the development of refractive error.

When performing laser eye surgery for patients aged forty and over we have to take into account their natural accommodation. That means the ability to shift focus from distance to near and back out again. Most people over forty-five need reading glasses or varifocals. However, some accommodation is retained into their fifties. We can use this when we perform PPRESBYOND LASIK laser blended vision to correct refractive error and presbyopia. The treatment profile creates an increased depth of focus in each eye with the dominant eye set to provide distance through to intermediate vision. The non-dominant eye set to provide intermediate through to near vision. People have differing degrees of tolerance to this disparity. If a patient can comfortably accept a large disparity, then it is likely that their PRESBYOND LASIK will last for a long time. Potentially giving decades of complete spectacle independence. Only the development of significant cataract will cause the effect to be lost.

If a patient can only tolerate a small amount of short-sightedness in the reading eye then when they reach their late fifties it is likely that they will begin to need reading glasses again for at least some activities (reading very small print or trying to read in dim light conditions). These patients will, however, have learned to use their PRESBYOND and will have improved their ability to tolerate a disparity between the eyes. They can then be enhanced with a small treatment to the non-dominant eye to further strengthen the reading vision for the long term.

As ever, the key to ensuring the best possible long-term outcome for patients following treatment is a comprehensive and careful initial assessment. So that the care can be truly customised to the patient’s prescription, their lifestyle and the biological age of their eyes. If they have clear natural crystalline lenses, then they may well be best served by PRESBYOND LASIK. If they show signs of cataract then lens replacement surgery with multifocal lenses may be the best solution.