In this corner: Corneal Inlays. In the opposite corner: Contact lenses. Or glasses, for that matter. As we age, reading vision becomes more difficult as our eyes strain to focus on up-close objects such as a phone text, menu print or computer screenshot. Age-related presbyopia, or over-40 vision, is near vision loss caused by the gradual loss of elasticity of the natural lens inside the eye.
This differs from refractive errors like astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness. These eye conditions result from the shape of the eyeball and relate to genetic and environmental factors. LASIK surgery usually comes to mind in treating refractive errors.
With presbyopia, you can’t see up close and this can cause headaches, eye strain and reading vision fatigue that makes once simple seeing tasks more tiring. And, if you can’t imagine another day of putting in and taking out high-maintenance contacts—and finding or losing reading glasses—consider near vision surgery with a corneal inlay.
LASIK vs. Corneal Inlay? Since presbyopia results from the lenses flexibility and not the shape of the eye, doctors must approach reading vision differently than LASIK. Enter the corneal inlay procedure. Unlike contact lenses or monovision with LASIK that can compromise your distance vision, corneal inlays restore near and intermediate vision while maintaining distance vision. With the corneal inlay, the focusing power of the eye remains, allowing you to use both eyes for distance vision.
Introducing the KAMRA® Inlay
If you’re looking for a long-term solution to near vision loss, it’s right in front of you with the KAMRA inlay. It can provide lifelong performance and offer clear vision even as presbyopia progresses.
At Center For Sight, Las Vegas, our expert surgeons are pleased to offer the advanced KAMRA inlay technology to help patients regain reading vision. In April 2015, the KAMRA corneal inlay became the first to gain FDA approval for use in vision correction surgery performed in the U.S. It was developed by AcuFocus and is commercially available in 50 countries worldwide.
The KAMRA inlay looks and acts like a small camera lens, with a tiny opening in the middle. It is about one-quarter the size of a soft contact lens; 3.8 millimeters in diameter to be exact. It is also about one-fourth the width of a human hair and contains 8,400 micro-perforations, which allows constant nourishment and health of the eye’s cornea. Another astounding fact: The KAMRA inlay is also lighter than a grain of salt!! That’s great news as there have been no documented reports of anyone feeling the inlay in their eye.
What Is the Procedure Like?
During an in-office procedure that takes less than 20 minutes, the KAMRA inlay is inserted and positioned so its central opening is directly in front of the pupil. This creates the same “pinhole effect,” borrowed from photography, to create the range of clear vision to bring near objects into sharper focus while maintaining greater depth of focus, or distance vision.
The KAMRA inlay goes in the non-dominant eye. This allows both eyes to see at distance while improving near vision. The opening in the inlay allows only focused light into the eye, allowing you to see near, far and everything in-between. Also, the KAMRA inlay does not affect your peripheral vision.
Healing time varies from patient to patient, with most experiencing improvement within the first 24-48 hours of surgery. However, optimal results most commonly take between one and three months post-operatively.
Suddenly I See…
Whether you’re at work on the computer…reading the news…at home making your favorite recipe…at a restaurant reading a menu in a dimly lit setting…taking a selfie on your smartphone… playing a board game…you can suddenly see things up close that you couldn’t before. How exciting! KAMRA inlay vision is a lasting solution to presbyopia, assuming your eyes don’t change, for instance by getting a cataract. (Something we can also handle with utmost care at Center For Sight.)
Center For Sight is one of the most comprehensive ophthalmology practices you will find in the country, offering individualized and exemplary eye care one patient at a time. Schedule an appointment today and make your vision 20/happy with KAMRA corneal inlay technology.
