Will Reading Glasses Soon be a Thing of the Past?

New developments in eye surgery mean that those who are tired of the weight, aesthetics, and price of glasses can possibly look forward to a spectacle-free lifestyle. These days, surgery is addressing a plethora of issues – everything from cataracts to macular degeneration, and even presbyopia (which tends to arise at the age of 45 and which forces us to purchase reading glasses). In this post, we highlight a few conditions and the technology used to treat them and prevent the use of glasses in the future.

Presbyopia Correction Surgery

This condition, which makes reading small print or focusing on near items like books or instructions on purchases, occurs when our lens ages and loses elasticity. Many people with this condition complain that their vision quickly declines, and that they need to change their prescription often (thus leading to yearly or almost-yearly expenditure).

Presbyopia corrective surgery involves replacing the non-accommodating lens with a multifocal lens that allows us to see well at different distances. The results are permanent and if you opt for this surgery, you will never have cataracts, since your lens will have been completely replaced.

It is vital to comprehend that although success rates are high for this surgery, there are always risks, including dry eye, temporary sensitivity to light, and blurred vision. In some cases, eyeglasses are still necessary. It is vital to discuss risks and side effects of any operation before making your decision. Expense is another factor to be taken into account, because surgeries such as LASIK or SMILE (two of the top vision surgery methods) usually need to be paid for out-of-pocket, as they tend to fall outside the list of essential health procedures normally covered by the public health system or insurance.

Cataract Surgery

In this condition, in which the eye’s natural lens become cloudy, symptoms such as decreased vision and difficulty focusing on far items can become a problem. In cataract surgery, the faulty lens can be replaced, often with a multifocal lens to avoid the need for glasses.

Macular Degeneration

This is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people aged over 60 and the third most prevalent cause of blindness in general. It occurs when the central part of the retina, the macula, deteriorates. There are two types of macular degeneration: wet (which is often treated with vitamin supplementation) and dry (which can benefit from laser surgery, which reduces the number of abnormal blood vessels and reduces leakage).

Eye surgery has come a long way in the past five years, with methods such as SMILE allowing for minimally invasive vision correction procedures via laser. Success rates are high, future issues such as cataract surgery can be avoided, and downtime is short. However, eye surgery isn’t for everyone; it has limits in terms of age and vision problems, so it is important to receive more than one opinion when deciding on this life-changing procedure.