Many people ask about the long-term benefit of LASIK, and how it will impact their eyes as they age. The general consensus (and my personal experience) is that most well-selected candidates with stable vision will retain their improved vision for many years. It is known that the reading vision changes with age and as patients of mine over the last 20 years have moved into their 40’s and beyond, they have required assistance with their near vision, usually in the form of reading glasses. I anticipate that there will be effective alternatives for near vision, such as the implant of a small device in the cornea to allow for reading vision while preserving distance vision. This has been introduced in Asia and Europe and looks promising.
There is also the advent of the use of multifocal lenses implanted into the eye to replace the natural lens. At The Eye Care and Surgery Center, we have had a very successful experience with this in our older patients who can become glasses-free as a result. Initially this was performed only in cataract patients, but we are now using these in selected patients in their 50’s and beyond as a valid method of vision correction.
Stay tuned for further advances!
Thank you to Dr. Joel Confino, our guest blogger today, for sharing his insights and knowledge with us.
