No More Readers: Solutions for Reading Glasses Near Portland
In our 40’s, most people begin to notice that they can no longer see well when performing tasks in their near field of vision. This loss of reading ability is called presbyopia (prez-bee-oh-pee-yah) and is an inevitable part of aging. Ultimately, presbyopia affects 100% of the population – including those that had perfect vision before. Simple everyday activities they used to enjoy like reading a magazine, viewing a computer monitor, or sending a simple text message become increasingly frustrating.
Although this problem can be overcome by using reading glasses, the need to constantly have a pair of readers handy in a modern, fast-paced world is both limiting and annoying. Worse yet, many people associate reading glasses with old age; imagine having to dangle readers by a chain around your neck or to retrieve glasses from a shirt pocket or purse each time your cell phone vibrates. Old-fashioned solutions like reading glasses don’t mesh well with many patients’ lifestyles and personal preferences.
If you have presbyopia or age-related vision changes, Dr. Brian Will offers an exciting modern solution called the KAMRA® inlay for residents of Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Finally, say goodbye to your reading glasses and enjoy better everyday vision, without the side effects of presbyopia.
What Causes Presbyopia?
The ability to focus from a distance is created by the natural lens inside the eye, just behind the iris. This natural lens is composed of complex crystalline proteins that are both elastic and clear. In a patient’s younger years, the natural lens acts like a zoom or autofocus mechanism on a camera to automatically adjust focus on those objects they want to see. This focusing is performed using a feedback loop between the brain and retina and is dependent upon nerve impulses, which cause the muscles in the eye to change the shape of the natural lens.
Like other parts of the body that become less flexible with age, the proteins in the natural lens also become stiffer. At first, the focusing muscles in the eye work harder to accommodate for this stiffness, but this effort may cause headaches and focus lag when rapidly looking from near too far. Moving the object further away can temporarily improve the focus, as can increasing the ambient light to create more contrast. Eventually, despite these behaviors, the ability to see objects in the normal range is no longer possible.
Presbyopia worsens with age as the lens becomes more inflexible, leading to the need for stronger reading glasses. Patients can quickly go from needing glasses only for fine print or low light to needing them throughout the day for any task within arm’s length. If the lens’ proteins lose their clarity in addition to becoming more rigid, the eye is said to have developed a cataract.
Meet
Dr. Will
Dr. Brian Will is dedicated to quality care and his patients receive the personalized attention and visual results they need and deserve. Dr. Will provides a safe, effective, and accurate approach to patient diagnosis and treatment.
Treatment for Presbyopia Near Portland
Will Vision and Laser Centers are one of only a small number of centers located in the United States selected by the manufacturer to insert the KAMRA® corneal inlay – a revolutionary method of restoring the ability to see near objects for people affected by presbyopia. Recognizing the skill of Dr. Will, CorneaGen®, the manufacturer of the KAMRA® inlay, has designated Will Vision and Laser Centers as a regional Center of Excellence for the purpose of training other surgeons from around the world.
Because presbyopia is a loss of the dynamic range of focus that occurs in the aging eye, solutions are not as simple as with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism that can be readily corrected with laser vision correction.
For those that do not need distance correction, reading glasses can be purchased without a prescription at a local drug store. Although they are inexpensive and commonplace, reading glasses do nothing to stop the progression of presbyopia, unlike a corneal inlay. As a result, people need progressively stronger reading glasses as they age.
When a person is wearing reading glasses, their distance vision is blurred. If it is necessary to view a distant object, the glasses must be removed, or the person must look over the top of the readers.
If the person is nearsighted, farsighted or has astigmatism, they may need special bifocal glasses that may include “progressive” style lenses that provide vision from near-to-far. Although convenient, these progressive lenses are often expensive, interfere with depth perception and activities such as sports.
Monovision has commonly been used by contact lens wearers and by presbyopes undergoing laser vision correction. With monovision, the person’s vision correction is modified so that one eye, typically the dominant eye, is adjusted for distance vision while the other eye is corrected for near vision.
Amazingly, for most people, the brain’s visual processing system can alternate attention from distance to near and from near to distance by simply alternating which image to pay attention to. Monovision can be a very successful solution for presbyopia for many people and is an important option available to people that dislike reading glasses.
Despite the success of monovision, it does have some disadvantages. The eye that is set for near vision is no longer able to see well at a distance. As a result, some patients may notice some distance vision loss in dim light conditions. This can be easily remedied by prescription glasses for tasks such as driving or watching a movie.
With Lifestyle Lasik™ there is no loss of distance vision in either eye, so the person retains normal 20/20 distance vision in both eyes and normal depth perception. The Lifestyle Lasik patient can enjoy natural everyday vision with the ability to focus from near to far without the need for reading glasses – they can see their computer, cell phone text messages, restaurant menu, and golf scorecard.
The primary disadvantage of Lifestyle Lasik compared to the KAMRA® corneal inlay is that it cannot be performed in all patients, as it requires that both eyes have an underlying refractive error such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. Persons who only need reading glasses and have no problem with distance vision are not candidates for Lifestyle Lasik™. However, they are typically ideal patients for the KAMRA® inlay procedure.
The Future's Right Before Your Eyes!
If you’re ready to take the next step in your journey to better vision, contact Will Vision & Laser Centers today. We’re excited to welcome you into our practice and for you to “See the Difference.”
Choose the KAMRA® Corneal Inlay for Presbyopia
The KAMRA® corneal inlay provides a novel solution for presbyopia, restoring everyday vision without the frustration of reading glasses or contact lenses. The corneal inlay is a permanent and long-lasting solution for presbyopia which allows you to enjoy clear vision for many years to come. You will likely not need touch-ups after the KAMRA® corneal inlay; once healed from the procedure, patients’ vision is much clearer, both for distance and near objects for the foreseeable future.
For people over 40 frustrated by their inability to focus on a cell phone text message or email, read a menu at a restaurant or see a price tag at the supermarket or department store, the KAMRA® inlay provides an amazing and life-changing vision solution.
To learn more about the KAMRA® corneal inlay as a treatment for presbyopia in Portland, call or visit Will Vision and Laser Centers today. We look forward to finally helping you ditch your reading glasses and enjoy a better quality of life!
