This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Corneal inlay may improve vision in naturally emmetropic presbyopes
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2012;38(1):35-45.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
A small-aperture corneal inlay achieved qualified success in correcting presbyopia in emmetropic presbyopic patients, a study found.
"Although further studies and an even longer follow-up would be helpful, from the data presented in this study we conclude that the AcuFocus corneal inlay is an effective and safe treatment for plano and near-plano presbyopia by increasing the depth of field, based on the small-aperture optics concept," the study authors said.
The prospective, nonrandomized study included 32 naturally emmetropic presbyopic patients who received an AcuFocus corneal inlay in the nondominant eye. A 60-kHz IntraLase femtosecond laser (Abbott Medical Optics) was used to create a superior hinged flap. The inlay was centered on the stromal bed and the flap was repositioned.
Investigators evaluated manifest refraction, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual fields, subjective patient satisfaction and symptoms, and intraoperative and postoperative adverse events and complications at 1 day, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months postoperatively.
No inflammation was identified, and no inlays required explantation.
Study results showed that mean uncorrected near visual acuity improved from J6 before surgery to J1 at 3 years after surgery. Mean Snellen uncorrected intermediate visual acuity improved from 20/40 to 20/25.
However, at 3 years, binocular uncorrected near visual acuity was J3 or better in 31 patients (97%) and J1 or better in 23 patients (72%).
Nine eyes (28.3%) lost one line of corrected distance visual acuity. In addition, 15.6% of patients reported difficulty with night driving.
Reported spectacle dependence fell from 87.5% preoperatively to 6.3% postoperatively, the authors said.