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Corneal inlays combined with refractive surgery may be option for presbyopia correction
 Richard L. Lindstrom |
NEW YORK — Surgical correction of presbyopia is a new frontier for cataract and refractive surgery, considering that 80% of people aged 45 years to 54 years require visual correction, a speaker said here.
"Presbyopia is a big deal," Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Chief Medical Editor of Ocular Surgery News, said at OSN New York 2011, attributing the drop-off in LASIK procedures, in part, to the aging population. "Our typical patient is now presbyopic, and they tell me all the time, 'Once you get something to treat my presbyopia, I'll be interested [in refractive surgery].'"
One concept intended to help these presbyopes combines refractive surgery with a corneal inlay.
The AcuFocus Kamra inlay, which is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is an ultra-thin inlay based on small aperture optics, Dr. Lindstrom said. The inlay is placed under a LASIK flap or in a pocket 200 µm to 250 µm deep.
Ninety-four percent of patients with a small aperture corneal inlay report being able to perform regular daily tasks independent of glasses, Dr. Lindstrom said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Lindstrom is a consultant for AcuFocus.