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PresbyLASIK procedure shows safe and effective long-term results
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SAN FRANCISCO — The creation of a multifocal cornea with an excimer laser for the correction of presbyopia has shown to be safe and effective in the long-term, according to a speaker here.
Gustavo Tamayo, MD, presented results from a study of the presbyLASIK procedure on 97 eyes followed a mean of 39.9 months here at the International Society of Refractive Surgery Refractive 2009 meeting.
According to Dr. Tamayo, 96% of his patients were spectacle free following surgery, and 100% of patients gained one line of near uncorrected visual acuity. In addition, there was no loss of best corrected visual acuity following surgery.
"While the surgery produces some of the same visual disturbances as multifocal IOL surgery, this surgery has the advantage of being noninvasive and completely reversible," Dr. Tamayo said.
The take home message from Dr. Tamayo’s presentation is that multifocal ablations on the cornea are not only possible but also achieve very acceptable near vision for many patients. But more importantly, they are reversible. This is obviously important because of the concern among surgeons that multifocal optics are not accepted well by every patient and therefore the idea that it is reversible is very desirable if we are doing a permanent corneal ablation.
– John A. Hovanesian, MD, FACS
OSN
Cornea/External Disease Board Member