Small study shows immediate benefit from intracorneal presbyopia implant

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Results from a preliminary clinical study show presbyopic patients sustain immediate near vision gains following treatment with an intracorneal implant, according to a surgeon speaking here.

Francisco Sánchez León, MD, conducted an informal study involving 14 presbyopic patients implanted with the Invue intracorneal implant (Biovision). He presented the results at the Mexican Congress of Ophthalmology.

The Invue is implanted through an intracorneal tunnel ranging from 220 to 250 µm deep. It is inserted using a specially designed injector and centered with a cannula, Dr. Sánchez León said.

The study found that most patients had improvements in near visual acuity following surgery.

Preoperatively, near visual acuities ranged from 20/40 to 20/200, including four patients who were 20/100. At 1-week follow-up, six patients achieved 20/20 uncorrected near vision. At 6 months, eight patients achieved 20/20 uncorrected near vision, and three patients achieved 20/25, Dr. Sánchez León said.

“There is no learning curve, and one of the major elements of the technique is its reversibility,” he said.

“Inlays might be considered as a future alternative in the correction of presbyopia,” he noted.