Wednesday, September 06, 2006

eye laser surgery : Will it help with age-related vision loss?

Will it help with age-related vision loss?

No.

Laser surgery will not be able to cure age-related presbyopia and the need for reading glasses that people often develop in their mid-40's.

This is because presbyopia is not to do with a problem with the cornea. Instead, it occurs when the lens becoming less flexible with age.

Where can I get it?

Private treatment usually costs £1000-1500 per eye and is available at some NHS hospitals.

What are the risks?

Complications occur in less than 5% of cases, according to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

Some people have a problem with dry eyes in the months after surgery and artificial tear supplements might be needed in the long term.

Many patients have experienced glare or halo effects when night driving, particularly just after treatment. This is more likely the higher the correction that has been made, but is rarely severe.

In rare cases, excessive thinning of the eye wall can cause the shape of the eye to be unstable after treatment. Severe loss of vision is very unusual, but some patients could require corneal surgery or hard contact lenses to restore vision, it said.

Can both eyes be done on the same day?

Yes, but your consultant should outline the risks. In order to reduce the risk of cross contamination should complications arise, each eye should be treated as separate procedure.

How long will it take me to recover?

Most patients have a reasonably comfortable period after surgery and are back at work within a few days to a week.

Depending on the vision correction attempted, driving may be unsafe for one to two weeks. Tinted glasses with ultraviolet protection are needed when out in the sun for the first three months.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/medical_notes/4649079.stm

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Home