Do You Need Varifocals? Laser Eye Surgery Could Help
As we get older, we will start to notice that things aren’t quite as strong as they used to be, whether it’s our knees or our memory -and our eyes are no exception. The fact is that everyone’s eyesight will eventually deteriorate, typically leaving us with weakened near vision and a reliance on visual aids.
For most people, being told you suddenly need glasses to perform simple tasks, such as reading and writing, can be a shock, especially if you’ve always had good near vision. But what causes these changes?
Ageing eyes – known formally as presbyopia – occur when the eyes’ natural lenses become stiffer and less flexible. This happens due to the continuous formation of new cells, which, as we get older, causes the lens to become increasingly thicker. At the same time, the muscles around the lens weaken, affecting our ability to switch focus between different distances.
This probably means it’s time to get reading glasses – or varifocals…
Most people will need to wear reading glasses eventually. Typically, this occurs when we reach our 40s and 50s. It tends to be around this age that we might start to notice that we are stretching our arms out in front of us when reading books, menus, or even our text messages. While this might be enough to bring the letters into focus at first, there will come a point when our arms just won’t stretch far enough.
For individuals who already struggle with their visual acuity, the initial solution may be to switch between their usual glasses and reading glasses. Of course, this comes with significant inconvenience. Which is where bifocals and varifocals come in.
What are varifocals?
Varifocal, or progressive, lenses are a type of multifocal lens that features a gradual change in prescription from the top to the bottom. Similar to bifocal lenses, this allows for the correction of the wearer’s vision across different distances, from near at the bottom of the lens, to far at the top of the lens. However, unlike bifocal lenses, there is no visible line separating the different prescription zones.
In addition to correcting both near and distance vision, varifocals provide a seamless transition, allowing for undisturbed intermediate vision, too. This means that wearers are often able to wear their glasses for all kinds of tasks, from reading to computer work to viewing distant objects!
However, varifocals come with their own issues. Some wearers may require lengthy adaptation periods as their eyes and brain get used to this new way of seeing. For some, this can cause dizziness, eye strain, and headaches. On the other hand, the transition between prescriptions can cause peripheral distortion.
Luckily, there is another solution: Laser Eye Surgery.
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision
For a long time, Laser Eye Surgery has been used to correct the common refractive errors: myopia (short-sightedness_, hyperopia (long-sightedness), and even astigmatism. But for much of this period, it was widely accepted that the treatment was powerless against presbyopia.
But not everyone accepted this limitation. London Vision Clinic’s founder, Professor Dan Reinstein, set out on a mission to develop a technique that would enable patients to ditch their reading glasses for years to come, and in 2004, he achieved his goal.
Since then, we have been treating patients with presbyopia with this revolutionary technique: PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision. By treating the patient’s eyes in a slightly different way, the surgeon is able to create a “blend zone”, allowing the patient to distinguish clearly across all distances. Moreover, in comparison to the more traditional monovision correction, Laser Blended Vision is much more tolerable – around 97% of patients are suitable for this type of correction!
In the video above, we meet Ken, a London Vision Clinic patient. Ken discusses the challenges he faced when he noticed a deterioration in his reading vision and tells us of his personal experience of the PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision procedure.
Why Choose London Vision Clinic?
London Vision Clinic was the first Laser Eye Surgery clinic in the UK to offer the PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision procedure – and remains one of the only providers in the country able to perform the treatment. This means we are often able to treat patients who have been turned away by other clinics.
To learn more about our Laser Eye Surgery treatments, including PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today.
