Second
Sight
Age Related Myopia With Cataracts and
Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, etc.
At or around the age of 60, many people experience what is commonly
called "Second Sight". The near vision that had been lost around age
40+ seems to get better. The cause of second sight is an important consideration
with
refractive surgery like
conventional or
wavefront
Lasik,
Bladeless Lasik,
PRK,
LASEK,
Epi-Lasik, and
P-IOL.
Before about the age of 40, the human eye is able
to change shape to change focus from distant items to near items. This
is called
accommodation.
Presbyopia
is a normal result of the aging process. After around age 40 the natural
crystalline
lens of the eye is not as able to change to focus on objects near. Most
people with presbyopia use
reading
glasses,
bifocals,
or
trifocals to provide clear vision at all distances.
Cataracts
too are a normal result of the aging process. Cataracts are when the
crystalline lens become cloudy and vision becomes less clear. This is
also called
nuclear sclerosis.
An early sign of cataract formation is what appears
to be improvement in near vision. As the crystalline lens ages, it becomes
more dense and changes
refractive
index and effective power. An increase in power in the crystalline lens
means more
myopia (nearsighted, shortsighted) or less
hyperopia (farsighted, longsighted).
There are two ways to describe myopia. One is that
you cannot see distant objects very well. Another is that you can see
near objects well. Accommodation has not returned, but the increase
in myopia induced by nuclear sclerosis can improve near focus. Unfortunately,
the lens is also becoming more cloudy and opaque.
The actual cause of presbyopia has not improved, and
the ongoing process of opacification of the lens commonly requires surgery
to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial intraocular
lens.
A consideration regarding refractive surgery for a
person experiencing Second Sight is that the overall refractive error
is changing and surgery on the cornea, such as Lasik, Bladeless Lasik,
PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, etc. is not going to stop or slow the progression
of a cataract.
Cornea based surgery or implantation of a P-IOL for a patient who will
soon need cataract surgery may be ill advised.
If the patient is near the time when the cataract will need to be removed,
then
RLE, which is essentially cataract surgery for refractive purposes,
may be more appropriate and should be evaluated.
For more information, read
Cataract
Details.
If you are ready to
choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional or custom wavefront
Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, LASEK, Epi-Lasik, RLE, or any refractive
surgery procedure, we highly recommend you consider a doctor who has
been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes nonprofit organization.
n.
Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified Lasik Laser Eye Surgery
Doctor.
|
