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As you get older, you may find that things close to your eye become harder to see. You can’t read the label on a prescription bottle, or your favorite novel, or the ingredients list on a can of SpaghettiOs at the grocery store. Eventually you get reading glasses, but then you have the hassle of remembering to take them with you everywhere you go, in case you have to read something.
The change in your vision is caused most of the time by presbyopia, or farsightedness. This condition occurs when the natural lens of the eye hardens because of age, which causes light not to focus directly on the retina. Presbyopia can be exacerbated by the weakening of the muscles around the eye, also due to age.
So If you don’t want to have to deal with the hassle of reading glasses, what can you do? Dr. Silverman and the staff at OCLI want to introduce you to a wonderful procedure called the KAMRA inlay that can improve your near vision while maintaining your long-distance vision.
The process works by placing a small ring onto the eye. This ring will limit the amount of light that can enter the eye, focusing it on the retina and allowing for clearer near vision.
When you go in for the procedure, you can expect it to take less than 20 minutes. You will be given numbing drops in your eyes to make sure you will be comfortable throughout the entire procedure. Your ophthalmologist will use a laser, such as the FS2000 femtosecond laser used by Dr. Silverman, to create a small pocket in the first layers of the cornea. The KAMRA inlay will then be placed into this pocket.
The inlay itself is thinner and smaller than a contact lens. It’s only 3.8 millimeters in diameter, with the center opening only 1.6 millimeters. Dr. Silverman will take the inlay and place it in the exact center of the cornea to create the necessary “pinhole effect.”
The inlay is placed in your non-dominant eye, as your eyes work together to see near and far after the procedure even without the installation of a KAMRA inlay in the dominant eye. Unlike with a LASIK procedure, the return of your vision to normal is not virtually instantaneous but will gradually improve over time.
The KAMRA inlay process can also be combined with LASIK surgery if you’re having problems with both near vision and long-distance sight. Dr. Silverman and the team at OCLI will be happy to talk to you about both LASIK and the KAMRA inlay and help you determine whether you are a good candidate.
If you are in any of the following situations, you may be a good candidate for the process:
- Do not need glasses or contacts to see objects in the distance
- Slightly myopic
- Between 45 and 60 years old
- A good candidate for LASIK (if necessary)
- Need reading glasses between +1.00 and +2.50 in power
Even if you qualify under those guidelines, you will still need to meet with Dr. Silverman and the team at OCLI to see if you have all of the qualifications to be a good candidate for the procedure.
The KAMRA inlay can be removed later, should the need arise for your eye health. However, if you do have it removed, your vision will revert to what it was before the procedure.
Dr. Silverman and the team at OCLI are standing ready to help you not only with the KAMRA inlay but with anything else that will enhance your life through advanced eye care. Contact the OCLI team today for an appointment.
