Singapore Eye Surgey, Eye Care Clinic - Eye Retina Surgeons

Presbyopia Solutions

To put it simply, presbyopia is the loss of near vision, notably affecting people above the age of 40. Before this age, a person's eye is able to focus on both far and near objects to see a clear image. However, as we age, our eyes lose their ability to focus on close objects due to the stiffening of the natural lens. As a result, reading becomes difficult and near objects look blurry.

Using a pair of reading glasses is a quick way to improve near vision, but it does nothing to help you see far objects. Putting glasses on and off just to be able to see near and far objects can be tedious, but this can be solved by KAMRA or INTRACOR.

Both the KAMRA and INTRACOR procedures have already obtained the CE Mark.

KAMRA corneal inlay

KAMRA is done by implanting a corneal inlay in a 15-minute day surgery procedure under topical anaesthesia. A corneal flap is created with a femtosecond laser, just like in a LASIK surgery. The KAMRA corneal inlay is placed on the cornea and centered over the pupil. The corneal flap is then replaced over the KAMRA inlay without stitches.

This procedure effectively creates a pinhole effect just like a camera lens uses a smaller aperture to increase the range of focus (depth of field). The small aperture created by KAMRA reduces the blur and thus improves near vision with minimal effect on distance vision.

About a third the diameter of a contact lens and 5 microns (0.005 mm) thick, the KAMRA corneal inlay looks like a black ring. There is a tiny aperture or hole in the centre of the inlay. It is made of a biocompatible polymer material manufactured to strict quality standards.

INTRACOR laser

INTRACOR is a laser procedure done on the eye to correct presbyopia. It is performed with a femtosecond laser on the cornea.The laser treatment is applied within the cornea to induce a change in the shape of the cornea, without the need to cut a flap of the cornea as in LASIK surgery. This small change in shape of the cornea confers a multifocal effect to the eye, allowing it to see better for near without significantly affecting the distance vision.

INTRACOR is performed in a 10-minute day surgery procedure under topical anaesthesia. Unlike KAMRA, there is no need to implant any medical device in the cornea.

KAMRA or INTRACOR reduces your dependence on reading glasses but may not totally eliminate the need for them. You may still need glasses for reading very fine print or in dim light. The amount of time it takes to see an improvement in near vision varies. Some see better in a few days. For others, it takes several months. Limiting usage of reading glasses after the procedure could result in faster results.