Here at Advanced Vision Care, we are seeing an increasing trend of patients over the age of 40 turning to us to carry out laser eye surgery.
One of the biggest reasons that the baby-boomers give us for doing so, is that laser surgery is now more affordable than it has been before. They also say that it’s now more common (we all know someone who has had eye surgery done!) and acceptable for them to undergo the treatment.
However, they all want the chance to ditch their glasses and contact lenses in a bid to permanently restore their eyesight and, as one of the UK’s leading eye surgery clinics, we are more than pleased to help.
Indeed, most people who are aged over 40 can still expect excellent outcomes from surgery but they do need to have realistic expectations of what such surgery can bring.
Laser eye surgery research
They need to be realistic because even though Advanced Vision Care is at the forefront of technology and techniques, not everyone will see the same results.
This is underlined by research carried out recently by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in America into the results of their laser eye surgery procedures.
They looked at 424 patients aged between 40 and 69 and found that, following surgery, the vision was corrected to the 20/30 level in 96% to 100% of the eyes they corrected for near-sightedness.
In patients being treated for far-sightedness, the results showed that 89% to 96% of eyes were corrected. More importantly, is that researchers also found that the positive outcomes were similar for patients aged in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
Issues to consider
To illustrate why patients in their 40s who undergo eye surgery for the first time need to be realistic about the results they can achieve is because the researchers found that the figure for completely successful results for over 40s is more than 80% – compared with more than 90% in those aged under 40. There is a slim chance the patient’s vision will not be corrected to the same degree as they had hoped for but this is rare.
Laser eye surgery and presbyopia
Over the years, we have seen countless numbers of happy patients come through our doors and go on to enjoy life with corrected vision but there is, sadly, one condition that laser eye surgery cannot fix – and that is presbyopia.
Presbyopia is a condition that most people will experience from the age of 40 onwards; it’s where the eye fails to focus well on near objects and which causes reading to become more difficult. Experts aren’t exactly sure on what causes presbyopia, although some believe it is related to the stiffening of the lens in a mature eye.
It is not curable through wearing glasses or contacts, or indeed through eye surgery.
Anyone thinking of undertaking eye surgery should understand that the procedure corrects distance vision only and following this, reading glasses would be required.
However, there is a form of treatment for monovision where one eye is corrected for distance vision and the other for reading and the brain adjusts to enable you to see both distance and near. This will require a trial in the form of glasses or contact lenses as not all patients are able to tolerate this.
How to treat presbyopia
If you are developing presbyopia and are aged over 40 and thinking of undertaking laser eye surgery then we do offer an alternative treatment to help restore youthful vision.
It’s called Lens Replacement (also known as Refractive Lens Exchange) and it’s a procedure that helps us roll back time to when you didn’t need glasses or contact lenses.
Unlike laser eye surgery procedures that change the shape of the cornea to correct either long or short sight, Lens Replacement works by correcting a patient’s vision for all distances by removing the crystalline lens from the eye and replacing it with a lens that is artificial (or, to give it its proper name, an intraocular lens).
Advanced Vision Care is also one of the UK’s leaders in Lens Replacement which can be utilised for age-related presbyopia as well as resolving short and long-sight issues.
This is the best option for those who are aged over 40 and who want clear vision without having to use glasses or contact lenses, and not undergo laser surgery.
An initial consultation will tell us whether you are suitable for Lens Replacement and you should bear in mind that it’s not suitable for everyone – a lot depends on your eye health, your lifestyle and job.
Interested in Vision Correction?
If you would like to find out more about Laser Eye Surgery or Lens Replacement at Advanced Vision Care, then why not call AVC TODAY on 0800 652 4878 and request your free information pack or book your consultation to find out how we can help you.
