SOLUTION FOR PRESBYOPIA

The Kamra (AcuFocus) corneal inlay is under investigation as a potential solution for presbyopia. This corneal inlay is designed to increase the depth of field using the principle of small-aperture optics to restore near and intermediate visual acuity without significantly affecting distance vision in emmetropic hyperopes. Austrian researchers who did some of the first clinical studies with the inlay now report three-year postoperative follow-up data. A prospective study enrolled 32 patients. Mean uncorrected near visual acuity improved from Jaeger 6 preoperatively to J1 at three years. Mean uncorrected intermediate vision improved from 20/40 to 20/25. Mean uncorrected distance acuity was 20/20. However, nine eyes (28.3 per cent) lost one line of corrected distance acuity and one eye lost more than two lines. Moreover, 15.6 per cent of patients reported severe night-vision problems, and 6.3 per cent (versus 87.5 per cent preoperatively) reported being dependent on reading glasses. The design of the inlay has continued to evolve along with the implantation technique, the researchers note.

O. Seyeddain et al., JCRS, “Small-aperture corneal inlay for the correction of presbyopia: 3-year follow-upâ€, Volume 38, Issue 1, pages 35-45.