Never lose your glasses again!

A new surgical procedure demonstrated in Toronto this week may soon allow those willing to go under the knife the chance to throw away their reading glasses forever. Dr. Sheldon Herzig conducted an inaugural training session on the surgical reversal of presbyopia (near-sightedness) for ophthalmologists from Canada, the United States and Korea.

Heralded by Dr. Herzig as “one of the most remarkable advancements in vision correction surgery he has seen in his entire career” the procedure addresses the problem of the eye’s inability to focus that most everyone experiences beginning in their 40’s due to the aging of the eye. Whether this is annoying enough to undergo eye surgery is definitely a personal decision.

The ideal candidate for this type of surgical vision correction procedure is a person between 45 and 60 with reasonably good distance vision and no cataracts. During the operation, four microscopic plastic strips (of the same type already used in cataract surgery) are placed in the sclera (white of the eye) rather than the optical parts (cornea or lens) of the eye, restoring the ability to “close focus” that for many is a distant memory.

The procedure, which is fullreversible, is completed in about 45 minutes and performed on an out-patient basis. Patients are able to return to work and resume regular activity within 24 to 48 hours. Although the procedure is new, it employs the same material used for intraocular lens implants in cataract surgery for the past fifty years. Developed in Texas, the procedure is currently under review for use in Canada.