Plastic lens implants within the eye could be a major vision booster for scores of people suffering from short sightedness. Novel studies indicate that the method has analogous efficacy as that offered by laser eye surgery and in several situations surpassing it. It is a completely safe procedure wherein a small lens modifies the angle at which entry of light within the eye occurs which aids in facilitating clear focus. It is a mere fifteen minute procedure and does not require replacement in future.
A new-fangled research conducted at the Moorfields Eye Hospital, London observed that people post-surgery did not need eye glasses and had vision analogous to those people who had undergone laser eye surgery.
Among those still requiring eye glasses for driving, had vision which was in fact somewhat better as compared to those people having undergone laser eye surgery.
Plastic lens implants additionally led to improved contrast sensitivity – the capability to view items with no clear outline or those objects not standing out clearly from their surroundings. People with less contrast sensitivity, for instance would face problems seeing vehicles post-dusk, missing out on face expressions or could fail to notice something kept on a gas burner.
Disparate to laser eye surgery that involves permanent removal of the cornea from the front portion of the eye for enhancing eye sight, this plastic lens implant treatment could be reversed since its removal was possible in case matters went off-beam.
Nearsightedness or myopia, an eye condition wherein objects located at a distance could not be clearly seen affects 1 in 4 individuals in the United Kingdom.
In an unaffected eye, light rays pass via the clear corneal structure at the front of the eye and focus on a small area of the retina thus providing the brain with lucid, sharp view of the image.
In short-sightedness, the image is blurry due to the eyeball becoming longish in shape causing the focal point for the light beams not able to reach the retinal region. Myopia is commonly heritable and normally develops in infancy or young teens.
Eye glasses or contact lens assist in rectifying the flaw by amending the angle at the light beams make an entry into the eye. However, later on, the introduction of laser eye surgery for rectifying eyesight with the use of laser for corneal re-shaping became quite popular. Laser therapy that helps the light rays in better focusing on the retina is conducted under the influence of local anaesthesia and proves vastly effective for mild to moderate ranging short sightedness. But, the plastic lens implants are less suited in case of acute myopia because of the extent of corneal shaping necessary.
There is additionally a miniscule risk involving excess removal of the cornea leading to farsightedness (incapability of focusing on closely placed items). But, recently a couple of eye clinics have been able to successfully treat acute myopia by using plastic lens implant.
The study group from Moorfields Hospital have claimed that the safety and efficacy quotient of these lenses would translate to greater populace of myopic patients being able to avail of this treatment. The new method bears close resemblance to cataract surgery wherein the foggy lens is replaced with a synthetic one. But, in case of the plastic lens implants there is no form of removal from the eyes. As an alternative, placement of the synthetic lens is done at the rear of the iris (coloured section of the eye) and the innate lens. In case of plastic lens implants there is no requirement for making a permanent change in the eye structure. But, the price of this method comes to three thousand pounds for each eye – nearly two times the cost of laser eye surgery and could increase the chances of cataracts developing by two percent.
