Patients implanted with an intra-corneal microlens in one eye showed significant improvement in near vision and little deterioration in distance vision in the same eye over six months, according to the surgeon who implanted the devices.
The Presbia Flexivue microlens, which the company says is removable, was implanted in the non-dominant eye of 25 emmetropic patients with presbyopia requiring between +1.5 D and +3.5 D addition on the spectacle plane, Frankfurt ophthalmology professor, Dr Thomas Kohnen, told the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons’ (ESCRS’s) winter meeting, reported Healio. To place the inlay, a femtosecond laser pocket was created in the corneal stroma via a temporal opening, using a Ziemer femtosecond laser.
“Although many people say that the cornea should not be the place where you correct presbyopia, which is a problem of the lens, we are still interested in this option, which has good visual outcomes and is reversible,” said Dr Kohnen, who is also a consultant to Presbia. He added it could be a good option for those wanting to live life without spectacles.
An increase in uncorrected near visual acuity was achieved in the nondominant eye and maintained over the six-month period. In the same eye there was a loss of distance vision, which regressed slightly over time. Binocular distance vision, however, was as good as before surgery, Kohnen said.
Two patients required explanation due to optical phenomena, Healio also said. “Optical phenomena may occur, and also a slight stromal haze, but over time the cornea tends to clear up,” Kohnen said. “We are going to follow up these patients and present results at 1, 2 and hopefully 3 years.”
