Farsightedness treatment available at laser center

Until recently, the only corrective options available for people with hyperopia, or farsightedness, were glasses or contacts. Now, the same laser technology that has been used for several years to treat myopia, or nearsightedness, can be used to correct farsightedness.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of the VISX STAR S2TM Excimer Laser System to treat mild to moderate farsightedness and farsightedness with astigmatism. The excimer laser improves the focus of a farsighted eye by permanently reshaping the cornea. VISX is the first and only laser manufacturer in the United States to receive approval to treat hyperopia.

Because ophthalmologists at the Magill Laser Center have been participating in investigational trails using the excimer laser to treat hyperopia, MUSC can begin treating farsighted patients immediately.

“It is exciting to be one of the first centers to offer our farsighted patients the option of having their vision enhanced through refractive surgery,” said Kerry D. Solomon, M.D., medical director of the Magill Laser Center. “Clinical experience indicates that laser vision correction can reduce or eliminate the need for glasses for patients who have difficulty seeing in the distance and close up.”

The excimer laser procedure is painless and takes only two to three minutes. Prior to surgery, numbing drops are placed in the patient’s eye. The excimer laser, programmed to specifically address a patient’s unique corneal shape, emits a beam that removes small amounts of corneal tissue.

Farsightedness is normally due to the curvature of the cornea, or the surface of the eye, being too flat. Instead of light rays focusing directly on the retina in the back of the eye, the flatter curvature of the cornea causes light rays entering the eye to focus behind the retina. As a result, the farsighted eye sees both distant objects and near objects equally blurred. “Patients with mild to moderate farsightedness would have difficulty seeing the E on the eye chart,” Solomon said. The excimer laser works by sculpting the outer edges of the cornea, making it steeper.

“The difference for patients is immediate,” Solomon said. “It’s a very dramatic change. Immediately after surgery, patients notice an improvement in their vision. Farsighted patients who were treated with the VISX laser system have been very pleased with their results.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 22 percent of Americans suffer from hyperopia. Hyperopia, however, should not be confused with presbyopia, Solomon said. Presbyopia is a condition that becomes apparent in people around age 40 when the eye loses its ability to change shape and focus on near objects. Presbyopia requires people to use a pair of reading glasses for working up close.

Farsightedness is an inherited condition that is actually present during childhood, but usually does not affect individuals until their early 30s. During childhood and young adulthood, muscles in the eye are usually able to compensate for the farsighted eye’s lack of focus. By the time a person reaches his or her late thirties however, the muscles in the eye can no longer function in this capacity, and the person begins to have difficulty seeing things clearly.

To be treated for hyperopia with the excimer laser, patients must be at least 21 years old and have a stable refraction. For more information, call the Magill Laser Center at 792-7900.

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