Aging Eye

Your patient is a 50-year-old woman, and this is her first consultation with you. She had LASIK in her 30s and now wears reading glasses for presbyopia. You learn that cataracts and glaucoma run in her family. She says, “I wish I didn’t need reading glasses. Are there any options for me?”

Most likely, yes. Early- and mid-presbyopic people between the age of 40 and 60 years can be ideal candidates for corneal inlays. The inlays are implanted in presbyopic emmetropic eyes, but can also be used in eyes with myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism as a combined procedure with LASIK. 

Talking Points: Careful screening is required to make sure she is a good candidate for corneal inlays or any other vision correction procedure. Because she had LASIK in her 30s, special conversion tables must be used when evaluating her risk for glaucoma. If she shows early signs of cataract, a better choice for her might be refractive lens exchange (also known as early pre-cataract surgery). Her overall health must also be considered. Autoimmune diseases, comorbidities, or other ocular disorders may rule her out of as a strong candidate.