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Laser Blended Vision

A laser procedure that minimises dependency on reading and distance glasses.

What is Laser Blended Vision?

Presbyond laser blended vision is used to treat presbyopia, which refers to the loss of the eyes ability to alter their focus from distant to near objects. It is an age-related condition which affects most people at about the age of 45.

Presbyopia can come as a shock, especially to people who never needed glasses in their younger years. It also can be very frustrating to people that used glasses for distance and now they have to use different glasses for intermediate and near vision.

It is important that when thinking of presbyopia, patients consider at least three separate focal distances:

  • Distance vision
  • Intermediate vision
  • Near vision

Laser blended vision correction is used by refractive surgeons to expand the depth of focus available to each eye. One eye is profiled to allow full distance vision and some mid-range vision and the other eye is profiled of focus at the mid-range, but allowing for some closer focus to be achieved. 

The expanded depth of field allows for a wider range of focus to be achieved with both eyes, thus Presbyond laser blended vision reduces the need for spectacles to the absolute minimum.

All patients, whatever their age, need to be aware of the aging changes that will take place in their eyes eventually. They need to consider their long term visual needs very carefully, as increasing age brings compromises that must be understood and accepted. Patients also need to consider the type of jobs and lifestyle choices before choosing this type of treatment.

Treating Presbyopia

Fix near-sightedness and get rid of eyeglasses or contact lenses to see objects nearby.

What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. It’s a natural, and often disruptive part of aging. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in your early to mid-40s and continues to worsen until around age 65.

You may become aware of presbyopia when you start holding books, newspapers and mobile phones or tablets at arm’s length to be able to read them. A basic eye exam can confirm presbyopia. You can correct the condition with eyeglasses or contact lenses. You might also consider surgery.

Symptoms of presbyopia

Presbyopia develops gradually. You may first notice these signs and symptoms after age 40:

  • A tendency to hold reading material farther away to make the letters clearer
  • Blurred vision at normal reading distance
  • Eyestrain or headaches after reading or doing close work
  • Presbyopia
  • You may notice these symptoms are worse if you are tired, drank alcohol or are in an area with dim lighting.

Comprehensive eligibility test
(pre-laser test)

A major step towards the road to FemtoLASIK surgery is the detailed, comprehensive eligibility test. The test consists of various diagnostic examinations and is completely painless.

Our team of experts will determine the power to be treated and consider whether the patient is a suitable candidate or not, and if so, indicate which treatment modalities best suit their requirements to achieve the best possible outcome, which is ideally that of perfect vision without glasses or contact lenses. 

Important notes before pre-laser assessment

  • The entire examination takes about 1.5 hours.
  • If you have a previous ophthalmological evidence or a prescription for glasses, bring them to the test.
  • To ascertain the refraction and examine the fundus correctly, dilating eye drops are added, resulting in a slightly blurred vision after the test. Please avoid driving for 3 hours immediately following the examination.
  • Bring with you any medication that you are taking.

Removal of contact lenses before your pre-laser

Contact lens type Length of time lenses need to be out
before the pre laser appointment
All soft contact lenses At least 1 week before
Extended wear soft lenses At least 1 week before
Toric soft lenses At least 2 weeks before
Rigid gas permeable
Worn for 0-10 years At least 4 weeks before
Worn for 10-20 years At least 8 weeks before
Worn for 20-30 years At least 12 weeks before
True hard lenses (Polymethyl methacrylate) At least 12 weeks before

Eligibility

Patients are eligible* if:

  • They are over 18
  • Myopic from -1.0D up to -10.0D.
  • Hyperopic from +1.0D up to +4.0D.
  • Astigmatic from +4.0D up to -4.0D.
  • Have not had significant change in refraction for one year prior to the procedure date.
  • Their eyes no longer tolerate wearing contact lenses.
  • Want to see clearly without glasses or contact lenses.

* This list is intended to serve only as guidance and is not a substitute for a professional eye examination.

Contraindications

Patients are not eligible if any of the following apply:

  • Diabetes
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Wound recovery problems, keloid susceptibility
  • Amblyopia, lazy eye
  • Cataract/glaucoma
  • Pregnancy planned within six months
  • Nursing mothers
  • Keratoconus (irregular shaped cornea)
  • Previous Herpes infection in the eye
  • Severe dry eye syndrome
  • Wearing reading-glasses only

Risks & Complications

The FemtoLasik method has further reduced the risks associated with laser operations, which were already rare. These days, it’s fair to say that with FemtoLasik laser surgery, getting rid of spectacles is a very safe procedure.

In order to avoid issues, a licensed machine operator is present during the operation who monitors the laser technique and related equipment, ensuring that the mathematical values measured from the patient during the preliminary exam are correctly inputted into the laser’s computer. 

The machine operator operates and supervises the devices, thereby allowing the surgeon to personally concentrate on the operation and patient. Before surgery, the surgeon and machine operator further confirm together the values inputted.

Dry eyes

Dry eye is a common side effect in postoperative stage. For this reason, it is recommended that lubricating eye drops are applied to the operated eyes for a three- to six-month period. 

Most patients report, however, that they no longer need these eye drops for more than a month or two after surgery. Very few patients will need to put these drops for a longer period of time.

Decreased night vision

The risk of decreased night vision is extremely small and nowadays it is rarely documented to advancement in technology.

Over- and under-correction

Laser surgery-related side effects may be over- and under-correction. Over-correction means that in correcting the vision we go from minus to the plus side, which nevertheless generally evens out with time.

Sensitivity to light

Sensitivity to light is quite a rare complaint nowadays. It may be said that from two to six hours after surgery, the eye will be recovered from the procedure.

Protrusion of the cornea (keratoconus)

In femtoLASIK surgery, the very thin and uniform flap produced by the femtosecond laser has enabled the correction of increasingly larger refractive errors in a completely safe manner. Due to these factors, the risk of corneal protuberance has been limited to the minimum when using the FemtoLasik procedure. With the state of current technology, this risk is practically non-existent. More precise preliminary examinations have also raised safety to a whole new level – and have already enabled the detection of keratoconus at an early stage.

Retinal damage

With the FemtoLasik method, eye pressure does not need to be raised to a high level. For this reason, damage to the retina is very rare indeed.

Growing epithelium under the flap

About one month after the operation, there is an additional check to see if an epithelium – i.e. surface layer on the eye – has grown under the flap. The removal of an epithelium has to be performed these days to fewer than one in one thousand of those operated.

Incomplete flap

The femtosecond laser utilized by the FemtoLasik method has brought improved the safety aspect to a whole new level in this area as well. If for some reason the flap is made in an incomplete manner, a new one can be made immediately.

Infections

The speed of the FemtoLasik procedure has minimized the risk of infection. The flap made in the eye with a femtosecond laser is open for a very short time, thereby reducing the risk of infection. The quick procedure and highly developed equipment maintenance ensure an infection-free zone for the FemtoLasik operation.

Haze

Corneal haze tends to be caused by an aggressive wound response after surface ablation or FemtoLasik. In response to laser vision correction surgery ablation, the cornea can become clouded with white cells. Treatment is usually effective; however, in very rare instances the cornea will remain scarred.

Other Treatments

Learn More

SMILE

A femto laser procedure without a flap to get rid of glasses or contact lenses.

FemtoLASIK

A laser procedure to eliminate glasses or contact lenses.

Laser Blended Vision

A laser procedure to minimise dependency reading glasses and distance glasses.

Surface Ablation

An excimer laser procedure suitable for people with a thin cornea.

Ready to correct your vision?