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Glasses may fade from sight thanks to
new lens
Nov. 16, 2006
 The
need for reading glasses or bifocals as we age may begin fading from sight
with the continual progress of specialized intraocular lenses.
In June 2005, St. John's Clinic - Eye Specialists were among the first to
receive the ReSTOR lens, a new surgically implanted lens that can allow
patients who have trouble seeing at arms length to see near, intermediate
and far distances without glasses or contacts. Dr. James Gessler, chairman,
St. John's Clinic - Eye specialists, has implanted more than 200 of the
lenses in his patients.
"Previous generations of implanted lenses corrected for cloudiness caused by
cataracts and could improve seeing far distances, but most patients still
needed reading glasses to see intermediate distances and close up," Gessler
explained.
The procedure, in which the ophthalmologist makes a tiny incision, removes
the patient's natural lens and replaces it with the acrylic ReStor lens,
takes about 10-15 minutes. Patients are advised to take it easy for the rest
of the day and return to their regular routine the following day.
"The procedure was amazingly painless," says Jill Kolling, a retired
Springfield Public Schools teacher. "I had a local anesthetic, so I had
sensations of dryness in my eye, but that was the only uncomfortable part."
Kolling received the ReStor lens in her left eye in June 2005 and in her
right eye the following August. She had depended on contacts to correct her
nearsightedness since she was a teenager.
"I was initially interested in Lasik, but at my age, I would have still had
to have worn reading glasses afterward," Kolling says. "Since the ReStor
lens corrects everything, we decided it was my best option."
Surgical techniques using the ReSTOR lens can fix far-sightedness and
near-sightedness, and improve vision at computer and reading distances as
well. The lens also can correct presbyopia, a pre-cataract condition in
which near vision becomes blurry, with a procedure called refractive lens
exchange for those who do not yet have cataracts, but want to be glasses
free.
"Most people who want the ReStor lens are candidates for it," says Gessler,
who performed Kolling's procedure. "But it's important to really assess
patients' vision needs and lifestyles to determine which procedure is right
for them. The ReStor lens may not be a good option for someone who drives at
night often or for a living, for example, because they can have halos with
their night vision. We also don't use it in people who have had a history of
eye disease."
In clinical trials for the ReStor lens, its maker, Alcon, reported that 80
percent of patients reported "never" wearing reading glasses or bifocals
following bilateral cataract surgery. Clinical results showed 84 percent of
patients receiving the ReSTOR lens in both eyes achieved distance visual
acuity of 20/25 or better, and near visual acuity of 20/32 or better without
glasses. That compared with only 23 percent of the control group.
Before the surgery, Kolling's vision was 20/1,600 in both eyes. Now, her
vision is 20/20 in her left eye and nearly 20/20 in her right eye.
"There are so many advantages to life without glasses or contacts," Kolling
says.
Gessler and other St. John's Eye Specialist colleagues have also implanted
ReZOOM multifocal lenses and CrystaLens, an "accommodating" intraocular
lens. Accommodation is the process by which the natural eye shifts focus
from distance to near, allowing the eye to read from a book and suddenly
look up to the see something off in the distance.
For more information about cataract surgery,
LASIK and other vision correction procedures, potential patients
can call St. John's Clinic - Eye Specialists at 417-820-9393.
For media information or to coordinate an interview with a physician
and/or patient, contact St. John's Media Relations at 417-820-2426 or cscott@sprg.mercy.net.
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