Implants could make reading glasses a thing of the past

A thin, circular eye implant could remedy near-sightedness, otherwise known as presbyopia, according to research presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The device has everyone talking because it corrected presbyopia for 80 percent of clinical trial participants without interfering with their ability to see into the distance.

It was tested on 507 patients between 45 and 60 years of age across the United States, Europe and Asia with presbyopia who were not nearsighted.

Over the three-year trial, participants' vision improved to 20/40 or better, the minimum needed for reading the newspaper and driving a car.

The doughnut-shaped device is flexible, measuring 3.8 mm in diameter with a 1.6 mm hole. It acts like a camera aperture, narrowing and broadening to allow the user to focus as his gaze shifts from near to far.

The insertion procedure takes just ten minutes.

KAMRA Vision is awaiting FDA approval in the US, but it's available in Asia, Europe and South America. For more information: www.acufocus.com/patients/understanding-near-vision-loss

To see a video of how KAMRA Vision works: www.acufocus.com/sites/default/files/patient-education.webm

Other types of corneal inlays in development for the US market include Raindrop Near Vision Inlay and Presbia Flexivue Microlens.