Eye implant instead of glasses

Eye Surgery: Implant replaces reading glasses

06/11/2012

Eyewear could possibly be replaced by an eye implant in the future. The use of a wafer-thin artificial pinhole in the cornea of ​​the eye directly in front of the pupil could correct the so-called presbyopia, said the chairman of the Association of German Ophthalmic Surgeons (DOC), Armin Scharrer, on the occasion of the 25th International Congress of German Ophthalmic Surgeons.

At the DOC Congress from June 14 to 16, the new procedure for eye implants will be presented for the first time to a broader circle of ophthalmologists, in order to subsequently intensify their use in practice. Already 5,000 people worldwide have regained their visual acuity with the help of the so-called Kamra implants, Armin Scharrer describes the successes so far. The artificial 3.8 millimeter pinhole can restore the depth of field at presbyopia, glasses are thus unnecessary.

Eye implants also admitted in Germanys
The eye implant or Kamra inlay is in principle a tiny plastic pinhole, which is used in front of the pupil in the cornea. In the course of the operation, a wafer-thin slice of the outer corneal layer is removed by the ophthalmologist and then the "Kamra lens" is carefully implanted over the pupil into the corneal tissue. By embedding it in the cornea, the implant practically adheres "as if by itself - like an endogenous patch," continues Scharrer. In the course of the procedure, not even need to be sewn. Inserted in front of the pupil, the 3.8 millimeter "Kamra lens" acts as a kind of pinhole, which reduces the opening and thus restores the depth of field with presbyopia. The patients could do without reading glasses, reports the DOC chairman. In Germany, too, the new procedure with the Kamra implant has already been approved for the treatment of patients and has been practiced since the beginning of the year, explained Scharrer.

Eye implants not suitable for all patients
Due to the success of the eye implants so far, the experts in this country also opted for increased use of the Kamra inlays. At the DOC Congress, therefore, the possibilities of the novel process should be presented to a wide range of ophthalmologists. Around 5,000 eye surgeons, specialists, physicians and other experts are expected to attend the congress in Nuremberg. However, the limits of the new technology at the annual DOC conference are on the program. As Armin Scharrer emphasized, eye implants are far from suitable for all patients. Thus, the intervention usually make sense only from the age of 50 years, since the farsightedness occurs only in old age. In addition, "a healthy, sufficiently thick cornea" is a prerequisite for the operation, Scharrer continues. "There must be neither degeneration nor corneal dystrophy (corneal deposition)," emphasized the chairman of the Federal Association of German Ophthalmologists. In general, the Kamra implants are in patients who have undergone a corresponding surgery, but accompanied with surprisingly few side effects. Almost all of them would have tolerated the eye implant well.

New procedure of eye implants also has disadvantages
From the health insurance companies, however, no support is expected in the decision to a corresponding operation. The approximately 2,000 euros for the procedure patients have to pay from their own pocket. The eye implants also bring with them a slight disadvantage when looking into the distance. According to the DOC chairman, the image is darkened and blurred by the artificial pinhole. For this reason, the Kamra lens is also used only in one eye. The eye surgeons determine which eye is dominant during the vision process before the procedure and implant the lens specifically into the non-dominant eye. Thus, the positive effects of the eye implant should be made possible, without triggering far-reaching impairments of vision. (Fp)

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