Individuals over the age of forty, simple pleasures such as reading becomes difficult. Unable to focus on close up objects is called Presbyopia which is something you get as you age and is a normal part of aging. This can not be prevented. Laser vision correction procedures such as PRK and LASIK have increased in popularity lately and because of this their have been studies looked into ways to eliminate the necessity for reading glasses for individuals over forty.

Not until recent, the options have been limited to Mono Vision PRK or Mono Vision LASIK, this is still one of the most popular options for refractive surgery patients. This is basically correcting one eye for distance while the other eye is for near.

Multi focal intraocular implant is another option that is given and it is basically a cataract surgery that has an implant with rings of refractive power. One of the powers is set for distance where as the other is set for near. Some will complain with due to a lack of distance vision, some may be happy and other may experience a glare or poor night vision which is very common with this procedure.

A new procedure is being introduced to correct these known issues and it is called Conductive Keratoplasty, CK for short. This is when radio waves are used to steepen the cornea of a patient who can see distance well but would like to improve their near vision. It generally creates a nearsighted shift in one of the individuals eye. This is similar to Mono vision LASIK or Mono Vision PRK.

The most recent procedure to date that is still in clinical trials is known as Corneal Inlay. This is when the flap in the cornea is lifted, similar to LASIK and a bio compatible disk is inserted in the middle of the tissue. This is only done in one eye, the pin holes increase the depth of field in the specific eye and in turn increases their ability to see near. This is still in the testing phase and is incomplete, however data up to date seems to indicate success. One issue to be noted however is that the patient has a light colored iris, it will become dark after the implant is in place. This disk is removable but will leave a surgical scar. With patients and time, we can only wait and see if their will ever be a alternative to reading glasses for those above forty.