What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is loss of the lens’ ability to change shape to focus on near objects due to aging. Typically, presbyopia becomes noticeable by the time a person reaches the early or mid 40s. A convex (plus) lens is used for correction when viewing near objects. These lenses may be supplied as separate glasses or built into a lens as bifocals or variable focus lenses.

How do we treat presbyopia with Laser?

SUPRACOR is the latest LASIK program for treating a wide range of presbyopia. The LASIK program is an ad-on software and hardware upgrade as part of the time tested and excellent LASIK-based Technolas 217P Excimer laser procedure.
Supracor LASIK is ideal for patients who previously can see well for far and near without glasses, but had developed presbyopia (poor near vision as a result of aging) recently. It may also be suitable for patients who have previously undergone a LASIK or a cataract implant procedure.
The procedure is essentially a time-honored LASIK procedure. The excimer laser beam is used to precisely reshape the cornea to restore near vision and simultaneously treat any hyperopia or myopia, if present. This painless, quick and precise procedure provides excellent distance and near vision for the vast majority, usually within days after the procedure. So far results done in Europe appears to show that the results are stable for the long term.

How does SUPRACOR work?

The outpatient LASIK treatment involves first creating a thin corneal flap on the surface of the eye. The flap is lifted to the side to allow surgeons’ access to the cornea. The precise cool beam of the excimer laser is used to remove a layer of corneal tissue. The flap is folded back at the end of procedure to its normal position and sealed without sutures. The removal of corneal tissue permanently reshapes the cornea to treat the presbyopia. The procedure itself generally takes about fifteen minutes.
At ISEC, we use the state-of-the-art Technolas laser plateform, which incorporates Advanced Control Eyetracking (ACE) technology, iris recognition technology and pupil shift tracking technology (link to technology).  The real-time dynamic eye tracking mechanism tracks subtle eye movements, rotation and pupil shift and simultaneously adjusts the laser beam to ensure the beam is well-centred on the eye during the entire procedure.

SUPRACOR Results

96% see distance sc 0.8(20/25) or better (6 months):

91% see near sc 0.8(J2) or better (6 months):

SUPRACOR treatment result in excellent improvement of the monocular uncorrected near visual acuity in combination with good distance vision control:

SUPRACOR minimizes undesired aberrations within the pupil for better visual acuity:

How does Supracor differs from the older other PresbyLASIK technology ?

PresbyLasik is a generic term referring to a various way of using LASIK procedure in attempt to correct presbyopia. These were previously offered in lasers from different platforms. In general PresbyLASIK uses a very different multifocal treatment profiles on the cornea. A main drawback from these treatments is the presence of undesirable side-effects due to inducement of optical aberrations, resulting in night vision problems such as glare and haloes.
In contrast, Supracor LASIK uses a unique corneal remodeling algorithm that smoothly blends the correction of near, intermediate, and distance vision in the cornea in the treated eyes. Thus, the eye can see well for near, intermediate and far vision without much night vision side effects.

Hyperopic Supracor treatment ablation profile:

Myopic Supracor treatment ablation profile:

Is Supracor a Monovision Procedure?

Supracor LASIK is not a monovision procedure. Patients have simultaneous vision in both eyes for distance and near if both their eyes have had Supracor LASIK treatment. As a result, 3-Dimension vision and binocular vision in patients who had Supracor  LASIK are superior to other monovision procedures such as KAMRA corneal inlays.

In summary, the benefits of  Supracor Presbyopia LASIK treatment are:

1. It corrects both near and distance vision, thus freeing the needs for glasses
2. It employs the time-honored well-established accurate and safe LASIK treatment technique
3. It is a painless, quick procedure and allows fast visual recovery
4. It is shown to be work well in clinical studies and the laser technique has obtained CE certification.

For information on Multifocal Lens Implant as an alternative for presbyopia correction, click HERE.