New Solutions for Loss of Reading Vision

Toronto  
Herzig Eye Institute Offers Baby Boomers Custom Solutions. Industry Leaders Introduce Innovative NearVision CK Procedure.

A natural part of aging, people over the age of 40 begin to develop presbyopia and they start to have difficulty reading a menu, newspaper, computer, and other close-up objects. Until recently, reading glasses, bifocals, or multifocal lenses were the only solutions. On the cutting edge of technology, the Herzig Eye Institute offers baby boomers a number of effective alternatives and more permanent options for the treatment of presbyopia, including the innovative new NearVision CK, Monovision LASIK, the Refractive Lens Exchange and the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL).

“Presbyopia affects everyone over 40, whether they have had perfect vision all their life or have undergone laser eye surgery to achieve perfect vision,” states Dr. Sheldon Herzig, Medical Director, Herzig Eye Institute. “As the body ages, the natural lens of the eye loses part of its elasticity and presbyopia, the loss of reading vision, begins to develop. At the Herzig Eye Institute there are a number of options for patients to correct presbyopia. We consult with each patient to determine the best option for them.”

Introducing NearVision CK

Leading pioneers in vision correction, the Herzig Eye Institute introduces the innovative new NearVision CK procedure for the treatment of presbyopia.

“For patients over 45 who have good distance vision in both eyes either naturally or as a result of previous laser surgery or cataract extraction, we have introduced a new procedure called NearVision CK,” says Dr. Herzig.

NearVision CK is a non-laser, no incision, and no tissue removal radio frequency (RF) energy that reshapes the cornea to adjust its refractive attributes to bring near vision back into focus. A small pen shaped instrument with a Keroplast Tip that emits controlled RF is inserted around the cornea in a circular pattern that shrinks collagen and makes the cornea steeper. Studies show that the depth of shrinkage determines the degree of corneal correction. The circular treatment tightens the cornea, increasing its curvature, thereby giving better near vision.

The best candidates for NearVision CK are:
45 years or older
See well at distance (without glasses or contacts)
Are tired of wearing reading glasses or magnifiers for all near vision tasks
Post LASIK patients that had LASIK over one year ago
Post cataract patients that want less dependence on reading glasses

When 58 year-old Toronto-based actor and roofer David Baughn heard about NearVision CK he decided that it might be the solution he was looking for. After consulting with Dr. Herzig and discovering that he was a candidate for the procedure, he recently underwent NearVision CK at the Herzig Eye Institute.

“I had perfect vision when I was younger and heard there was a new procedure that could allow me to get rid of my reading glasses,” states David Baughn. “NearVision CK was quick and painless. Now when I am in an audition and am given a script, I no longer have to go hunting for my glasses.”

Plumber Henry Kay, 59, underwent NearVision CK as a follow-up to the LASIK procedure he had 7 years ago.

“I knew I would still need reading glasses after I had my initial LASIK eye surgery, but I was sick of wearing them,” states Kay. “I was amazed at how fast a procedure NearVision CK was and that it was totally pain free. Within minutes I was reading fine print on prescription bottles.”

NearVision CK is typically performed on just one eye. It is a safe, fast, and an in-office treatment that is painless. Any discomfort subsides within 24 hours of the procedure and most people can return to work the next day. Patients will experience immediate improvement in vision after the procedure but the eye usually only adjusts to the final level of reading vision after several weeks.

NearVision CK is a temporary solution, as Presbyopia is a progressive condition and only the patient’s current needs can be treated with the procedure. Every patient is different and additional needs will increase as the eyes continue to age and more treatment may be required. NearVision CK can be performed up to three times on most patients with results lasting for one to three years.

Monovision LASIK

Traditional LASIK surgery frees the majority of patients from the need to wear glasses or contacts until they reach about forty and presbyopia sets in.  Monovision LASIK adjusts one eye to see things close up, while the other eye sees things farther away. The brain integrates the visual information from both eyes and adjusts either immediately or within a few weeks to having each eye focus at a different distance.

Refractive Lens Exchange (Clear Lens Extraction)

Used for patients with very high levels of nearsightedness, farsightedness and early lens opacities, Refractive Lens Exchange is the same procedure as modern cataract surgery, but can be performed before a cataract is detected.

Unlike laser vision correction, which alters the shape of the cornea, Refractive Lens Exchange changes the focusing power of the eye by removing the eye’s natural lens and replacing it with a better lens. In effect, the lens implant acts like a permanent contact lens within the eye, with newer lens designs offering both distance and reading vision.

At the beginning of the surgery, a small incision — less than an eighth of an inch, or 2.75 mm — is made in the periphery of the cornea. A delicate instrument is inserted through the incision to create a circular opening in the front of the lens capsule. A suction tip is then inserted, and the gel-like natural lens is removed and a lens implant is inserted into the lens capsule.

The Implantable Contact Lens (ICL™)

The Implantable Contact Lens is used for patients who are at least 18 years of age with high levels of myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism that are too extreme for laser vision correction, and for whom laser vision correction on the cornea is not safe.

The ICL™ is a very thin intraocular lens that is inserted through a small 3 mm incision at the edge of the cornea. Unlike Refractive Lens Exchange, where an intraocular lens replaces the eye’s natural lens, the ICL™ is designed to rest in front of the eye’s natural lens, just behind the iris. The surgery typically takes 10 to 15 minutes to perform, with only one eye being treated at a time. The second eye is usually treated 1-7 days after the first eye.

About the Herzig Eye Institute

The Herzig Eye Institute has treated thousands of patients from across Canada, 42 US states and 23 countries worldwide. Dr. Herzig, a world-renowned expert in his field, is past president of the Canadian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and prepared the Recommended Safety Guidelines for Laser Refractive Centres in Canada. Herzig Eye Institute’s High Definition Vision ™ solutions utilize only the most advanced vision correction technology such as VISX Custom Vue ™ Wavefront-guided laser with Iris Registration technology, and Intralase® as well as other proven intraocular surgical procedures for patients who do not qualify for laser surgery. The Herzig Eye Institute also offers treatments for presbyopia including NearVision CK, Monovision LASIK, the Refractive Lens Exchange, the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL), as well as providing Advanced Cataract Solutions. The Herzig Eye Institute is the only custom vision correction surgical centre in North America to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001 certification by SGS International Certification Services, Inc.

Contact:

Peter Ashworth/Ashley Lloyd
Ashworth Associates Inc.
ashworth.associates@sympatico.ca
416-603-6005

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