Is LASIK recommended after 50?

It’s natural to regret the silly mistakes we make in our youth but, as we get older, it’s the things we didn’t do that often hold the most regret. It should make sense, then, that as we age, Laser Eye Surgery begins to look more and more appealing.

After all, who wants to spend their golden years fumbling around for lost glasses or wrestling with fiddly contact lenses? Far better to take the plunge and find out whether Laser Eye Surgery could help you achieve glasses-free vision!

But for many years, Laser Eye Surgery was powerless against ageing eyes (presbyopia) – that is, the eventual need for reading glasses. Thankfully, that all changed with the introduction of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision – a revolutionary technique developed by our very own founder and expert Laser Eye Surgeon, Professor Dan Reinstein.

The introduction of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision means that clear vision could be just around the corner – even for patients over the age of 50!

Life and Laser Eye Surgery after 50

To date, Laser Eye surgery has already turned back the hands of time for thousands of patients around the world. But some things should be addressed when considering how Laser Eye Surgery could help you. For example, to be considered a suitable candidate for Laser Eye Surgery – no matter your age – you must have:

• A stable prescription: To meet this criteria, your prescription must have remained the same for at least a year prior to your consultation.
• Good overall eye health: Having any conditions that affect your eyes or vision could make you unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery – at least temporarily.

Some of the common visual conditions that may affect your chances of being suitable for Laser Eye Surgery include:

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a common eye condition that is caused by a build-up of pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure). This pressure can lead to damage to the optic nerve, disrupting the transmission of information from the eye to the brain and hence affecting vision. Glaucoma is the most common cause of blindness worldwide.

While Laser Eye Surgery cannot cure glaucoma, having the condition also doesn’t make you automatically unsuitable for treatment. In fact, many people with glaucoma achieve satisfactory results with Laser Eye Surgery; however, it is important that your Laser Eye Surgeon works closely with your glaucoma specialist to ensure your glaucoma management is not affected by treatment.

Cataracts

The formation of cataracts is a natural part of the eye’s ageing process. Cataracts occur when the proteins in the lenses of the eyes begin to break down and clump together, forming cloudy obstructions in the lens. They usually develop slowly and can take years to become noticeable; however, their formation can also be accelerated by some medical conditions.

Cataract surgery is the only effective solution when cataracts are limiting your vision. This routine procedure involves replacing the cataract-affected lens with an artificial lens. Private cataract surgery utilises premium intraocular lenses that can correct existing refractive errors, often meaning the patient no longer requires glasses; however, if this is not the case, it is possible to undergo a corneal laser enhancement procedure to improve the prescription after cataract surgery.

Dry Eyes

Dry eyes is a common problem that can be exacerbated as we get older. It is caused by reduced productivity of the tear ducts which occurs naturally as we age. In the past, having dry eyes may have been enough to make you unsuitable for Laser Eye Surgery, but that’s not necessarily the case anymore.

The development of the latest, minimally-invasive Laser Eye Surgery technique – ReLEx SMILE – means that the vast majority of patients with dry eyes may now be suitable for treatment. This ‘keyhole’ procedure significantly reduces the risk and severity of post-surgical dry eye. As a result, Laser Eye Surgery is now an option for more people than ever before!

London Vision Clinic was the first Laser Eye Surgery clinic in the UK to offer this innovative treatment. Moreover, we also have a number of measures in place to prevent dry eye from worsening – including the prescription of lubricating drops.

In summary, it is your health, not your age, that is the best-determining factor of your suitability for Laser Eye Surgery.

PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision

In the past, Laser Eye Surgery was reserved for specific groups. For example, the earliest procedures focused solely on patients with myopia (short-sightedness). Thankfully, a lot has changed over the decades since the introduction of this impressive treatment.

In fact, at London Vision Clinic, we’re now able to treat around 97% of the patients we see – including those aged over 50!

Presbyopia (ageing eyes) will come for us all eventually. While this once meant the adoption of the dreaded reading glasses, this no longer needs to be the case. With PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision, it is possible to counter the effects of presbyopia, improving reading vision for many years — if not forever.

A New Approach to “Monovision”

PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision has been considered a new and improved approach to “monovision” correction. If you are already experiencing the effects of presbyopia, you may have heard of monovision – you may even have used monovision contact lenses or glasses.

This method of presbyopia correction works by correcting one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. While many people can achieve adequate vision with this method, it is far from tolerable for all patients.

In contrast to monovision, PRESBYOND® creates a “blend zone” between the two eyes. This means that one eye is corrected mainly for distance vision with a little near, while the other eye is corrected mainly for near vision with a little distance.

As such, PRESBYOND® Laser Blended vision delivers a much better depth of focus and clearer overall vision at all distances. To round it off, while only 60% of people can tolerate monovision in contact lenses, more than 95% adapt successfully to PRESYBOND®!

PRESBYOND® can also help many achieve better results than they could ever have imagined:

• Over 98% of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision patients can read normal newsprint (‘N8’).
• Over 90% of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision patients can read the small print on medicine bottle inserts.

So, are you ready to ditch the reading glasses and turn back the clock on your vision? You too could once again have not only clear but complication-free vision with the help of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision.

If you would like to learn more about Laser Eye Surgery options for over 50s, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators. Alternatively, Book a Consultation to start your journey to clear vision today.