Is presbyopia the newest specialty?

The presbyopia landscape is crowded to­day with innovations to treat this condition, including corneal procedures, pharmacologic treatments, scleral procedures, and phakic and intraocular (IOL) lenses, according to Karolinne Maia Rocha, MD, PhD, director of cornea and refractive surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Corneal procedures
Procedures that are coming down the pike in­clude focal denaturization of collagen fibers that involves use of a femtosecond laser to change the corneal refractive index (laser-induced refractive index change).

Another option is lenticular intrastromal ker­atoplasty, which uses a precut, donor stromal lenticule that is inserted either under a femto­second flap or in a pocket.

Corneal inlays/onlays, presbyopic excimer laser ablation profiles, and modified monovision are also available.