Have you heard about eye implants?
Thanks to researchers in California glasses could soon be a thing of the past. Researchers have developed an eye implant that could see reading glasses for over 1.3 million Australians made obsolete.
Long sight due to age is extremely common. After 40, the eye’s natural lens begins to stiffen, making it harder for muscles to tug it into the round shape needed to focus on nearby objects. Our minimum focusing distance gradually creeps up from the “normal” eight inches, until we have trouble reading. Many people struggle on for years, straining their eyes in the process, before finally relenting and buying reading glasses. Some opt for laser treatment, which helps by changing the shape of the eye, but as the lens continues to stiffen the effect lasts only a few years.
The revolutionary implant, the Raindrop, is a corneal inlay that has been distributed to a select few opthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand. It is a very small two-millimetre wide restorative disc that is placed in the eye – enhancing corneal function and focus.
Astonishingly, the procedure takes just 10 minutes – which will seem a godsend to those whom suffer from long sightedness. Primarily this implant is used to combat presbyopia, an eye condition very common in people over the age of 40 that hinders their ability to focus on nearby objects.
The Raindrop could see the end of much longer and more expensive treatments such as laser eye surgery, however it could still leave patients requiring glasses in dim lighting conditions.
With distribution is still in early days, there is very limited access to the Raindrop worldwide. While prices are likely to alter as it becomes more available, it currently costs between $3500 and $4000.