Eyestrain is the main visual anomaly affecting the Spanish population over 40 years of age and its incidence is increasing.
It is estimated that at present 40% of Spaniards suffer from it, which represents some 18 million people, and within 10 years, due to increased life expectancy, more than half of the Spanish population will suffer from this pathology.
The normal eye, at rest, is adapted for distant vision. When it is necessary to see close objects, a book, a cell phone screen, a restaurant menu, etc., the eye must change focus by making an effort that we call accommodation. This accommodation effort is performed by the crystalline lens.
The lens is a part of the ocular system, which is located behind the iris, and serves to focus images, as does the zoom of a camera.
Over the years, the crystalline lens loses its elasticity, and with it its ability to accommodate, which inevitably causes the so-called presbyopia or presbyopia, i.e. the inability to see clearly up close.
This elasticity is not lost “all at once”, but is progressively reduced from the age of 40 – 45 years and for about 10 years, until it is completely lost.
Treatment of eyestrain
There is a solution for eyestrain, yes, but each case must be studied carefully.
At
Ocular Clinic Dr. Tirado
we offer several alternative treatments, since it is necessary to individualize the needs of each patient and the technique to be used, requiring a thorough preoperative study.
The techniques used are:
Laser treatment (combined vision)
It is similar to the one used to correct myopia, which we call Blended Vision. With this treatment we can correct eyestrain, greatly improving intermediate and near vision.
Although when looking we see with both eyes, one eye is more specialized in far vision (dominant eye) and the other is more specialized in near vision (reading eye).
The Laser-Combined Vision treatment is intended to enhance this specialization, without altering the awareness of binocular near and remote vision.
We also work with corneal aberrations, decreasing the positive spherical aberration and increasing the asphericity of the cornea, thus obtaining a greater depth of focus when treating any ametropia.
Treatment for eyestrain with intraocular lenses (multifocal vision), with diffractive lenses.
It consists of removing the crystalline lens, which has already lost or is losing its ability to focus up close, and replacing it with a multifocal intraocular lens, which acts as an artificial lens.
The multifocal lens offers two planes of focus, near and far, and our brain chooses the most appropriate plane depending on whether we want to see near or far.
In Clínica Ocular Dr Tirado we were pioneers at national level in this type of implants 6 years ago, having a high series of operated patients.
With these techniques we aim to eliminate dependence on glasses and contact lenses, i.e., not requiring their use for distance vision, and to achieve a degree of near vision adequate for everyday life.
Both treatments for eyestrain are outpatient and recovery time is quick.
We are currently working in Madrid on Supracore techniques for presbyopia, which try to reproduce with laser on the central cornea a focus for near and another for far, reproducing the same effect obtained with diffractive intraocular lenses, which are giving so much joy to our patients.
In presbyopia, or eyestrain surgery, it is necessary to individualize the preoperative study and the treatment because the treatment to be used may vary from one patient to another. During the medical consultation, we will study your case and indicate the most appropriate treatment for you.
What results can I expect after my presbyopia or eyestrain surgery?
The main symptom of eyestrain is the inability to see up close. However, patients who have undergone surgery for eyestrain have good near vision, without altering their distance vision. That is, they will see very well both near and far, using their binocular vision.
They will be able to do things they couldn’t do before, such as: look at their cell phone, read a book, look at the menu in a restaurant, read even small print, such as that of an instruction manual, etc. They will no longer be dependent on glasses, something that seemed unthinkable before the intervention.
