First available in Perth at Crystal Eye and Laser Centre, PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision is an innovative treatment for ageing eyes which was pioneered by Professor Dan Reinstein from The London Vision Clinic under whom Dr Lourens has done extensive training.
Laser Blended Vision for Ageing Eyes (presbyopia)
Causing the need to use the dreaded reading glasses, presbyopia comes to most of us – regardless of our eyesight in our youth. Coming on slowly, it often moves from being a slight inconvenience to become a real hassle in day to day living as we struggle with small text, smartphones, and restaurant menus. Most of us can accommodate or compensate for the early symptoms, and after a while, we get used to carrying reading glasses or fork out for expensive varifocals.
WHAT IS PRESBYOPIA?
Presbyopia literally translates as ‘old eye’. Unfortunately, ageing affects the eye just as it affects every other part of the body. Starting in early middle age, the lens inside the eye begins to lose its ability to change shape ‘zoom’ from distance to near and back.
As we can’t avoid ageing, nobody is immune to developing presbyopia, and if left unchecked, inevitably leads to the need for reading glasses, bifocals, or varifocals.
HOW DOES LASER BLENDED VISION WORK?
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision — a treatment pioneered by Professor Dan Reinstein and implemented by Carl Zeiss into their laser — can significantly reduce, or even eliminate, the need for reading glasses, bifocals, or varifocals for many years, being able to be adjusted non-invasively if things change over time.
Thousands of patients have already benefited from this remarkable treatment, which has been available since 2004. Dr Lourens brought this technology and expertise to Western Australia and Crystal eye and Laser Centre is the only Laser Vision Correction centre in Perth offering this technology.
You may have heard that LASIK Laser Eye Surgery can’t correct for reading vision, near vision, or the effects of ageing on the eye. A widespread myth is that presbyopia is only correctable by a more invasive procedure of surgically implanting a lens inside the eye.
However, this information is
significantly out of date. At Crystal Eye and Laser Centre we have pioneered increasing the eye’s depth of field using a
revolutionary Laser Eye Surgery technique in Perth. Carl Zeiss implemented this technique in 2009 to distribute worldwide for advanced laser eye surgeons to offer to their patients.
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision has major advantages over intraocular lens implants (IOLs) for patients who do not require cataract surgery. Firstly, it’s a significantly less invasive (and therefore safer) procedure. Secondly, PRESBYOND® doesn’t require the same compromises as IOLs – where multifocal IOLs can affect the quality of your vision. Thirdly, it’s more accurate than an intraocular lens and can be adjusted as the eye ages further. If a patient develops cataracts later in life, the PRESBYOND® treatment present provides even better-reading potential after cataract surgery, even if performed with standard lenses in the public sector hospitals.
What’s more, it’s suitable
for around 97% of patients with ageing eyes. In comparison, only around 60% of people can tolerate classical monovision (an alternative solution for presbyopia, which uses contact lenses or other laser systems).
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision has been adopted by Carl Zeiss Meditec and programmed into their lasers, so clinics worldwide can now offer this option. While many
other unsophisticated WA laser eye centres in Perth still resort to lens replacement surgery for correcting ageing eyes, Crystal Eye and Laser Centre is proud to offer PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision — a far less invasive option, suitable for the vast majority of patients.
The key advantages of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision adjusts each eye in slightly different ways: one eye is adjusted to see mostly at a distance, and a little close-up, while the other is the opposite: mostly up close and a little at a distance.
The brain compensates for this change almost instantly, combining the two images to
give much greater depth of vision, and an all-round improvement in visual acuity that means most patients can throw away
those infuriating reading glasses.
Did you know?
Over 98% of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision patients can read normal newsprint (‘N8’).
Did you know?
Over 90% of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision patients can read the small print on medicine bottle inserts.
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision
vs
Monovision and IOLs
As well as being significantly less invasive and safer than treatments that use lenses in the eye, PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision is much more effective and easier to adapt to than monovision. Monovision uses contact lenses (or older laser systems) to make one eye focused on near and one eye focused on distance. Monovision is far less effective and is not suitable for all patients.
As mentioned, not only does PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision minimise the risks and compromises necessitated by lenses and monovision, but studies have also shown that it’s suitable for pretty much anyone. So, while we may not be able to stop the ageing process in its tracks completely (at least not yet), we can make it much more comfortable and convenient for almost everyone. If you are one of the few per cent who can’t achieve full correction through laser eye surgery, Bioptics might be an option for you. This combines the lens’s power inside the eye with any residual refractive error corrected with laser eye surgery.
Why do we prefer to perform PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision instead of a Clear Lens Exchange with a multifocal implant?
In our clinic, when the patient has a clear lens, we would always choose to perform PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision over Clear Lens Exchange. Although there are arguments to support removing the natural lens inside the eye as a preventative method for cataract formation, these are still outweighed by the safer, less invasive, and more accurate PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision procedure. There are also fewer side effects reported following PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision than multifocal lenses in the eye.
What are the advantages of PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision over traditional monovision?
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision holds a number of advantages. With an increased depth of field, patients will benefit from improved distance and intermediate vision, and as a result of the ‘blend’ zone, patients are also more likely to tolerate this technique over monovision.
Why do we not perform MONO-vision but rather PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision?
When a patient has MONO-vision, one eye is focussed solely on distance and the other at either near or intermediate vision. There is no “blend zone” where vision overlaps and patients have to choose between good near or intermediate vision- not both. The reason for this is because MONO-vision induces a “blur-zone as illustrated below:
PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision is completely different in the sense that there is an overlap of vision creating a “blend zone”. This enables a patient to have clear vison at all ranges as illustrated below and is a far more superior and sophisticated treatment for presbyopia.
But what if I have cataracts and want Presbyond?
Not a problem!
Presbyond is often combined with cataract surgery in a procedure exclusive to Crystal Eye & Laser called ComBO (Combined Blended Vision Operations)
We are experts &
will give you a clarity of vision you never thought possible!
As leaders in the refractive surgery industry, we can treat the widest range of vision problems.
Been told you aren't suitable for laser eye surgery and you are stuck wearing glasses for the rest of your life? Come talk to us!
We've got the knowledge, skills, and technology you need to throw away those glasses and contact lenses which are holding you back!
How It Works
1. Contact us
Contact us by phone, email, or via the contact form.
2. Tell us about yourself
Let us get to know a bit about yourself and your lifestyle.
3. Come in for an evaluation
Based on your eyes and your needs we'll tailor an individual solution.
4. Get rid of your glasses
In less than 60 seconds per eye you can say goodbye to your glasses forever!
5. ENJOY!
Enjoy the world in perfect clarity!
Meet your laser eye surgeon
Dr Lourens
Dr Lourens van Zyl
MBChB, FCOphth, FRANZCO, FRCSI, FEBO, MMed(RefCatSurg)
Cataract & Laser Refractive Surgery
Dr Lourens is the principal opthalmologist at Crystal Eye & Laser Centre. He is a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists and completed his Ophthalmology training in Adelaide, South Australia. He holds fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa and The European Board of Ophthalmology.
He has special interest in Laser Eye Surgery and advanced Vision Correction surgery including cataracts. He has post graduate fellowships in Advanced Corneal and Anterior segment surgery and Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Following his post graduate fellowships Dr Lourens completed a 1 year post graduate diploma followed by a 3-year Master’s degree in Cataract and Laser Eye Surgery through the University of Sydney.
Clinic Hours
Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm