As we age, we lose zonular tension. This causes a change in curvature of the sclera, with the sclera expanding out a minute amount in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the eye. In this new configuration focusing at near can occur. This procedure is done in the office with generally minimal or no discomfort. A clear plastic shield is worn overnight and patients return to normal activities the next day.
Satisfied patients report that there is no recovery period, hence no time off from work.
For over one hundred years, it has been thought that presbyopia arises because the lens in the eye becomes rigid with age and cannot change in focus. An ophthalmologist in Texas with a Ph.D in physics, Ronald Schachar, demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that the muscles which change the lens focus are not working. Dr. Kislinger says the procedure makes use of steps performed for over twenty years in the treatment of other eye conditions. Patty J., a forty-seven year old patient who was nearsighted, wanted to eliminate her glasses and contact lenses. However she was concerned that if she had laser correction of her distance vision, she would have to wear reading glasses.