Presbyopia usually occurs beginning at around age 40, when people experience blurred near vision when reading, sewing or working at the computer.
Researchers are exploring ways to treat presbyopia and eliminate the need for reading glasses. One of these new techniques, called PEARL, shows promising results.
PEARL (PrEsbyopic Allogenic Refractive Lenticule) is a procedure that places a small piece of tissue from one part of the cornea into another part. This inlay changes the shape of the cornea, improving near vision.
With the PEARL procedure, the eye surgeon uses a laser to make a small cut in the cornea. A small disc of corneal tissue, called a lenticule, is removed through this cut. The lenticule is sculpted and reshaped with a laser, then placed into a small pocket made in the patient’s cornea.
PEARL may offer safety advantages over artificial corneal inlays for presbyopia. Because the inlay is made of the patient’s own tissue, it is biologically compatible, making it less likely to cause complications. The corneal tissue inlay is expected to allow oxygen and nutrients to flow through the patient’s cornea better than a synthetic inlay, helping to keep the cornea healthier.
Research begin by Soosan Jacob, MD, FRCS, DNB, at Dr. Agarwal's Refractive and Cornea Foundation in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
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