Corneal inlays

Has anyone had corneal inlays, the surgical procedure to replace the need for reading glasses and what do you think of it ? I'm almost 50 and do not want to carry reading glasses everywhere especially around my neck!

I just now came from the OR where I removed a cornea inlay that had been implanted in a patient about 5-6 years ago.

The only such device that is still FDA approved in the U.S. is the KAMRA corneal inlay. This does not truly eliminate or reduce age-induced Presbyopia (which comes with the gradual, progressive hardening of the natural lens inside the eye). Rather, the inlay works through creating the "pinhole effect," but just in just one eye. [Looking through a very small aperture increases the depth of focus.] You can replicate this with your thumb and index finger by flexing the latter to form a very small hole (or just by poking a literal pinhole through a 3x5" card). Looking through this tiny hole clears up the object of regard, whether distant or near.

In my experience, these inlays, while safe, seldom perform as well as most people understandably expect them to. Furthermore, as you age, the slowly increasing discoloration of the hardened natural lens (early cataract formation) still happens, gradually taking away what near vision it may have originally provided. And then they have to be removed (usually) in preparation for later cataract/lens implant surgery -which is what we were doing today!

J.Trevor Woodhams,M.D. - Chief of surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic