Struggling With Reading Glasses? What You Need To Know (NAPSA)—If you find yourself fumbling with reading glasses or wishing you had longer arms, you may want to learn more about safe, new alternatives turning back the clock on aging eyes. Clearing up a few questions about the need for reading glasses may help you focus on this com- mon but treatable eye condition. Q: Why do I suddenly need reading glasses? A: Many people over age 40 suffer from aging eyes or presbyopia which occurs when the lens inside the eye loses flexibility, preventing accurate focusing on objects that are close. It affects many people over age 40, and most people over age 51, even if they have always had perfect vision. People with this condition may experience eye fatigue when read- ing in poor lighting or trouble changing focus from distance to near. An estimated 90 million Baby Boomers either have presbyopia or will develop the condition in the next 10 years. @: What’s new in the treatment of presbyopia? A: The FDA recently approved the first treatment for presbyopia: NearVision CK. The minimally invasive, painless procedure takes just three minutes in a doctor’s office with only eyedrop anesthesia. Laser-free and safe, the procedure uses radio waves and does not involve any cutting or tissue removal. “Presbyopia is the one ines- capable vision disorder that will eventually affect us all,” said Daniel S. Durrie, M.D., associate clinical professor, University of Kansas and medical monitor for the FDA clinical trial of presbyopia. “The frustration many people feel with the onagain, off-again annoyance of A new method of shaping the corneais restoring near vision to presbyopic Baby Boomers. reading glasses cannot be overem- phasized. NearVision CK is just what Baby Boomers have been wait- ing for to help them get rid of their reading glasses and safely see like they did when they were young.” @: How do I know if I am a candidate for this procedure? A: You’re a good candidate if you can answer yes to the following three questions. Are you over 40? Did you have good vision before turning 40? Do you hate your read- ing glasses? @: How does NearVision CK work? A: The procedure uses gentle radio waves instead of a laser or scalpel, to shape the cornea and bring near vision back into focus. NearVision CK has become the fastest growing new refractive procedure since the introduction of LASIK. To date, 100,000 CK procedures have been performed since the FDA first approved it for agerelated farsightedness. Q: Where can I get more infor- mation about presbyopia? A: Check out the Web site www.myclearvision.com, which offers basic facts and a helpful survey.
