Implant means end of reading glasses is in sight

Reading glasses could be banished for ever after scientists developed a technique to reverse vision problems in ageing eyes.

As some people age, their ability to switch focus between near and distant objects diminishes, a condition known as presbyopia.

It can skew the perception of depth and makes reading in poor light impossible.

Now scientists have developed a tiny implant, no bigger than a pinhead, which sits inside the cornea and slightly increases its curvature, to allow the eye to focus again.

Known as a Raindrop corneal inlay, the technique was invented in America but the first operations have now been carried out at a clinic in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Lynda Marenghi, 57, a school bursar from Staffordshire, was the first person in Britain to undergo the procedure.

“It was driving me mad, having to hold books further and further away from me and squinting to try to read them,” she said.

“It felt like my arms were too short and I was diagnosed with presbyopia – losing my near sight.

“It’s an age-related thing and meant I had to wear glasses more and more which was awful because, being a school bursar, I have to deal with a lot of close work and spreadsheets on computers.

“I had my Raindrop put in – it took 10 minutes and I haven’t needed reading glasses since.”

More than five million people suffer from presbyopia in the UK. The first signs, which most people start to notice between the ages of 40 and 50, are eyestrain and the inability to focus on small objects or see in dim light.

Until now, the only long-term treatment has been laser surgery, but sufferers are still likely to need reading glasses when the light is poor.

And the results are often not permanent because lasers remove part of the cornea to reshape it, and so the problem can return as the lens flattens out again.

The new operation is also quicker, taking just 10 minutes, whereas laser surgery can take an hour.

The inlay is called Raindrop because it is the shape of a droplet and is made of a substance called hydrogel which is also used in contact lenses.

Hydrogel is 80 per cent water which makes it more compatible with the eye than other corneal implants.

The lens was developed by scientists at ReVision Optics in California, and is inserted into the patient’s non-dominant eye using a laser procedure which is virtually painless. Anaesthetic droplets are inserted so the patient remains conscious throughout as the inlay is inserted into a flap in the cornea, the clear part at the front of the eye.

The inlay corrects near and medium vision by adjusting the curvature of the cornea, causing its central section to become slightly steeper.

The procedure costs £2,495 and is not currently available on the NHS.

The only clinic in Britain currently licensed to offer it is Space Healthcare in Leamington Spa, where Mark Wevill, an ophthalmic surgeon, has operated on a handful of patients so successfully that surgeons have come from all over Europe to study the techniques.

“Raindrop can’t stop eyes from ageing,” said Mr Wevill. “But it can help correct the natural deterioration in eyesight caused by the ageing process.

“It appears to be the perfect long-term solution for people whose eyes are simply getting tired with age and who need reading glasses to read a book or a computer screen.”

Mrs Marenghi said it had changed her life as bursar of St Margaret’s Junior School in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

“I was nervous beforehand, because I am a very squeamish person, but I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was,” she added.

“I could see a bit better straight away but it took me almost two weeks to get properly used to it.

“I love being able to read or go shopping without having to root for my glasses and for the first time in 10 years I no longer need glasses. It’s been absolutely life-changing.”