Reading glasses a thing of the past?
Presbyopia – the inability to focus on close objects, resulting in blurred vision — affects virtually 100% of people by age 50. Laser correction of the intra-ocular lens for presbyopia is risky because there is no way to monitor the procedure – no way for ophthalmologists to see what they are doing to the lens being cut. As a result, so-called reading glasses are the usual solution.
A tool developed at the University of Michigan now allows for a potentially non-invasive, painless fix to presbyopia using tiny bubbles that help ophthalmologists reshape the eye’s lens and restore its flexibility and focusing ability.
The tool uses bubbles, ultra-fast optics and ultrasound to measure the thickness and rigidity of the lens during laser surgery, thus guiding the surgeon as they reshape the lens.
It’s a new application for micro-scale bubbles, which scientists have experimented with for years in the areas of drug delivery, tumour destruction and other medical applications. It uses exactly the same technology as ultrasound imaging.
The future plan is to automate the procedure to quickly cover the entire lens with bubbles. The research team will begin testing this year, and is talking with several companies about commercial opportunities.
