Author: Joel Harrison
Posted: 17 July 2010 19:43
Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is typically a genetic condition causing blurry near vision as a result of the fact that a person’s eye is too short or the cornea is too flat. Typically, farsighted patients wear glasses, contact lenses or undergo laser surgery. However, the latest development in contact lens technology may change that dramatically.
Jaume Pauné from UPC-Barcelona College of Optics and Optometry claims that the contact lens he designed reverses hyperopia. The technique that he applied is called corneal reshaping, or orthokeratology, and consists in using special gas permeable contact lenses to change the shape of the cornea and thus correct vision defects.
The lenses are to be worn at night, during which they will exert pressure on the tear film coating the outside of the cornea and change the shape of the cornea. In the morning, patients will enjoy perfect vision just like after a LASIK surgery, only temporarily.
The only drawback of the new method of treating hyperopia is that each pair of lenses has to be custom-made to suit each patient, which significantly increases their cost. At the moment, they are sold at €1000 plus €400 for annual replacement lenses.
