Presbyopia — three options, depending on your age and the state of your natural lens

Which option suits you — the dividing lines the doctors use

In terms of age, presbyopic LASIK and presbyopic implantable lens surgery divide at around the mid-40s, and presbyopic implantable lens surgery and presbyopia-cataract surgery at around the early-to-mid 50s.

What is Signature presbyopic LASIK?

• It is LASIK planned around a calculated presbyopic prescription, for early presbyopia in the early 40s. The eye you mainly use (the dominant eye) is corrected for distance (emmetropia), and the other eye (the non-dominant eye) is shaped in a multifocal pattern — near vision in the centre and distance vision around it.
• The criteria for whether presbyopic LASIK or LASEK is possible are the same as for standard LASIK and LASEK; the difference is that a little myopia is deliberately left so that close-up vision in daily life is more comfortable.
• The prescription is set by looking at how far presbyopia has already progressed, whether your work is mostly at distance or close up, and how much you read. One eye is left with more myopia than your current presbyopia to keep near vision; if there is hardly any presbyopia yet, -0.25 to -0.50 D of myopia is left, depending on whether you are in your late 30s or early 40s.
• The natural lens is left in place and the cornea is reshaped. Replacing the natural lens with an intraocular lens is what presbyopia-cataract surgery does.

What is presbyopia-cataract surgery?

In a single operation, the clouded natural lens is removed and an intraocular lens is placed, which can correct presbyopia and cataract together. Which lenses are possible depends on the condition of your cornea and retina and on how you live (→ see the cataract page).

When the doctor will talk it through with you again

• You are in your mid-40s but your presbyopia is at the level of someone in their mid-50s, so standard LASIK or LASEK would make close-up vision uncomfortable
• You work mainly at distance, such as a golf caddie or a night-time driver, but want a near-focused multifocal lens in presbyopia-cataract surgery
• You are a perfectionist and extremely sensitive to glare but want multifocal presbyopia-cataract surgery

Adapting after surgery, and follow-up

• After surgery, the main thing checked is whether the difference in focus between your two eyes bothers you. According to the doctors' answers, most people hardly notice the difference, and most of those who do notice it a lot adapt over time. How well people adapt varies.
• Recovery after presbyopic LASIK: daily life from the next day, settling over 1–3 months (varies by person).
• Follow-up common to vision correction surgery: the next day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months–1 year, then a free check-up once a year.

How are costs explained?

Costs depend on your examination results and on the type of surgery, and fees for international patients are given after consultation. If you contact us by telephone or email before you travel, we will explain in advance so that nothing comes as a surprise when you arrive. — The cost can only be explained once it is clear which of the three options suits you.

If you are travelling from abroad

• Which option suits you is decided by the examination of your presbyopic prescription and natural lens, so please do not decide in advance which surgery you will have — book the examination first.
• Contact lenses out before the examination (soft lenses 5 days, hard lenses 7 days); near vision stays blurry for 3–6 hours after the dilation test.
• Contact: telephone +82-2-555-1369 · email gnceyecenter@naver.com · WhatsApp · consultation languages on the registration: Korean, English and Chinese

Side effects and individual differences

Individual experiences differ: it may take time to adjust to the difference in vision between your two eyes, and after surgery dry eye, glare or halos at night, regression of myopia or residual refractive error may occur. Near and distance vision may not both be fully resolved, so please decide only after a precision examination and consultation with your doctor.

for presbyopia-cataract surgery: Cataract and lens surgery carries the possibility of side effects, including glare or halos, reduced contrast sensitivity, and, rarely, infection inside the eye, raised eye pressure, clouding of the lens capsule after surgery, retinal detachment or a lens that sits out of position. A multifocal lens may take time to adjust to, and glasses may still be needed for some distances. Results differ from person to person. Please decide only after a precision examination and consultation with your doctor.