SAN ANTONIO – For two years, the Parkhurst-Nuvision vision correction clinic has been trying out a new type of KAMRA inlay surgery called Raindrop with great results.
It's now believed the five-minute procedure will be approved for all patients in 2016, eliminating magnifying eyeglasses for most patients who suffer from age-related vision loss.
Myra Martinez, 46, was one of the lucky trial members to have the surgery at Nuvision. She became unable to focus on the printed word around the age of 38 and it's been downhill since, she said.
She qualified for the clinical trial, and underwent the quick, painless procedure.
"The next day I went to work and I could focus. I could see the small print with both eyes. Didn't need my readers anymore," she said.
Her doctor, ophthalmologist Greg Parkhurst, said a tiny raindrop lens is inserted under the cornea. Patients feel a bit of pressure during the surgery, then have no sensation of anything at all.
"What we are finding is that patients can again read things up close like their iPad, their tablet (or) their Kindle, and they don't have to reach for their cheaters anymore," he said.
He said it's compatible with Lasik laser vision correction surgery so it can help someone who has issues seeing up close and far away -- a sort of one-two punch that allows both eyes to enjoy full vision again.
The Raindrop itself is thinner than a strand of hair and lighter than a grain of salt, so the patient can't see it or feel it.
Dr. Arthur Medina with Parkhurst-Nuvision said the clinical trials have been very promising.
"We have 40 patients that we've been seeing over two years and we are following the results and we are sending that data to the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)," he said.
For more information on the procedure, visit www.sanantonio-lasik.com.