What is a Presbyopic Implant

For many people with good visual acuity, presbyopia (which begins between the age of 40 and 45) is a real challenge. Many people cannot get used to reading glasses or varifocals. Research and development activities are therefore focused on developing a corneal implant which facilitates multifocal imaging of the cornea (a type of ‘adjustable-focus cornea’), where people no longer have to wear reading glasses as their near vision is restored without the loss of distance vision. For this purpose, we have developed the world's smallest corneal implant with a diameter of only about 100 micrometres, which can be inserted into the cornea in a minimally invasive, painless and reversible procedure that takes only about 15 minutes to accomplish. The first interventions on human patients have already been carried out successfully. The next step will be to conduct clinical trials to prove the efficacy and safety of the treatment in a larger patient group. The implant is not transparent, but because of its small size it does not reduce but rather improve visual acuity.