Dr. Joseph J. K. Ma

Advanced Surface Ablation: ISA®

LASIK: ISA®

SMILE, ICL, Other Refractive Options

Eyes Over 40: Need for Reading Glasses

Eyes Over 40: Need for Reading Glasses

Eyes over 40 – Need for Reading Glasses:


Presbyopia is an age-related process in which the natural lens gradually begins to lose its ability to focus on near objects. This ultimately results in the need for reading glasses. However, whether you are in your early 40’s, are planning, or have already had cataract surgery, there is an ISA® Bespoke Blended approach that can minimize your need for these glasses.

Most people in their mid-40’s will begin to experience blurred near vision. Although this begins initially with very close near tasks such as reading fine print and sewing, eventually this need extends to include intermediate distance tasks such as computer work as one approaches their 50’s and 60’s. This need for a reading glasses prescription is typically worse when one is tired, for those with a shorter height stature, and when reading languages with more complex character structures, such as the hanzi or kanji of traditional Chinese writing.


People with presbyopia need to hold books, magazines, newspapers, menus and other reading materials further out (at arm’s length) in order to read clearly. Without undergoing a procedure to correct for this, most people will eventually require reading glasses to see near objects and words clearly.


ISA® Bespoke Blended Vision Procedures include custom optimized treatments that are designed to minimize the need for reading glasses after surgery based on your visual needs and the specific visual architecture of your eyes. Depending on the results of your ISA® Customized Surgical Consultation based on your 13-D Diagnostic Set, we will find the option that is best suited for your needs and your very special eyes.

ISA® Bespoke Blended LVC:


ISA® Bespoke Blended Laser Vision Correction is a custom optimized treatment option primarily for those over the age of 40, designed to minimize your need for reading glasses, as well as distance glasses. While every individual ages at a different rate, for any given person, beyond a certain age, there is no perfect solution to completely eliminate the need for reading glasses under all situations. However, with thoughtful forward planning, a careful evaluation of your individual visual architecture, and special consideration for your specific visual needs with our ISA® Customized Surgical Consultation, we can work together to push back both the onset of presbyopia, as well as the frequency of when reading glasses would be required.


Once you arrive for your consultation, you will first have the initial evaluation components of the ISA® Customized 13-D Diagnostic Set performed. This is a proprietary combination of evaluation indices and protocols for capturing the most important aspects of your specific visual architecture. You will then proceed with our ISA® Customized Surgical Evaluation to identify which specific Laser Vision Correction procedure is most suitable for your visual needs and lifestyle, and whether you would be a suitable candidate for that procedure. This is done in combination with a selection of a suitable Bespoke Blended technique that would result in the safest and best possible reading vision for you.


ISA® Bespoke Blended Methods:


There are several ISA® Bespoke Blended methods for decreasing the need for reading glasses. These include:


1) Optimized blended refractive anisometropia

2) Optimized blended asphericity

3) Combination blended optics – also known as Bioptics: small aperture, multifocal, diffractive, and chromatic aberration optimized solutions


These technologies are leveraged using ISA® protocols and algorithms, to help you optimize each eye to your own personal preferred tasks, and decrease (but not entirely eliminate) your need for reading glasses. Without treatment, individuals with presbyopia will eventually need to hold books, magazines, newspapers, menus and other reading materials further out (at arm’s length) in order to read them clearly. With time, they will eventually require reading glasses to see all near objects and words clearly. Although there is no cure for presbyopia, ISA® Bespoke Blended Laser Vision Correction, can delay both the age of when reading glasses become necessary, and decrease the situations and the distances at which they would be necessary.


ISA® Bespoke Blended Vision vs Traditional Monovision


Blended vision means having one eye corrected preferentially to focus well in the distance, while the other eye is corrected preferentially to focus well at an intermediate or near distance. This is different from traditional monovision. Traditional monovision generally refers only to an intended discrepancy in the prescription between the two eyes of approximately +2.50 to +3.00 D, such that one eye is targeted for distance and the other eye targeted for very near close tasks. For the average person, this is usually too large of a difference in refraction to accept and tolerate without correction. However, there are some patients who either naturally have a large discrepancy in their prescriptions, or have no problems adjusting to this difference. These individuals may do well with this option. Our ISA® Customized Surgical Evaluation allows us to take the concept of a blended vision even further by optimizing and combining the necessary technologies based on your needs, your visual habits, and the specific visual architecture of your eye to arrive at the safest, most appropriate and most accurate procedure for you.

Not everyone is suitable for ISA® Bespoke Blended LVC however. Your ISA® Customized Surgical Consultation based on your 13-D Diagnostic Set allows us to fine tune the ISA® Bespoke Blended procedure to best suit for your needs and the very special and unique visual architecture of your eyes.