Study seeks subjects to opt for eye surgery

A local surgeon is recruiting more than 50 patients for a clinical study to help reduce dependency on reading glasses.

"It will give people the ability to see print with good light and function without reading glasses," said Dr. John Olkowski, chief surgeon of Eyesight Hawaii.

Olkowski will perform a procedure to correct presbyopia, a natural aging process of the eyes, affecting adults' near vision. Pres- byopia occurs typically in patients older than 40 when the lenses in the eyes harden and lose their ability to focus, resulting in the need for reading glasses.

Eyesight Hawaii is one of seven surgical eye centers across the country participating in the three-year U.S. Food and Drug Administration study in which surgeons will implant a lens into the patient's eye to correct presbyopia.

The lens, called PresbyLens, is made of biocompatible hydrogel. It is 2 millimeters in diameter and 30 microns thick, comparable to the thickness of a human hair.

With a laser, the surgeon creates a flap on the eye's surface, places the tiny lens in the center of the pupil and closes the flap.

Revision Optics, a company based in Southern California, manufactures the product.

Dr. Stephen Slade of the Slade & Baker Vision Center in Houston became in April the first surgeon in the country to implant the lens in patients. The procedure has been performed internationally.

Olkowski, who has performed eye surgeries in Hawaii for 20 years, including LASIK, said a procedure called Monovision LASIK is available to correct presbyopia, but it affects the patient's distance vision.

The surgery takes 15 minutes.

Patients will notice improvement in their vision the next day, according to Olkowski. Some might experience slight blurred vision, which is expected to subside in two months.

If patients are not pleased with the results, the lens can be removed.

Those older than 40 who wear glasses for reading and not for distance, and who did not undergo any previous eye surgeries, are considered ideal patients. Those selected will undergo surgery at no cost.

Surgery will be performed by spring, and follow-up appointments will take place for up to three years.

Those interested in becoming a part of the FDA study can call Eyesight Hawaii at 735-1935 or send an e-mail via www.eyesighthawaii.com.