The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A simple procedure to correct problem of long sight

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A simple procedure to correct problem of long sight

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: At 40, or if you are fortunate a few years later, most people with otherwise good vision need to wear "reading glasses" because their near vision has deteriorated.

It can sometimes be embarrassing. You easily can read a signboard that is 50 metres away. But you may have to hold a newspaper almost a metre away to be able to read it.

Now you can get your "long sight" problem corrected and probably, even get rid of those reading glasses which look funny by the way, usually perched on the tip of the nose though more fashionable versions are sold these days by opticians.

Nethradhama Eye Hospital in Jayanagar 7th Block claims to have introduced in this region a new vision correcting technology using radio waves.

Chairman of Nethradhama and ophthalmologist Sri Ganesh says: "What is known in medical parlance as Presbyopia is the most prevalent eye condition throughout the world and it affects most people by age 40 and almost everyone by age 51."

The treatment is called Conductive Keratoplasty or Near Vision CK and is simple to perform. The eye doctor uses a small probe, thinner than a strand of human hair, which releases radio frequency energy.

Call it something similar to what brings that FM channel to your pocket radio. The probe is applied in a circular pattern on the outer cornea of the eye to shrink small areas of collagen, which apparently cause the problem.

This circular shrinkage pattern creates a constrictive band increasing the overall curvature of the cornea. This process takes less than three minutes and is done with local anaesthesia in the form of eye drops.

"Using controlled radio waves instead of a laser or scalpel is safe and what happens is that the shape of the cornea is changed and vision gets back into focus. You can start reading from a normal distance, even a restaurant menu which gives many people difficulty," says Sri Ganesh.

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