THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL PERCEPTION OF PRESBYOPIC AND HYPEROPIC INDIVIDUALS UNDERGOING LASIK WITH MONOVISION AS A TOOL FOR COPING WITH AGING SYMBOLIZED BY THE LOSS OF NEAR VISION. A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH.

To analyze the perception of people operated using the LASIK technique with monovision to reduce the symptoms of presbyopia and correlate philosophical, neural, ophthalmological, social and emotional aspects of the loss of near vision with aging.

Qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with open questions and encouragement to report the experience without interruption or induction. Individuals with presbyopia and associated hyperopia/astigmatism who had already undergone LASIK with monovision were interviewed and spoke about their experience from the surgical decision to the result. 

All interviews were recorded and transcribed. For content analysis, the Atlas.ti software version 9.1.1 was used, which helped in the selection of codes, subthemes and main themes. A number of patients attended the saturation draw, when new interviews become repetitive and the researcher understands that they no longer enrich the material to be analyzed

17 patients between 48 and 60 years old were interviewed, 9 women and 8 men; 8 in person and 9 via video. The analysis of 364 citations generated 5 main themes: 1- time and presbyopia, their causes and meaning, 2- motivational factors for seeking surgery, 3- fear and overcoming, 4 - sacrifice and adaptation, 5 - the final effect

Aging is closely connected with presbyopia and means a disability, which motivates the search for a surgical solution. Several motivational factors were identified: temporality, aesthetics, fear, hygiene, the importance of close vision, trust in the doctor, the influence of friends and family, and personality type. During adaptation, there is a significant worsening in the perception of distance vision, however, the recovery of the freedom lost with dependence on glasses compensated and was associated with improved self-esteem and a favorable final judgment. New investigative methods can be adjuvants, such as: ocular electrophysiology, the assessment of personality traits and the creation of archetypal models, however, the main thing is the ophthalmologist's attitude and critical sense throughout the process, just like a sacred rite, as the eyes are considered symbols of the divine