Laser treatment improves near vision using allogenic corneal tissue

Fig: PrEsbyopic Allogenic Refractive Lenticule (PEARL) Inlay for correction of presbyopia: A: PEARL lenticule seen ready for implantation into a corneal pocket; B: Post-operative appearance showing the small lenticule lying well within the pupil; C: Orbscan showing central hyperprolate area with surrounding normal topography; D:ASOCT image of the PEARL lenticule Dr. Agarwal's Refractive and Cornea Foundation in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, has developed a new technique to correct presbyopia that involves the use of femtosecond lasers, which provide the ability to shape cornea with high precision. Unlike current treatments for presbyopia that involve using a synthetic inlay to improve near vision, PEARL, PrEsbyopic Allogenic Refractive Lenticule, uses human corneal tissue. In the study, researchers implanted inlays in the eyes of six patients. Recipients were tested within one week of having the procedure. Near visual acuity was measured using the Jaeger Eye Chart, a handheld card with lines of type that get increasingly smaller. When holding the chart 33 cm away, all showed improvement in uncorrected near vision of three to five lines. The researchers followed all of the patients for at least four months, and found that their vision remained stable. They also noted that, in those with reduced distance vision, LASIK can be performed at the same time as PEARL. “The PEARL inlay changes the shape of the cornea to improve near vision,” said Soosan Jacob, MD, FRCS, DNB, lead author and creator of the procedure at a press conference at the 2016 AAO annual meeting in Chicago, USA. Dr Jacob is director and chief, Dr. Agarwal's Refractive and Cornea Foundation, and senior consultant, Cataract and Glaucoma Services, Dr. Agarwal's Group of Eye Hospitals, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. “Because it’s made of human corneal tissue, the inlay remains stable. Our preliminary findings have been very promising," she said.