Posted by: Carolinas Center for Sight in Near Vision Correction

When Terry Baker walked into Kugler Vision two years ago and learned about the KAMRA® corneal inlay, he was excited. He had already spent years trying to find a solution for his presbyopic reading vision and here it was. Presbyopia is a natural eye condition that develops in our mid 40s to mid 50s as the lens of the eye gradually become stiff and loses its ability to flex and focus light making it difficult to see things up close.

Reading vision gets fuzzy

The HVAC technician was in his mid 40s when his reading vision started to get fuzzy. He had never needed glasses before getting that first pair so he could see up close. Those reading glasses turned into bifocals after a few years. He even had a brief interlude with monovision contact lenses. Monovision is a procedure where one eye is corrected for distance vision and one eye for near vision. Unfortunately, patients often have to sacrifice some of their distance vision and good intermediate vision and may struggle with depth perception issues. In addition, as presbyopia continues to develop, monovision correction will change and the need to be corrected will continue. For Terry, monovision wasn’t a good solution because he couldn’t tolerate wearing the contact lenses at home, much less having to wear them in dusty conditions.

Prescription bifocals didn’t help

Then it was a pair of safety goggles with prescription bifocal lenses. With each pair of lenses, he was still struggling to see as he rewired circuit boards and installed wiring.

Frustration with reading glasses

“I remember the company I worked for had specials on safety glasses, so I went and got my prescription and then bifocals to replace my reading glasses. I wore those for maybe close to three years and hated them. Because of the sweat and the filth that come with my job, I was constantly cleaning them, or they were sliding down my nose.  While I was working, I would be turning my head because I just couldn’t quite see where I needed to see or get my head cocked at the right angle to be able to see through the bifocals.”

KAMRA inlay changed everything

Another frustration was constantly putting his glasses on and taking them off again, over and over, all day long. Then having to keep up with them, constantly cleaning them and protecting them when he wasn’t wearing his glasses. “It was just always a hassle. When you’re working with tools and crawling under houses and in attics, and you don’t have your glasses on, so you put them in your pocket, then they break. When I got the safety glasses and they enlarged the bifocal area, it helped me see a lot, but then they were always dirty. The dirty part was really the worst part. You just can’t keep them clean when you are working in dust and sweat.” One morning when Terry was on a service call at Dr. Lance Kugler’s office, he stopped a patient coordinator in the hall to ask if there were any alternatives to wearing reading glasses. A few days later, he was having a consult and scheduling his KAMRA inlay procedure.

Today

“Now, with the KAMRA inlay, I see pretty much like I did when I was 20. As close as I can get, and I don’t have the hassles of the filth. I feel younger, and I think I look younger without the glasses on. I feel better.” Today at 51, Terry owns his own HVAC company, Priority Mechanical Services in Bellevue, Nebraska. When he isn’t working on a furnace or an air filtration system, he is on the computer finishing paperwork, all tasks he can do a little easier because of his vision with the inlay. And when he meets with his clients, he isn’t wearing a pair of smudged and dirty glasses. “The KAMRA inlay lets us offer patients like Terry freedom from reading glasses that is especially important when he is on the job,” said Dr.Kugler. “With the inlay, unlike monovision, he isn’t trading his distance or intermediate vision for good reading vision; he has a full range of vision.” The KAMRA inlay is a tiny mini-ring that is smaller and thinner than a contact lens. It is placed the first few layers of the eye known as the cornea and provides a natural range of vision – from near to far – freeing you from the constant frustrations of reading glasses or contact lenses. Unlike monovision options, the KAMRA inlay offers long-term performance so, like Terry, you can continue to enjoy clear near vision over time, even as presbyopia progresses. If you are looking to reduce your dependence on reading glasses or contact lenses find out if you are a candidate and talk with your doctor to see if the KAMRA inlay may be right for you.