Appolonia Adeyemi 
Scientists in Austria have developed a new implant to treat age-related decline in vision that often leads to using reading glasses to boost sight. More than 100 patients are taking part in a trial of the implant to treat presbyopia, the progressive loss of the ability to see objects that are near. Presbyopia is the gradual loss of the eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. It’s a natural part of ageing. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in the early to mid-40s and continues to worsen until around age 65. It is caused by a hardening of the lens, a clear structure measuring 10 mm by 4 mm, which sits behind the cornea.
The implant, made of synthetic collagen, which resembles corneal tissue, is inserted into the centre of the cornea — the clear dome-shaped, outermost layer of the eye — to plump it up and improve focus for near vision. It’s estimated that every 20 seconds, someone becomes blind due to corneal disease or injury but only one in 100 receives replacement corneas due to a lack of donors.
In the study, at Gemini Eye Clinics in Austria, the participants will be monitored for a year after having the implant, reported the ‘Mailonline’. Both the cornea and the lens bend or refract light entering the eye to focus the image on the retina, the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye.
As the lens loses flexibility, itcannotchangeshapetofocus on close-up images, so they appear blurred. Most people resort to reading glasses, but the lens tissue can be surgically reshaped. Not wearing reading glasses when needed can lead to low mood and quality of life, according to new research in the journal ‘Clinical Ophthalmology’.
According to the researchers, the new approach is however less invasive — the implant can be inserted within a minute, and is reversible (this may be important if eyesight continues to deteriorate). The researchers from Macquarie University in Sydney examined data from 55 studies and found that on average those with presbyopia (age-related sight loss affecting the ability to focus on close-up images) had a 22 per cent drop in quality-of-life scores, and up to 80 per cent of patients with uncorrected presbyopia had difficulty in carrying out near-vision tasks. Around 12 per cent needed help with routine activities, such as reading, which resulted in distress and low selfesteem.
