Reading glasses could soon become a thing of the past thanks to a new eye treatment being developed by researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia. The technique involves replacing the contents of the lens of the eye with a polymer gel. The lens changes shape in order to focus upon objects, however as we age the lens becomes less flexible and thus cannot focus as efficiently as it used to. This means that by the time many of us reach our mid-40’s we need reading glasses to be able to read small print and see small objects properly. The theory behind the technique is that the polymer gel will restore the lens’s flexibility and thus remove the need for glasses. Tests on animals have produced promising results and human trials are planned for next year. According to study leader Arthur Ho, the procedure should take just 15-minutes.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 6th August 2003.
