CK is the first safe and minimally invasive non-laser procedure designed specifically to correct hyperopia, or far-sightedness. CK is an in-office
procedure performed with "eye-drop" anesthesia in less than five minutes, using a probe almost as thin as a human hair to release radio frequency energy
into the cornea to reshape it. CK can reduce your need for glasses.
If you are over the age of forty and depend on glasses to read; have trouble focusing; feel eye fatigue when you read; and want to reduce your dependability
on reading glasses, you may be a candidate for CK. Since CK is the first alternative to laser surgery for far-sightedness, it is a wonderful new option for
hyperopic patients.
Hyperopia, or far-sightedness, is a condition that causes light entering the eye to focus on a point beyond the retina. In turn, vision is blurred and a
hyperopic person has trouble seeing objects which are close to them.
Presbyopia is a condition caused by the natural aging process that makes the lens of the eye less elastic. In turn, a person has trouble seeing things up close,
particularly reading materials. This commonly begins to happen around the age of forty.
How Does CKSM Correct Hyperopia?
The human eye functions like a camera. The lens in a camera focuses light images onto film. In the same way, the cornea and the crystalline lens inside
the eye focus light images on the retina, the back surface of the eye (see Diagram 1). Blurred vision occurs when the light does not focus precisely on the retina.
Hyperopia (far-sightedness) is an eye condition where people may see objects better in the distance than near. The cornea and crystalline lens focus light rays from
distant and near objects behind the retina. Diagram 2 shows how light from distant objects focuses behind the retina to create a blurred image.
CKSM can change how the eye focuses light by reshaping the cornea to correct hyperopia. CKSM
uses a controlled release of radio frequency energy to heat and shrink the corneal tissue, which steepens the cornea. This steepening corrects the point of
focus so that light focuses properly on the retina. CKSM reshapes the cornea without changing any other parts of the eye.
Diagram 3 shows how CKSM can reshape the cornea to provide clearer vision.
You will be lying flat on a surgical bed. Anesthetic (numbing) drops will be placed in your eye to prevent any discomfort during the procedure.
You will be looking directly into the light of a microscope. An inked instrument will mark your cornea to guide the application of radio frequency energy
into your cornea. The energy will be applied at 8 to 32 points around the edge of your cornea, depending on the amount of your prescription.
For the first few days after CK you may feel mild pain and discomfort such as scratchiness; sensitivity to light; and the feeling that something is in your eye.
Using moisturizing eye drops and wearing sunglasses will help ease these symptoms.
For the first month after CK you may experience blurred vision with and without glasses. You also may notice fluctuations in your vision for a few months before your
eyesight becomes stable.
If you expect to rid yourself completely of glasses; have a disease which affects your vision or your body's ability to heal; are pregnant or breast-feeding;
have any eye disease or have had previous eye surgeries; or if your vision has changed in the last year, you may not be a candidate for CK. CK cannot be reversed and is
not risk free.
