Zonal photorefractive keratectomy for presbyopia

PURPOSE: We performed zonal excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy in three eyes of three presbyopic patients using a specially designed mask, with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. METHODS: Two females (ages 59 and 48) and one male (age 55) were included in the study. The procedure was performed with a mask designed by one of the authors (GMN), applied to the AesculapMeditec Mel 60 excimer laser. The mask consists of a mobile diaphragm formed by two blunt blades. The aim in all the eyes was a presbyopic correction of 3.00 D. RESULTS: After an initial regression of 1.00 D, the presbyopic correction remained stable during the 36-month follow-up. The patients read at least J3 at normal reading distance without correction. Since the ablated zone was only about 15% of the total area of a 3.0 mm pupil, all three patients were also able to read with their preoperative presbyopic correction (using the untreated 85% of the pupillary area). CONCLUSION: Although only three eyes were treated with the zonal presbyopia mask presented here, the visual and refractive outcome appears promising in view of the relatively long follow-up time.