Novel non-invasive laser treatment method for vision defects

Laser treatment every few years and always being able to see clearly without glasses sounds like a dream. Researchers and industry partners are developing the method for turning this into reality.

They press, slip, hide the most important part of the face, are always getting misplaced, and are constantly dirty: Glasses are as common as they are unpopular. Laser treatment for vision defects has been around for a long time. However, the methods are not suitable for every eye, and these procedures damage the tissue, which scares many potential patients away. Professor Stephanie Joachim, head of the Experimental Eye Research Institute at the University Eye Clinic in the Knappschaft Kliniken, University Hospital Bochum, is developing a new, non-invasive laser method.

Past laser treatments are only possible within certain parameters. For example, the procedure isn't suitable for thin corneas. It also doesn't help with presbyopia."

Professor Stephanie Joachim, head of the Experimental Eye Research Institute, University Eye Clinic in the Knappschaft Kliniken, University Hospital Bochum

Most patients who opt for laser treatment today are no older than 30 or 40 years. It is also very likely that patients will still need glasses in the future because eyes are always changing.

Clear vision with no incisions

Joachim's team is working with the company SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions on the project HARMONY, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, to develop a novel, non-invasive laser treatment method. "We want to change the refractive index of the cornea without any incisions," explains Joachim as she discusses the goal of the LIRIC method (laser-induced refractive index change). The laser used for this, developed by SCHWIND, is a femto-second laser. The laser parameters are different from other procedures in that the pulses are well below the damage threshold, meaning there are no incisions or other damage to the tissue, although changes still occur.

A fluid transition

"We program the device to carry out the actual laser irradiation independently," explains Joachim. "This results in a change with a fluid transition to untreated tissue which can't be seen with the naked eye, unlike prior laser methods in which the incisions are clearly visible, at least in the beginning."