Hope of regaining better eyesight has come to many people over age 40 seek regain near vision lost to a normal aging change in the eye called presbyopia.

A new intra-corneal laser procedure called IntraCor may soon become a popular presbyopia correction surgery. Though the FDA has not yet approved IntraCor for use in the United States, the procedure has shown promising results in early studies conducted in Europe.

The IntraCor procedure corrects vision by using a femtosecond laser to alter the curvature of the cornea. The laser treatment takes place entirely within the cornea, without the need to create a corneal flap (as in LASIK) or remove the outer layer of the cornea.

Because IntraCor is entirely intra-corneal, the new femtosecond laser procedure eliminates the risk of complications, such as partial flaps and other flap problems. It also essentially eliminates post-operative discomfort and reduces the risk of eye infections after surgery, since there is no open wound created on the eye.

And because the IntraCor femtosecond laser does not ablate (vaporize) significant amounts of corneal tissue like an excimer laser used LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures, corneal thickness remains essentially unchanged. Therefore, IntraCor is less likely to cause a weakening of the cornea, which in turn can lead to a rare but serious complication of LASIK called ectasia.

This treatment is currently being introduced into the Singapore medical community by the Parkway flagship hospital at Mount Elizabeth. Soon, just as LASIK has become a routine treatment, Intracor will open another frontier in eye surgery.