Laser surgery has always been the solution for curing short-sightedness, but physicians have now begun using laser treatment as a way of restoring 20/20 vision for those affected by long-sightedness too.

At the age of fifty, many adults found they were unable to read a book, menu or newspaper unless it was held at arm’s length.  Due to the stiffening of the eye’s lens, focusing in on close objects was a lot more difficult, and as a result eyesight naturally begins to deteriorate.

Three laboratories in the US and the Europe have researched new methods to resolve the problem.  At around £4,000, the technique consists of lasers to re-engineer the eyeball by either inserting slits, whereby tiny lenses can be embedded or by modifying the structure of its exterior.

In 1 study researchers used the lasers to create small incisions in the cornea – the transparent front part of the eye – which, as well as the lens, is imperative to focusing.  Next, they inserted a corneal inlay – a small black ring with a pin-sized hole in the middle for the light to travel through.  This technique enabled the light to focus on the retina (the back of the eye), improving close vision.

In a separate study, Greek researchers inserted magnifying lenses in the eyes of 15 patients by cutting small pockets in their corneas.  Dr Ioannis Pallikaris was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: “Ninety eight per cent of patients were satisfied with their vision, sixty nine per cent reported ‘excellent’ and thirty per cent ‘good’ near vision.”

Dr Mike Holzer, from the University of Heidelberg reported: “The procedure is painless and because no tissue is removed the risk of infection is extremely low.”

Welcoming the results was David Allamby, one of a minority of British eye doctors currently using laser treatment to correct presbyopia (the loss of the eye’s ability to focus on close objects), but warned that procedures could not be classed as 100 per cent effective.