A plastic lens implanted into the eye could boost the vision of thousands with short-sight. New research suggests the procedure is at least as effective as laser surgery – in some cases, even more so.

New research suggests the procedure is at least as effective as laser surgery – in some cases, even more so. It is also safer.

The tiny lens alters the angle at which light enters the eye, helping it to focus clearly. It takes just 15 minutes to implant and never needs to be replaced.

In myopia, the image is blurred because the eyeball is too long. This means the focal point for light rays falls just short of the retina, rather than on it.

Myopia normally runs in families and usually develops in children or young teenagers.

Glasses and contact lenses help to correct the defect by adjusting the angle at which the light rays penetrate the eye.

But in recent years, there has been an explosion in the use of laser surgery to correct vision problems such as myopia.

Now a new study from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London found that patients who no longer needed glasses after the lens implant had eyesight that was just as good as those who had the laser therapy.

Unlike laser surgery, which permanently removes part of the cornea at the front of the eye to improve vision, the lens treatment is reversible because it can be removed if things go wrong.

Laser therapy works very well for most people, especially those with mild to moderate myopia. However, it is less suitable for severe short-sightedness, due to the amount of reshaping involved.

There is also a small risk that too much of the cornea is removed and the patient is left with far-sightedness, an inability to focus on objects close up. in recent years, a handful of clinics in the UK have been treating severe myopia with the plastic lens implants.

The major advantage is there is no need to permanently change the structure of the eye. However, the procedure costs around £3,000 per eye – almost double that of laser surgery – and can increase the risk of cataracts by 2 per cent.

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