LTK: "anti-aging" procedure for reading glasses.

It is usually in our mid-forties and fifties when we begin to experience the symptoms of aging. Many of us report decreased energy, changes in memory, and "not feeling as good as when I was younger." It is well documented in the medical literature that after their mid-twenties, both men and women begin to experience lower levels of hormones that are responsible for youthfulness and health protection. There are various modalities to help improve health and sense of well-being, but there is still no "fountain of youth."

Just as the hormone levels slowly decline in both men and woman in their mid twenties, so does the ability to focus up close for reading (due to weakened internal eye muscles.) However, it is not until the mid-forties and fifties that this decline becomes all too apparent and men and women universally realize that it is virtually impossible to read as they once did. This is the time when almost everyone picks up their first pair of reading glasses from the drugstore or that bifocals are added to their prescriptions.

Because of the inconvenience, people often forget to bring their readers with them when they need to read a menu, look at a price tag or read an ingredients label. As a result, multiple pairs of readers are strategically planted in numerous locations, such as all over the house, the office, in the purse, and even in the car.

For those who have an interest in not constantly relying on their reading glasses or bifocals, there is an option that has proven effective at "turning the clock back." There are only a few procedures in medicine to date that I have seen that can be considered not only an "anti-aging" procedure, but can reverse the effects of aging. One of them is LTK, laser thermokeratoplasty.

LTK is a 3-second laser treatment for the eye that painlessly and immediately improves the ability to read again without the constant need for reading glasses and bifocals. In this aspect, it is an "anti-aging" procedure and reverses the effect that aging has on the ability to read.

Patients are particularly attracted to LTK because it is a quick, no-touch, no-cut procedure with instant results. Patients go back to work and drive the next day, so there is very little time off from work. Before having LTK, it is important to determine if one is a good candidate. This is determined by performing screening tests of the vision and the eyes. If one passes all the tests, then the likelihood of an optimal result is very high.

Eye Surgeon Brian S. Boxer Wachler, M.D. is Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. More information on LTK can be found on his website, www.boxerwachler.com or by calling 310/860-1900.