The Economic Impact of Presbyopia
Kendall E. Donaldson
Abstract
Presbyopia is the world's number one cause of vision loss with more than 1 billion individuals affected globally. The total global costs associated with correcting near vision impairment due to uncorrected presbyopia have been estimated at $30.8 billion for a comprehensive eye care model. Both cost to the patient and cost to society, which is greater in low-income countries relative to high-income areas, should be considered. Ultimately, surgical correction of the nonaccommodating dysfunctional natural lens may provide the “cure” for presbyopia. Presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs) may provide better visual acuity and fewer adverse effects. Patients are pursuing cataract surgery at a younger and younger age. Although this expands the viable pool for lens exchange, this younger group of patients has extreme demands and has a much more scrutinizing frame of reference for comparison (a milder cataract). Thus, they are at a much higher risk for dissatisfaction and have a much higher chance of noticing potential adverse effects from multifocal IOLs. Setting appropriate expectations and thoroughly educating patients preoperatively helps create a partnership with the patient and a strong foundation for a successful surgical outcome. A cure for presbyopia has always been considered the holy grail of ophthalmology. In 2021, ophthalmologists are moving closer to achieving this goal while also creating a safer, more productive, cost-effective solution to presbyopia on an individual and on a global level. [ J Refract Surg . 2021;37(6 Suppl):S17–S19.]