'Your eyes are born again': The new procedure that can free you from your glasses

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Heading off on an Alaskan cruise is exciting enough but for Maitland's Leonie Smith there's an added element of anticipation.

For the keen traveller it will be the first time in many years she can leave her spectacles at home and still see all the breathtaking sights in brilliant clarity.

Last year the 65-year-old underwent surgery to correct her vision degeneration caused by an age-related condition called presbyopia, using a similar lens replacement procedure to that performed for cataract removal.

As a result, Mrs Smith has been able to say goodbye to the glasses she needed to wear from the moment she woke up until bedtime.

And while it took her six months to finally decide to have the surgery after her optometrist told her her vision could no longer be improved with a new prescription, she's now very glad she did.

"It's a whole new world," Mrs Smith said. "Your eyes are born again. The difference is just astounding."

Hunter eye surgeon Dr Eugene Hollenbach - who performed the surgery - said many people suffer from presbyopia, a vision disorder considered a natural part of aging.

"It affects the sight of 1.3 million Australians and sets off a cycle of 'glasses on, glasses off, glasses on' as your prescription gets worse and your lenses get thicker and thicker," he said.

"If you are in your forties and older, and you now wear reading glasses, even though you didn't need them when you were younger, you may have presbyopia."

Dr Hollenbach said the latest advancements in cataract surgical techniques, along with the extensive learnings from the procedure, had led to new technology that can help people with presbyopia.

"Cataract sufferers have been undergoing lens replacement surgery since the 1980s and it's regarded as one of the safest and most effective surgical procedures performed today," he said.

"What many people don't know is that a very similar procedure can be used to help sufferers of presbyopia.

"Using a lens that has a trifocal design that responds to different visual demands ultimately means that it will decrease or remove a person's dependence on glasses for near and far sight needs."

For Mrs Smith the surgery has had a big impact on her life.

She first began needing glasses for reading in her late forties after never having worn glasses before. Her eyesight continued to deteriorate and she eventually needed to wear glasses continually.

"Everything was impaired - close up, intermediate, long distance - I needed my prescription glasses 24/7," she said.

"I was relying on glasses and I had been someone who never had to do that, except for reading. You are in this fear all the time that something might happen to your glasses and you would just be lost without them.

"When it got to the stage where my prescription glasses weren't giving me the sight that I needed for my daily activities, and a change in prescription wouldn't give full clarity, that was the deal breaker to go ahead with the surgery.

"I'm very glad I did - life is certainly better having had the surgery - there is certainly a wow factor.

"Just being able to not have to rely on glasses for every part of the day - going to the supermarket, going to the gym, going bush walking, just living. It's just quality of life.

"And I'm heading to Alaska so really looking forward to that, not having to search for glasses, not having them fog up in different climates. It's great."

This is sponsored content for iLaser Vision Surgery.