an apparatus and method are disclosed for treating near vision loss or deficiency , such as presbyopia . in contrast to conventional techniques , a peripheral ablation is provided in an annular zone of the cornea ranging from 5 . 5 to about 10 + mm to increase the dioptic power of this peripheral zone . the central zone disposed within the peripheral zone of the cornea is left untreated , is corrected for other vision deficiencies or is corrected so that it reverts to its characteristics prior to the peripheral ablation .