Inform yourself about the new fish oil pills, Jerry Katzman MD

Laser Eye Surgery: Is It Worth Looking Into?

For Jeri Goldstein everything was a blur. Without her contact lenses
she couldn't distinguish people, the scenes on television, the stars
at night, and, generally, the world at large. Then, in March 1998, the
49-year-old California resident had eye surgery, and all that changed.
"After wearing contact lenses for 35 years, you can't imagine the
freedom I felt," says Goldstein.
Goldstein underwent refractive eye surgery, an elective procedure
intended to correct common eye disorders, known as refractive errors,
such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and
astigmatism (distorted vision). Although there are several types of
surgical techniques being performed today to correct refractive
errors, laser refractive correction is fast becoming the most
technologically advanced method available, according to the American
Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco. Doctors say it allows for
an unparalleled degree of precision and predictability.

"Laser surgery is the most exciting advancement in ophthalmology,"
says James J. Salz, M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology at the
University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the doctor who
performed Goldstein's surgery. But surprisingly, he says, despite its
sudden popularity, "only 20 percent of ophthalmologists in the United
States today are trained in its operation."
The Food and Drug Administration first approved the excimer laser in
October 1995 for correcting mild to moderate nearsightedness. With
that approval, the agency also restricted use of the laser to
practitioners trained both in laser refractive surgery and in the
calibration and operation of the laser. Currently, the excimer laser
has been approved for use in a procedure called photorefractive
keratectomy (PRK), and, as of November 1998, for a procedure called
laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK).

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Received on Thu Feb 07 2008 - 04:49:40 EST