Printer-friendly format

In the United States, an estimated 40 percent of people are nearsighted (high myopia) and about 40 percent are farsighted (hyperopia). Glasses are the most traditional means of vision correction, followed by contact lenses.

Today, however, refractive surgery is a popular alternative, providing permanent vision correction.

The most common type of refractive surgery is LASIK.

LASIK, or laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, changes the way light is bent, or refracted, as it passes through the cornea so that it focuses properly on the retina in the back of the eye, enabling objects to be seen clearly.

A newer option is LASEK, or laser epithelial keratomileusis, a relatively new procedure that is technically a variation of PRK (photorefractive keratectomy). Also called epithelial LASIK or E-LASIK, LASEK is used mostly for people with corneas that are too thin or too flat for LASIK. It was developed to reduce the chance of complications that occur when the flap created during LASIK is not the ideal thickness or diameter.

Kelly McGhee, the refractive surgery coordinator at Boozman-Hof Regional Eye Clinic of Rogers and Bella Vista, had LASEK performed about three years ago.
“I knew the history of LASIK and LASEK and how the technology had progressed,” said McGhee, who worked for an optometrist for eight years before joining Boozman-Hof. “The deciding factor for me was after I had my son. He was about 6 months old and still waking in the night … and I had become contact lens intolerant during my pregnancy. I just could not stand to wear contacts anymore. My eyes were too dry. Being a mom made me realize how scary it was for me being handicapped by my vision. Since my first pair of glasses at 10 years old, my eyes progressively got worse over the years and I ended up around a -8.50 diopters of myopia. Basically, without any glasses on I could not count the fingers on my hand. I began to think about emergency situations, fire, storms, and wondered how would I protect my son and myself if I could not reach my glasses. So my decision was not only a convenience decision but a safety decision.”

McGhee saw results soon after the surgery, with the best corrected results in the two- to three-week mark, which she said is typical for LASEK patients.

“By my third week after surgery, I was driving at night and seeing things my husband couldn’t see. I will never forget the feeling of freedom,” she said. “I had never seen things so crisp, even with my contacts and glasses. Even immediately after the procedure — I was even on Valium and I remember this — I read the time on the clock across the room and I cried. I read street signs on the way home from the surgery center and I cried. My mother drove me and she even cried with me. She knew how much I had wanted to see freely. I felt like I had been given a miracle.”

According to a 10-year study presented in November, LASIK is safe and effective.
“Researchers who examined patients a decade after undergoing LASIK and PRK treatments say both procedures provide stable, long-term improvement for nearsightedness,” states a news release from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons with more than 27,000 members worldwide.

The study measured 100 patients who had myopia or myopic astigmatism corrected by LASIK and analyzed their long-term statistics. “Results showed that despite being highly nearsighted prior to surgery, the average patient enjoyed near-normal vision a decade later,” according to AAO.

John Livingston, now of Omaha, Neb., had LASIK performed 6 1/2 years ago while he was living in Arkansas. He says he has seen minor deterioration of his sight since then, specifically when viewing small type, though his overall vision is still better than it was with corrective lenses.

“I was told when I had the surgery that I will need reading glasses at some point,” said Livingston, who previously was nearsighted with a bad astigmatism.
Livingston said he saw “dramatic improvement in my right eye right after the operation. It took about two weeks before my left eye caught up.” Livingston’s surgery was performed at Bodiford Eye Center in Fort Smith, which has five other locations in Arkansas and Oklahoma.


July 2007

Tags:

None

Do you know someone else who would like to see this?
Your Email:
Their Email:
Comment:	(Will be included with e-mail)
Secret Code	In the box below, enter the Secret Code exactly as it appears above *