Word: corneal
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...ophthalmologist who will meet with you before the operation--and not just 15 minutes before--to examine your eyes as well as take your medical history and answer your questions. Be sure to tell the doctor if you or anyone in your family has ever had a corneal disorder, diabetes or an autoimmune disease. Such conditions may increase the chances that laser surgery will severely damage your eyesight. If you have particularly dry eyes or an ocular herpes infection, you aren't a good candidate either. If the first surgeon turns you down, don't go shopping for another...
There are no reliable statistics on people like Assennata who suffer serious post-LASIK complications. Estimates range from less than 1% of patients of corneal specialists to as high as 5% of patients of less experienced ophthalmologists. An additional 10% to 15% of patients must undergo a second LASIK procedure to get their correction right. These repeat procedures are considered "enhancements" rather than complications, but they do require another round of cutting and lasering. And in the absence of a long track record for the procedure, no one can guarantee that other problems won't crop...
...clear images of nearby objects or people. But light from distant sources is focused on a point somewhere in front of your retina--either because the curve of your cornea is too steep relative to the length of your eyeball, or the eyeball is too long relative to the corneal curve. If you're farsighted, or hyperopic, on the other hand, the focal point for distant objects is fine, while the one for close sources actually falls behind the retina. In this case, the cornea is too flat relative to the length, or vice versa. Astigmatism occurs because the cornea...
Provided the surgery is successful, of course. There is always a tiny risk of infection. Or the surgeon could accidentally slice off the corneal flap entirely, or replace it in such a way that it develops wrinkles. Imagine trying to see through crinkled Saran Wrap, and you get an idea of what can happen if something goes wrong. In the worst cases, as in Assennata's, the aberrations are so extensive that they cannot be corrected, even with glasses...
...host of more serious vision problems such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts. Others have been here before, of course. But because baby boomers are arriving in droves, these difficulties are getting an unprecedented amount of attention. Medical science has developed impressive techniques using lasers and corneal implants to correct vision defects. Some people, however, still need bigger type in order to read comfortably--and the publishing industry is coming to their rescue...