Word: corneas
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
TOMORROW: Permanent lens implants to correct vision while leaving the cornea intact...
Thank you for the wonderfully balanced article on laser surgery to reshape the cornea and help improve vision [HEALTH, Oct. 11]. As a cornea-trained ophthalmologist who performs LASIK, I am always concerned that patients will have unreasonably high expectations because they have heard only the "good side" of the surgery. Although the results are impressive, we are currently not able to achieve more than a 60% to 70% portion of 20/20 vision because of the range of biological variation in the general population. Not all people correct predictably after a given amount of applied laser energy. Remember, the goal...
...elective procedure that carries the risk of serious and permanent complications. Corneaplasty, now in FDA trials, could carry fewer risks. While both corneaplasty and corneal surgery are treatments for refractive errors, neither is a cure for myopia. You cannot treat myopia comprehensively just by altering the shape of the cornea. High tech may be glamorous, but it is not always the best medicine. JULIE RALLS, M.D. Newport Beach, Calif...
...excellent job in presenting both sides of laser eye surgery. As an optometrist, I am not recommending this procedure. History will teach us that the cornea is not a structure we can mess around with. The risks (e.g., current surgical mishaps and potentially devastating long-term complications) are simply not worth it. CLAYTON Y. GUSHIKEN, O.D. Honolulu...
...FIND OUT HOW MUCH LASIK TRAINING YOUR DOCTOR HAS. Some ophthalmologists apparently start zapping corneas after little more than a weekend seminar. That might be enough preparation for a surgeon who is already skilled, but you may decide to select a more experienced doctor, such as a cornea specialist who has completed a year or two of additional training. Early studies also showed that the complication rates for individual surgeons underwent two significant drops, after 300 and 600 procedures. Proponents will tell you that LASIK training and technology are much better now and that today's doctors are perfectly proficient...