Word: fyodorov
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...film Sleeper, Woody Allen awakens from a deep-freeze snooze and finds himself in the 22nd century, surrounded by doctors. Peering through his glasses, Allen locks eyes with a doctor who is similarly bespectacled. Svyatoslav Fyodorov, an eminent Soviet eye surgeon, saw the film while visiting New York, and was disturbed by this myopic vision of the future: "It's not logical, I thought. So I wondered how we could avoid wearing glasses." That concern led Fyodorov to develop a radical new treatment for nearsightedness called radial keratotomy...
...Moscow Research Institute of Eye Microsurgery, reported on his eight years of experience with R/K surgery. More than 19,000 doctors and technicians from 81 countries had gathered at a joint meeting of the International Congress of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (A.A.O.) to hear about Fyodorov's controversial technique and scores of other important innovations in eye care...
...presentation on R/K by the gregarious Fyodorov was eagerly anticipated, especially by those U.S. doctors who practice his technique in the face of skepticism from their colleagues. The procedure takes only 15 minutes. First, the patient's eyes are anesthetized with eyedrops. Next, the cornea, the clear outermost portion of the eye, is marked with six to 16 lines radiating outward from the pupil, like spokes of a wheel. Finally, careful incisions are made along each line, altering the shape of the cornea and changing the spot at which light is focused inside the eye. In nearsightedness, light...
...Fyodorov and his colleagues have performed more than 2,000 "radial ks" with, they claim, most of the cases improving to at least 20/25 vision. So far, about 2,000 operations (average cost: $1,000) have been done in the U.S., but the procedure, which takes between 15 and 45 minutes and can be performed under local anesthesia, is so simple its popularity is increasing among doctors and patients alike. Some people, like pilots, policemen and firemen, are clamoring for the surgery to pass required visual tests. Others are seeking it for reasons of vanity...
Nonetheless, many ophthalmologists believe the enthusiasm is premature. Aside from Fyodorov's claims, which some Americans find suspect, there is little solid information on long-term benefits or problems. Though limited studies confirm that radial ks improve vision at least temporarily-although not to any great extent-many patients seem to be bothered by glare at night. Also, as much as half of the initial improvement vanishes within three months. Moreover, because the surgeon is cutting through almost nine-tenths of the cornea's thickness, there is the risk of perforation, an injury that could lead to blindness...