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The LASIK Directory Blog

Welcome to the LASIK Blog, a resource for people interested in LASIK surgery. This consumer-friendly blog is intended to be used as a central resource to answer common questions about LASIK and to point you in the right direction.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

LASIK Weathers Pop from Culture

Lately, LASIK has suffered something of a black eye (a condition, alas, it can’t treat with itself).

First, there is the ongoing quest by a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official who was instrumental in the agency’s approval for laser vision correction surgery to now have the FDA crack down on LASIK and warn the public about “the epidemic of permanent vision problems” resulting from LASIK.

Perhaps the accusations of Morris Waxler—who retired from the FDA in 2000—that LASIK does not enjoy the statistical success rate many claim inspired the attention-getting scene in the trailer for the upcoming film Final Destination 5, which features death by vision correction laser. The FDA, in fact, is in the midst of a collaborative, three-year study focusing on patients’ post-LASIK quality of life and factors that might contribute to vision disorders; as yet, there is no investigation as to why there are five Final Destination films.

Meanwhile, in the new memoir Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, a former aide of the short-term Alaska governor and possible presidential candidate claims that Palin continues to wear glasses following LASIK surgery in order to appear more intelligent.

While it is true that many glasses-wearers choose LASIK in part to eliminate the need for corrective eyewear, it is also true that many who undergo LASIK surgery continue to require the use of glasses or contacts. Still, one may assume that Palin’s LASIK was a success as she was able to observe Russia from her house in Wasilla, Alaska, some 700 miles away.

As for LASIK itself, it remains a popular, effective and safe procedure. Hundreds of thousands of people each year choose laser vision correction surgery, and most studies peg the success rate and patient satisfaction rate with LASIK upward of 95 percent.

A consultation with an experienced ophthalmologist will determine is LASIK is a viable treatment for your vision disorder.

If you would like to learn more about vision correction options with LASIK or locate an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Focus on Your Ocular Well-Being during Healthy Vision Month

May is Healthy Vision Month, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) are encouraging individuals and organizations to make vision health a priority.

In an effort to prompt more Americans to consider the value of sight, the NEI released what are perhaps some jarring statistics regarding the nation’s overall ocular health:

  • Some 14 million Americans are currently visually impaired due to eye diseases and disorders
  • More than 4 million adults over the age of 40 have eye complications related to diabetes
  • More than 2 million adults over 40 have glaucoma
  • Nearly 2 million adults over 40 have age-related macular degeneration

Millions more suffer from correctable eye conditions including:

According to a 2009 NEI study, the prevalence of nearsightedness alone has increased 66 percent in the past 30 years.

And while a study conducted by NEI’s National Eye Health Education Program and the Lions Club International revealed that a vast majority of participants believe loss of eyesight would have an “extreme” impact on their daily lives, more than 25 percent said their last eye exam was at least two years prior. Another 9 percent said they never had an eye exam.

The best way to detect a vision problem at the earliest and most treatable stage is with a comprehensive dilated eye exam. A dilated eye exam can reveal common, correctable refractive conditions as well as eye diseases that have few early warning signs; early detection of risk factors for these conditions can lead to early and vision-saving treatment.

To learn more about LASIK vision correction options or to find an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory.

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Fear the Reaper, Not LASIK

In a scene that aspires to do for LASIK procedures what Psycho did for showers and Jaws did for the ocean, the upcoming horror film Final Destination 5 features death by laser corrective eye surgery.

Not only does the movie manage an entire scene about the use of a surgical laser as an instrument of annihilation, the studio marketing types were so confident in the primal terror stirred by LASIK—you know, the fear of clear vision—that they built the movie’s trailer around it.

The preview begins with a menacing close-up of … wait for it … an eye surgery laser. The camera pushes closer to accentuate its chilling, finely polished, antiseptic sheen. Fright, thy name is excimer laser.

Cut to a nervous woman (who frankly looks a bit young for LASIK; patients should be at least in their late teens to early 20s, after the eyes have fully matured) being prepped for surgery.

“When we’re done, you’ll have perfect vision,” says the ophthalmologist before exiting, leaving the woman in the surgical chair facing the laser.

Even someone suffering from advanced myopia could see what’s coming from a mile away.

Perhaps more distressing than the fact that this franchise is on its fifth installment—despite the irony that each episode is deemed “final”—is that its creators have resorted to surgical procedures with a success rate of more than 95 percent as a means of soliciting scares and making mincemeat out of the obligatory nubile victims. Final Destination 5 also contains death by acupuncture, leaving perhaps only slaughter by Swedish massage and execution via tongue depressor for the inevitable Final Destination 6.

If you’re considering laser vision correction, choosing the right LASIK surgeon can help allay your fears. But don’t let an ophthalmologist be your final destination for a LASIK recommendation; just ask any of the nearly 20 million people who have had their vision corrected with laser eye surgery.

To learn more about vision correction with LASIK surgery and to find an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory.

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Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Researchers Find Genetic Link to Severe Form of Glaucoma

Angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is a severe form of glaucoma in which intraocular pressure can build quickly and damage the optic nerve. Unlike the more common open-angle glaucoma, which progresses slowly, ACG can strike quickly and is a medical emergency; without prompt attention, rapid vision loss can occur.

Although ACG is treatable via various means, including laser surgery and eye medication, the foundation of the condition itself is still being studied and understood. Recently, researchers at the Jackson Laboratory—a nonprofit biomedical research institution—discovered a gene linked to the development of ACG.

Patients with ACG often have physical characteristics of the eyes that predispose their eyes to blockage of ocular fluid. When the fluid cannot drain properly, it can dramatically spike your intraocular pressure (IOP) and cause severe eye pain, nausea, headaches and blurred vision.

The Jackson Laboratory study revealed that the cause of IOP elevation was due to more than blockage by the iris. Researchers identified a strain of mouse with a genetic mutation that generates similar ocular features to those in ACG patients; these mice also develop high levels of IOP.

Researchers further found that the mutated gene could cause variations in axial length, including a dramatic reduction in axial length in people with hyperopia (farsightedness). In mice, this genetic mutation produces a protein that in turn breaks down other proteins within the eye. The research yielded the first connection between this protein and ACG.

The study may pave the way for future methods of early ACG detection, including identifying additional risk factors, and help reveal additional ways in which ACG can be treated.

To learn more about vision correction options and to find an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory.

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