LASIK Considerations for Diabetics

For many people suffering from vision disorders such as hyperopia, myopia or astigmatism, LASIK is an effective way to achieve clear vision. If you have diabetes, however, it’s wise to learn about the potential risks before committing to the procedure.

Diabetes causes changes in your blood-glucose levels, which can lead to short-term changes in your vision, including temporary blurriness. Unlike glasses or contacts—the prescriptions for which evolve with your vision condition—LASIK is intended as a permanent treatment, and blood-glucose fluctuations have long been thought to contribute to vision problems in conjunction with LASIK.

A 2002 study published in the journal Cornea reported that diabetics had a 47-percent complication rate following LASIK surgery compared to a 10-percent complication rate in nondiabetics. However, a more recent study conducted by researchers at the Gimbel Eye Center in Calgary, Canada, did not find significant complications among diabetics who underwent LASIK.

The Gimbel Eye Center study focused on 24 diabetic patients with well-controlled blood-glucose levels. Researchers found that only 28 percent of LASIK-treated eyes in diabetic patients needed enhancement; however, it’s important to note that patients in this study were an average of 10 years younger than patients in the 2002 research.

Regardless of the success of your LASIK treatment, LASIK cannot prevent age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration. It’s also worth pointing out that diabetics have a higher tendency toward corneal abnormalities, which can cause the corneas to heal more slowly.

Although diabetes does not preclude you from undergoing LASIK, you must have controlled blood sugar and meet other candidacy requirements. If you have diabetes and are considering LASIK, make sure you inform your ophthalmologist.

To learn more about LASIK or find an ophthalmologist in your area, please contact The LASIK Directory.

Dry Eye Research May Lead to Watershed Treatment

Millions of Americans suffer the dry, scratchy sensation and blurred vision that are symptoms of dry eye syndrome.

Dry eye syndrome is the uncomfortable condition in which your eyes are unable to produce sufficient tears to keep your eyes lubricated and help you maintain clear vision. In addition to defective tear production, hormonal changes, certain autoimmune diseases and some medications can also contribute to dry eye syndrome.

LASIK surgery has also been known to produce dry eye symptoms in patients. During LASIK, in which a laser is used to reshape the surface layer of your cornea, nerves that play a role in tear production can become damaged. While this damage is typically temporary (dry eye is one of the most commonly reported short-term side-effects of LASIK), it can be long-term or permanent in rare cases.

But researchers at the Schepens Eye Research Institute of the Harvard Medical School believe they may have found a deeper cause for dry eye syndrome. They attributed the condition in part to NK (natural killer) cells. These are cells that naturally inhabit the eye and help the eye’s immune system. They also cause inflammation, however, and this inflammation could be the root of dry eye syndrome.

Researchers tested infected two groups of mice with dry eye—one group with normal eyes and one with depleted NK cells. The mice with fewer NK cells in their eyes suffered less severe cases of dry eye than the control group did.

These findings excite scientists since they potentially point to a new way of treating dry eye syndrome. Instead of giving patients eye drops, which only treat the symptoms, doctors may eventually be able to provide medication that would target NK cells, reducing inflammation and clearing up dry eye altogether. However, there is still much research to be done.

If you have questions about LASIK vision correction options, please contact The LASIK Directory to find an ophthalmologist near you.

AAO Views Horror Movie LASIK Scene with Humor, Perspective

Perhaps there really is no such thing as bad publicity.

When the moderately successful summer film Final Destination 5 launched its marketing campaign in the spring, the trailers focused on a scene that in turn focused on death by LASIK. One might think an organization such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) would be concerned about such a scene—even one so far-fetched—tarnishing the reputation of the popular and highly successful laser vision correction procedure.

Like the vast majority of LASIK patients who experience clear vision after undergoing the procedure, however, the AAO seems to view the eye melting and a film franchise that’s managed five episodes despite having the word “final” in its title with perfect clarity.

“Horror filmmakers are required to push the limits of outrageous fantasy, and that’s what they’ve done here,” Allison Neves, AAO’s director of public relations told New York Magazine in an Aug. 12 online article. “It is their job to turn everyday scenarios into something sinister and diabolical in order to entertain an audience. This scene is pure Hollywood entertainment created for people who enjoy this genre.”

In fact, Eric Heisserer, the film’s writer, bragged that he was awarded the gig on the basis of the LASIK scene.

“I got the job with two words: LASIK surgery,” Heisserer said in the same New York Magazine article.

In truth, LASIK, like any surgery, is accompanied by risks. But complications from LASIK are rare (facial searing is not among them), and the procedure has a success rate in the neighborhood of 95 to 98 percent.

With hundreds of thousands of LASIK surgeries performed yearly, the procedure will likely continue to enjoy its popularity. At least until Hollywood gives us something like The Texas LASIK Massacre.

In the meantime, a consultation with a qualified ophthalmologist will determine if you’re a candidate for LASIK and whether LASIK is the best option for treating your specific vision problem.

To learn more about the benefits of LASIK and find an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The Lasik Directory.

New NASA Technology May Benefit Vision Correction Treatments

The recent mothballing of the space shuttle program may have made big headlines, but NASA continues to innovate, and technology being utilized in the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is already showing applications in the field of eye health.

The JWST is an infrared telescope 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope and with a projected launch date of 2018. The JWST program has resulted in a number of technological advancements, including applications in eye measurement, vision problem diagnosis and maybe even improved eye surgery techniques.

Testing for the JWST’s 18 main telescopic mirrors, for example, involved the use of advanced wavefront sensing technology. Wavefront was used to precisely measure the shape of the mirrors during production and will be utilized to help control the JWST’s optics after it begins its orbit.

In the field of vision correction, wavefront is used by ophthalmologists prior to LASIK procedures to measure aberrations and map the eye’s surface.

“The technology … provides more accurate eye measurements for people about to undergo laser refractive surgery,” said Dr. Dan Neal, a research fellow at Abbott Medical Optics Inc., in an Aug. 1 UPI article.

The development of the JWST also yielded advancements in so-called “scanning-and-stitching” technology, in which multiple images can be accurately connected to help more thoroughly map the surface of the human eye. Scientists believe this may improve the preciseness of measurements used for the design of contact lenses and intraocular lenses.

To learn more about LASIK or to find an ophthalmologist in your area, please contact The LASIK Directory.