LASIK Safer than Wearing Contact Lenses

According to a Lancet study, LASIK is a much safer procedure than wearing contacts. This is because contact wearers have a one in 100 chance of developing infections. Bacterial keratitis is one eye infection that can lead to permanent blindness. Those who wear contacts overnight or do not take care of them properly are more likely to develop this kind of infection.

This one in 100 chance of developing bacterial keratitis translates to one in every 2000 eye patients getting an infection. However, a study that was published several years ago in the Archives of Ophthalmology showed that the chance of an eye infection developing in LASIK patients was closer to one in 10,000. This makes LASIK one of the safest overall procedures performed today.

Eye patients who are considering LASIK or contacts should consider the chance of infection, the lifetime costs associated with wearing contact lenses versus those of laser vision correction. While many people do not want to undergo LASIK for various reasons, it is becoming safer and cheaper as time goes on. Thinking about how finances play into this decision is important, but so is your vision.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of LASIK, please contact an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.

MMA Fighter with Vision Error Cannot Fight in Ohio

According to several news sources, Strikeforce middleweight fighter Derek Brunson will be barred from a March 3 fight because of his vision. The Ohio State Athletic Commission said he could not fight in the state based on the results of a recent eye exam. Brunson said he plans to get LASIK to avoid any future issues.

Brunson has never been told by other states that he cannot fight because of his contact lenses. The Commission has no rules against fighters with contact lenses, but a fighter's uncorrected vision must fall within certain restrictions – no worse than 20/200 in one eye or 20/60 in both eyes, according to USA Today – in case a contact lens is knocked out of the fighter's eye.

LASIK has obvious benefits for an athlete, primarily the benefit of reducing the need to worry about your contacts while you are playing your sport; however, some eye surgeons may speak to an athlete about other refractive procedures, if the athlete is involved in certain sports. Flap displacement and other complications may be slightly more likely to occur while engaging in:

• Mixed martial arts
• Football
• Boxing
• Karate
• Wrestling

In these sports, the risk of eye injury is greater. PRK or another procedure that does not create a corneal flap may be recommended in such situations, especially for professional athletes.

If you are an athlete or just an active person interested in the benefits of LASIK, please contact an experienced eye surgeon in your area to learn more.

What is Bladeless LASIK?

Bladeless LASIK is an all-laser LASIK technique. Traditionally, a microkeratome blade is used to create the corneal flap in the procedure. The bladeless technique uses a laser to create the flap. The most common bladeless system is IntraLase or iLASIK.

The bladeless technique was introduced in 1999. IntraLase was FDA approved in 2001. All-laser procedures were touted as being suitable for people with thin corneas, and the technique was also associated with a decrease in flap-related complications.

The bladeless difference is a matter of LASIK technology. In addition to the excimer laser used to reshape your cornea, a second laser – called a femtosecond laser – is used in IntraLase.

IntraLase lets many people who were not previously LASIK candidates undergo the procedure. Some people cannot receive LASIK because of steep corneas; all-laser techniques often enable eye surgeons to create flaps in thin corneas. Bladeless LASIK also may reduce the risks of certain complications associated with a microkeratome. These rare risks include buttonhole-shaped flaps, detached flaps, and partial flaps. While these complications are possible, they are also extremely rare, occurring in less than one percent of LASIK surgeries. Both techniques have achieved improved vision for millions of LASIK patients.

To find out more about LASIK and the various techniques, please contact an experienced LASIK eye surgeon in your area.

Femto-LASIK for Children Active in Sports

At the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons in Prague, research was presented that indicates femto-LASIK may be a safe and successful procedure for some children, according to Ocular Surgery News. If children are ever to receive the procedure, there must be very strong reasons for electing to do so. A major motivation for such a surgery would be if a child is heavily involved in sports. Because of the complications possible with such a procedure, the risks and benefits for a child would have to be very carefully assessed.

Dr. Kristina Vodickova, M.D., presented the results at the meeting. Twenty-five young people – some nearsighted, some farsighted – underwent femto-LASIK. The average age of the patients was about 14. All of the children were involved in high-performance sports, the kind requiring daily training. The children were motivated to participate in the procedure, and their parents were provided with counseling regarding the procedure.

Unlike traditional LASIK, femto-LASIK does not use a microkeratome, the blade used to create a corneal flap. Instead, femto-LASIK is an all-laser procedure. All-laser techniques are often recommended for LASIK patients with thin corneas. Dr. Vodickova reported that all the children were happy with their vision following the procedure, and that no complications – including dry eye – were experienced.

In the US, LASIK is FDA-approved only for people age 18 and older. In extremely rare cases, LASIK for a child may be approved for critical medical reasons, but never for cosmetic reasons alone.

To learn more about LASIK, please contact an experienced eye surgeon in your area.