A Clear New Day

While the beginnings of refractive surgery can be traced back almost 100 years with the pioneering efforts of Lans for the correction of astigmatism, it has been only the last 20 years that an explosion of interest in operations designed to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses. We are pleased that the Buzard Eye Institute has contributed significantly to the modern renaissance of refractive surgery with multiple contributions with respect to astigmatism, nearsightedness and centration over the past 10 years. These developments have brought unprecedented improvements in the accuracy and safety of the surgery. As a surgery that deserves to be on the top of any list of accuracy and safety, LASIK offers the precision of a computer-controlled laser, with the proven safety of the lamellar keratoplasty procedure.

In the past, patients were often disappointed to find that they were not good candidates for refractive surgery because they were too nearsighted, had too much astigmatism or were farsighted. With LASIK, many, if not all, of these limitations are overcome allowing correction of extreme degrees of nearsightedness, astigmatism and due to new techniques developed at the Buzard Eye Institute, even farsightedness, a condition which has long resisted predictable correction, can now be corrected with the LASIK procedure.

At the Buzard Eye Institute, we have applied this powerful new technique to correct conditions which might otherwise be untreatable, such as patients with thick glasses, corrections following previous eye surgery and even patients who have previously received refractive surgery with unsatisfactory results. While LASIK surgery still has some limitations, it is an exciting new day for people who want to be rid of their contact lenses or glasses.

PRK  vs.  LASIK

The Normal Eye

In the original PRK procedure, the cornea was flattened by the application of the laser directly on the surface of the cornea. While the results were good, the use of the laser in this way resulted in a corneal abrasion or scratch that took several days to heal and often resulted in blurred vision for 1-2 weeks.

The Normal Eye

In the LASIK procedure, the laser is applied to the interior of the cornea, leaving the surface smooth and undisturbed as shown in this example. The edge of the flap is the thin crescent which is the only area which needs to heal, making the procedure almost painless with rapid visual rehabilitation.