LASIK surgery involves making a corneal flap which is thin and delicate. It is positioned properly at the time of the LASIK procedure but care must be taken that it is not dislodged or moved during the initial healing period. This is accomplished by both instructing the patient not to rub their eyes, providing proper lubrication drops so that the flap does not stick to the eyelid during blinks, and proper eye protection especially while sleeping.

Most LASIK centers give patients specific written and verbal instruction to avoid any problems with the corneal flap. This is also verified by an examination post procedure before the patient leaves our center to be sure that the flap is not wrinkled or dislodged. Another exam is performed the next day for a similar purpose as well as checking on the visual recovery and other aspects of healing.

The eyes should be protected from both trauma and bright sunlight which is accomplished with sunglasses, usually dispensed at the time of the procedure, and night goggles for the first few nights, especially for patients who are likely to rub their eyes at night.

Another important aspect of care is using the medicated drops dispensed or prescribed at the time of LASIK. These are antibiotics to prevent the rare chance of infection, anti-inflammatory drops to soothe and aid healing, and lubrication drops since the eyes may be temporarily dryer than normal.

It is also important to keep the scheduled post operative appointments so that the doctor can verify the progress being made, especially the first few visits.

Longer term, the eyes heal well and it is unlikely to have any problems after 3-6 months but it is always a good idea to protect the eyes from severe trauma whether one had LASIK or not.

5 MORE Technological advancements we could do without!

In our world filled with technological marvels some are marvelous, others are just paltry baubles of modern society. Here are 5 i felt like complaining about today!

1) Blue Headlights

Because headlights weren’t blinding enough when met head-on in highbeam! We bring the world blue headlights, who possess the jarring glare of regular lights set to high even when they are only on low beams. God forbid a driver equipped with blue beams accidentally brights you! The retina searing power is roughly the equivalent to having Lasik Surgery done drive-by style!

Please Mr. Blue beams, get some normal headlights!

2) News Networks

We already live in a culture of paranoia! Having 24 hour news networks is like putting in a free wet-bar at the Betty Ford clinic! But, we not only have A 24 hour news network, we have MANY! All carefully tailored to fit your personal political slant on your obsessive socio-political nail bitting! (unless you are an honest to goodness centrist)

First off, there really isn’t THAT much news! It’s really just the same 45 minutes of coverage over & over & over & over!

Secondly, it’s just plain ridiculous! If you listened to the news networks (and many of us do) you would think the world will be doing good to hold out for December, 12 2012 to fold in on itself!

3) Remote Controls for Computers

One word: REALLY??!?!?

4) 3G networks

i know that my iphone tirade sort of bordered on this complaint but i can’t get away from it. Soon we will be a culture with access to ALL knowledge and retention of none!

that said, i’d still love to have a 3G phone, just in case you are looking for Christmas ideas for me! Also on the list: New Road Bike, New Back Pack, I-Tunes Gift Cards…. if you need any other suggestion feel free to ask!

5) Pre-Lit Christmas Trees

Honestly, i’m a total scrooge anyway, i have grown to despise the Christmas season! But i do like Christmas trees… sort of.

But a pre-lit plastic monstrosity? We, the plastic spoon society*, have become so bloated on satellite television and McLattes that we can’t even wrap lights around a fake tree?

*Plastic spoon: We live in a society where it’s “easier” to pump crude oil from the soil, refine it into plastics, mold that into spoons, ship them out where they are bought and used once to be thrown into landfills than it is to wash a dirty spoon when we are done with it.

เพิ่งผ่านวอร์ดอาย (Eye…ที่ซีรี่สมัยนี้ เรียน eye และ ENT พร้อมกันไปเรย 6 อาทิตย์) ตอนเรียนเรื่อง refractive error หรือความผิดปกติของสายตา เรากะปวรนั่งเรียนไป เอ๊ะไป ตลอดเวลา เพราะความรู้ชาวบ้านที่เคยรู้มามันไม่ใช่นิ เราก็เลยอยากเอามาเล่าสู่ให้ชาวบ้านรู้ต่อ (หรือว่าคนอื่นเค้ารู้กัน แต่เราไม่รู้เนี่ย แต่น้องทั้งห้องก็งงกันใหญ่เรยนะ) แต่มันหลายอาทิตย์มาแล้วน่ะ จะระลึกได้กี่เรื่องกันง่ะ

ปล. เดี๋ยวค่อยอัญเชิญปริ้นมาตรวจสอบความถูกผิดเวอชั่นนศพ. แต่ไม่รู้ปริ้นจะว่างมั้ย เด๊นท์อายนี่เยินเหมือนกันนะ

ปล. 2 ไหนๆก็ไหนๆ ถ้านึกออกเกี่ยวกะเรื่องนี้อีก จะมาอัพเดทเป็นระยะ

เอารูปตามาประกอบเพื่อความเข้าใจ แสงจะผ่านเข้าตา ผ่านน้ำตาที่เคลือบ กระจกตา (cornea) เลนส์ และของเหลวที่แทรกๆ จนไปตกที่เรตินาด้านหลัง ซึ่งมีจุดรับภาพสีโดยเฉพาะคือ macula ในรูป (พยายามหารูปซิมเปิ้นๆ เอามาจาก www.heightseyecare.com)

Myth: สายตายาว คือ การมองไกลชัด แต่มองใกล้ไม่ชัด

Truth: ไม่ใช่จ้ะ สายตายาวมองอะไรก็ไม่ชัดจ้ะ ขออธิบายสายตาสั้นก่อนเพราะเข้าใจง่ายกว่า สายตาสั้นเกิดจากความโค้งของกระจกตา (cornea) มากเกินไปหรือเลนส์ป่องเกินไป แสงก็เลยหักเหเข้ามามาก (คุ้นๆจากตอนเรียนประถมมะ แต่เค้าสอนผิดเรื่องสายตายาวนะ) ภาพมันก็เลยตกก่อนจะไปถึงฉากรับภาพ ซึ่งก็คือ เรตินา ก็เลยเห็นภาพไม่ชัด อีกสาเหตุนึงของสายตาสั้นคือ มีกระบอกตายาวเกิน แสงก็เลยตกไปไม่ถึงซะที การแก้ก็ใช้เลนส์เว้ากระจายแสงตามความรู้ชาวบ้านนั่นแหละ ส่วนสายตายาว ก็เกิดจากสาเหตุตรงข้ามกัน คือ กระจกตาหรือเลนส์แบนไป หรือว่า กระบอกตาสั้นไป แสงก็เลยโดนกระจาย กว่าจะเข้ามารวมเป็นจุดเดียวกันได้ ก็เลยเรตินาไปไกลแล้ว การแก้ก็ต้องใช้เลนส์นูนให้รวมแสงเข้ามาเร็วๆหน่อย

แล้วมันต่างกับที่เคยเข้าใจตรงไหน ก็สายตาสั้น จะทำให้เรามองไกลไม่ชัดชิมิ แต่ใกล้ๆชัด เพราะตาจะมีการปรับของมันให้เลนส์ป่องมองใกล้ชัดได้ แต่สายตายาวไม่ว่าแสงจากไหนมามันก็ไม่ชัด (อาจจะเพราะสาเหตุส่วนใหญ่เกิดจากกระบอกตาสั้น ตาปรับอะไรไม่ค่อยได้) ยกเว้นที่จุดๆนึงที่ไกลระดับนึง แล้วส่งแสงมารวมกันตกลงเรตินาพอดี แต่ถ้าไกลกว่านั้นไปอีก ก็ไม่ชัดละ

Myth: สายของคนแก่ คือ สายตายาว

Truth: ไม่ใช่อีกแล้วจ้ะ ถ้าเคยเห็นคนแก่อ่านหนังสือ เค้าจะบอกว่าเค้ามองใกล้ไม่ชัด แต่เค้าจะเลื่อนหนังสือออกไป แล้วมันจะชัดขึ้น แสดงว่าเค้ามองไกลได้ชัดกว่า แต่สายตายาวมันไม่ชัดเลยอย่างที่บอก ในคนแก่เนี่ยเกิดจากเลนส์มันแข็งขึ้น ไม่เดี๋ยวป่องเดี๋ยวแฟบเหมือนตอนเด็กๆ แล้วพอเวลามองใกล้โดยปกติเนี่ย เราต้องทำให้เลนส์ป่องเป็นการโฟกัส แสงจะได้หักเหเข้ามามากๆ (เพราะรับภาพใกล้) พอเลนส์แข็งแล้วก็ป่องไม่ไหว ก็เลยโฟกัสไม่ได้ ก็เลยมองใกล้ไม่ชัดตามมา แต่ภาพจากไกลๆไม่ต้องอาศัยอะไรแบบนี้ ก็เลยยังเห็นได้ดี เพราะฉะนั้นสายตาของคนแก่ ก็จะเรียกให้ดูดีว่า สายตาผู้สูงอายุ

Myth: อ่านหนังสือบนรถจะสายตาสั้น นอนตะแคงดูทีวีจะสายตาเอียง

Truth: อาจารย์เซ่ด ตอนนี้ยังไม่มีอะไรบอกได้จิงๆว่าอะไรเป็นสาเหตุของสายตาสั้น น่าจะเกี่ยวกับเรื่องกรรมพันธุ์ แต่สาเหตุอย่างอื่นที่ชอบเอามาขู่กันนี่ยังไม่มีงานวิจัยอะไรรองรับ อย่างการนอนตะแคงดูทีวีแล้วสายตาเอียงน่าจะไม่ใช่แน่ เพราะสายตาเอียงเป็นการที่แกนๆนึงเห็นไม่ชัด ลองนึกรูปดอกจัน แล้วมีแค่เส้นๆเดียวของดอกจันที่เรามองไม่ชัด แต่เส้นที่เหลือชัด อันนี้คือสายตาเอียง (เราเพิ่งเข้าใจสายตาเอียงที่เราเป็นเนี่ยแหละ แต่เอียงมากเอียงน้อยหมายความว่ายังไงนี่ยังไม่รู้) เพราะฉะนั้นการที่แกนนั้นจะเห็นไม่ชัดมันไม่เกี่ยวกะการนอนตะแคงแน่ๆน่ะ ส่วนการดูทีวีหรือคอมในที่มืด อาจจะทำให้เพ่งมากจนตาล้าได้เพราะแสงจากรอบๆไม่พอ แต่ก็ไม่ได้บอกเรื่องสายตาสั้นเพิ่มขึ้นอยู่ดี

Myth: คอนแทคเลนส์ใส่นานๆแล้วจะไม่ดี

Truth: ใส่นานๆเป็น 20-30 ปีนี่ยังไม่รู้ แต่ก็เห็นมีคนใส่กันได้อย่างปกติสุข แต่ถ้าใส่เกิน 8 ชม./วัน มันไม่ดี อันนี้ก็รู้มานานแระ แต่ไม่รู้เหตุผล ซึ่งก็คือ คอร์เนีย หรือ กระจกตา ที่คอนแทคเลนส์ไปแปะอยู่จะเริ่มขาดอากาศหายใจ ทำให้เซลล์ชั้นล่างสุดของกระจกตาเริ่มตาย ซึ่งสำคัญมาก เพราะ เซลล์นี้ทำหน้าที่ปั๊มน้ำออกไม่ให้กระจกตาบวม แล้วคงความใสอยู่ได้ (ถ้ากระจกตาบวม ก็ขุ่นสิ แล้วก็เห็นภาพเบลอ) ที่สำคัญกว่านั้น เซลล์นี้ตายแล้วตายเรย ไม่สร้างใหม่ ถ้าปั๊มน้ำไม่พอนานๆ อาจจะต้องเปลี่ยนกระจกตากัน เพราะฉะนั้นอย่าใส่ต่อเนื่องทีนานๆด้วยเหตุผลเช่นนี้แหละ

Myth: คอนแทคเลนส์ที่มีน้ำเป็นส่วนผสมมาก ทำให้ตาไม่แห้ง

Truth: ผิดเรยยยยย หนูโดนคนขายตามร้านหลอกมาตั้งนาน เลือกซื้อแต่น้ำเยอะมาตลอดทั้งๆที่เป็นคนตาแห้ง จนปริ้นเพิ่งให้ความกระจ่างว่า คอนแทคเลนส์ที่บอกว่ามีน้ำเป็นส่วนผสมเยอะก็จะดูดน้ำไว้กะตัวมันเยอะด้วย ทำให้ตาเราแห้งแทน กรี๊ซซซซซ

Myth: เลสิคทำให้ตาแห้ง

Truth: เคยได้ยินมานาน แอบไม่เชื่อมากกว่า แต่หลังจากอาจารย์อธิบายก็ต้องเชื่อละ คือวิธีการทำเลสิค ไม่ว่าจะเทคโนโลยีไฮโซแค่ไหน (ณ วันนี้) ก็ต้องฝานกระจกตาออกเป็นแผ่นบางๆ แต่ฝานไม่ขาดนะ เพราะหลังจากนั้นจะยิงเลเซอร์เข้าไปให้กระจกตาที่เหลืออยู่บางลง แล้วก็แปะกระจกตาที่ฝานนี่กลับเข้าไปใหม่ แต่การฝานเนี่ย หมายความว่า nerve หรือ เส้นประสาทเป็นล้านเส้น​ (อันนี้หนูเมคให้เว่อร์เอง) โดนตัดขาดไม่เหลือ หลังจากแปะกลับไปแล้วก็ต่อกลับได้ไม่หมดหรอก เส้นประสาทขาดแล้วไงล่ะ โดยปกติแล้วพอมีการระคายเคืองนิดๆหน่อยๆจากเส้นประสาทที่นี่แหละ ตาก็จะกระตุ้นให้มีการสร้างน้ำตา ตาก็ไม่แห้ง พอเส้นประสาทขาด การกระตุ้นก็หายไป น้ำตาก็นานๆสร้างทีเวลาเคืองจิงจัง น้ำตาโดยปกติก็เลยจะน้อย คนตาแห้งอย่างเราก็เลยตัดสินใจไม่ทำเลสิคแน่นอน

Myth: soft contact lens ดีกว่า hard contact lens

Truth: ซอฟท์ดีกว่าในแง่ใส่สบาย พวกน้ำเยอะๆเนี่ยจะทำให้ใส่สบายมากขึ้น (แต่ไม่ใช่สำหรับคนตาแห้งนะ) มีหลายเวอชั่นอย่าง 1-day ก็โยนทิ้งได้เรย ทำให้ไม่ต้องดูแลมาก แล้วเดี๋ยวนี้มีสำหรับแก้สายตาเอียงแล้วด้วย ยิ่งไม่ต้องไปง้อแบบฮาร์ดเรย แต่ข้อเสียคือ เสี่ยงต่อการติดเชื้อเป็นอย่างมาก เพราะน้ำเยอะ ออกซิเจนดี นี่แหละ เลยเป็นข้อห้ามไม่ให้ใส่คอนแทคแล้วลงไปว่ายน้ำ เพราะจะได้เชื้อกลับมามากมาย ถ้าจะใส่ก็ควรเป็น 1-day ใส่ว่ายเสร็จปุ๊บทิ้งเรย ยิ่งเรซซิเด๊ยหรืออาจารย์อายส่วนใหญ่จะเห็นใส่แว่นกันเป็นแถบ เพราะพารานอยด์จากทั้งคอนแทคและเลสิค

แล้วทำไมเราถึงกระแดะอยากใส่ฮาร์ด ก็เราใส่ซอฟท์แล้วไม่สบายตาใดๆ (ถึงแม้จะใส่มานานแล้ว) คงเพราะสาเหตุว่าตาแห้งด้วย ในขณะที่ฮาร์ดจะไม่มีปัญหาเรื่องตาแห้ง เพราะมันเป็นของแข็งที่ไม่ต้องการดูดน้ำเก็บไว้กับตัว เรามีสายตาเอียงด้วยก็จะได้แก้เอียงไปในตัว เรื่องติดเชื้อก็ไม่ต้องกัว เพราะไม่มีอะไรให้เชื้ออยากอยู่ แต่ข้อเสีย คือ เราจะต้องทนน้ำตาไหลพรากไปประมาณ 2 อาทิตย์ในการใส่ให้ชิน มันเคืองมากอ่ะ แล้วพอชินแล้ว แล้วอยู่ดีๆเลิกใส่มัน ก็ต้องกลับไปนับหนึ่งใหม่ คือไปเคืองใหม่อีก 2 อาทิตย์ แล้วที่กัวอีกอย่างคือ มันมีแต่รายปี ถ้าทำหล่นหายหรือทำแตก คือ ต้องไปสั่งตัดใหม่ ถ้ามันหายหลังจากใช้ไปซักปีก็โอ แต่ถ้าหายหลังจากสองวัน คงเหมือนทำเงินหล่นไปสี่พัน (ข้างละ 2000) ซึ่งหนูยังไม่ได้ใส่หรอก ไปตัดมาที่คลินิคคอนแทคเลนส์ของซีรี่กะอาจีนเมื่อสองอาทิตย์ก่อน พรุ่งนี้จะไปเอาแระ ต้องมาฝึกวิธีใส่และเอาออกใหม่ ซึ่งไม่เหมือนแบบซอฟท์ หลังจากนั้นก็คงน้ำตาไหลพรากกกก

Q: จำเป็นต้องใช้น้ำตาเทียมแบบรายวันมั้ย

A: เอิ่ม มันแพงกว่าแบบที่ให้เก็บใช้ได้เดือนนึงน่ะ แต่แบบขวดซึ่งใช้ได้ 1 เดือนจะผสมสารกันเสีย แต่ก่อนเราก็ไม่คิดอะไรมาก แต่ตอนนี้คิดแล้ว เพราะอาจารย์บอกว่ามันไม่ดีต่อตาน่ะสิ (แต่จำไม่ได้แล้วว่าไม่ดียังไง) ยิ่งคนตาแห้งแล้วหยอดตา prn (หยอดทุกเมื่อที่ต้องการ) ก็เหมือนยิ่งสะสมสารกันเสียเข้าไปเรื่อยๆ เพราะฉะนั้นถ้าหยอดวันนึง 3-4 ครั้งก็ไม่เป็นไร แต่ถ้าหยอดทุกชม. แนะนำว่าให้ใช้แบบที่ไม่ผสมสารกันเสียจะดีกว่า ซึ่งจะต้องทิ้งใน 24 ชม. ไม่งั้นเดี๋ยวแบคทีเรียมา

ปล. ตอนนี้อยู่นิติเวช ไม่ชอบเรย ถึงจะสบายแต่ไม่อยากเรียนน่ะ เข้าใจมะ

Some people wear their wrinkles like badges of honor. They don’t call them wrinkles; they call them character lines. These brave souls, however, are not in the majority. Other people (men as well as women) view wrinkles with horror. They are not seen as character lines but rather as garden variety wrinkles.

They are seen as a plague that is visited on the elderly only and they don’t want to count themselves among the elderly. This later group makes the cosmetic industry very happy. They make cash registers go ja-jing and put smiles on the (unwrinkled) faces of cosmetic company executives around the world.

The cosmetic industry just in America grosses over twenty billion ($20,000,000,000 thats a lot of zeros) annually. Most of those dollars come from the sale of hair care products and skin care products. Dermatologists rake in another few billion each year, as well. They prescribe creams and lotions for the prevention or the reduction in appearance of wrinkles. Retin A is the most prescribed.

Dermatologists also perform surgeries such as face lifts and eye lifts. They inject Botox, Collagen and Restylane into the faces of those who can afford to pay for the procedures.

The nutritional supplement industry does a booming business, too. Vegetable, fruit and tea extracts for the purpose of wrinkle reduction or wrinkle prevention sell millions, as do herbs and vitamins that proclaim to do the same.

Acupuncturists do very well, as do facial masseuses. People will try almost everything in an effort to banish wrinkles. Wrinkles are big business not because people want them but because they dont want them. If wrinkles ever come in style, it will be a real blow to the economies of most civilized nations in the world. That really isnt very likely to happen however.

WRINKLES CAUSED BY LASIK:
LASIK surgery to correct the vision problems of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism is the most popular and most used technique today. There are more than a million of these procedures done in the United States every year. Most of the time there is no problem at all during or after LASIK surgery.

Vision problems are corrected and the patient is happy also the LASIK surgeon gets well paid so he’s happy too. However just like with any surgical procedure things can go wrong. One of the most frequent complications of LASIK surgery is wrinkles or flap striae occur.

This is a complication that only occurs in about 5% of all LASIK surgeries. That is a small percentage but if you happen to fall into that 5% it can be a big problem. Wrinkles occur when folds form on the corneal flap that is created during a LASIK surgery procedure. Immediately following a LASIK surgery there is almost always a wrinkle visible.

It usually takes care of itself and will disappear in a day or two. If it does not disappear within one or two days however it must be dealt with. Sometimes collagen (or collagen plugs) can be injected into the surrounding tissue and that will alleviate the problem.

Other times the flap must be re-floated. The flap might need to be ironed out using a special tool or the flap might require suturing. When choosing to have LASIK surgery to correct vision problems it is important to remember that it IS surgery and that complications can occur. Choose your LASIK surgeon based upon experience and reputation rather than upon the cost of the surgery.

You certainly want someone in charge who has already done the procedure many times and can recognize a potential problem before it happens and prevent the
problem.

Tyrie Lee Jenkins, M.D. stood among the celebrated business leaders of Hawaii this week. A sign of the economic times, there were a number of healthcare entities and leaders recognized at Pacific Business News’ Business Leadership Hawaii program. Most other industries were marked by tales of reconfiguring business models, cutting back, investing in recovery. Those representing healthcare were upbeat, looking forward.

Dr. Jenkins was there representing healthcare, but also small business. It’s recent (in my mind, anyway) that healthcare practitioners are viewed through a business lens by the general public. It’s a challenging balance for a leader and innovator like Dr. Jenkins. As the country continues the debate about our healthcare system, it will be important to note critical leadership from physicians in particular. Dr. Jenkins has always inspired those around her by how she’s emerged as a nationally recognized eye surgeon, as well as a civic leader.

We were so proud to be part of the tribe with Dr. Jenkins this night. If we weren’t the noisiest fans of the evening, we were close.

BAP

MedPage Today (11/12, Walsh) reported that, according to a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, “laser surgery to correct refractive errors had no long-term detrimental effects on the corneal endothelium.” After using “endothelial photography to re-examine 29 eyes in 16 patients who had undergone” LASIK “or photorefractive keratectomy between July 1998 and January 1999,” then “comparing them with 42 normal, unoperated adult corneas,” researchers found that “the coefficient of variation of [endothelial] cell area and percentage of hexagonal cells did not change,” and that the “mean annual rate of cell loss after surgery, at 0.6%, was the same as the age-related physiologic cell loss seen in normal corneas.” In other words, people who “have LASIK…can still offer to donate their eyes.”

011. Have consultations for Lasik surgery. If corneas not too thin – then 
     do it. And now: try Surfing because you can see WTF is going on!

         (Why surfing?)Consultation at Kremer Eye Center went well Monday night. Unfortunately, my corneas are thinner than one might hope when thinking about Lasik. If I had it done, there wouldn’t be enough tissue to ever go back and treat my eyes if there were any further change.

There’s good news though! There are 2 possibilities for me look into in order to yield the same results as Lasik. The first being PRK, the second Visian ICL.

The future is now!

PRK was described to me as being a longer recovery time (about a week) and can range from being, ‘okay’ painwise, or - ‘the worst pain I’ve ever felt’ – these being descriptions from past patients at the Center. It’s slightly more expensive, but still manageable. I would be able to have another surgery later down the line if my eyes got worse again – and it would be for free from Kremer.

Visian ICL (Implantable Collamer® Lens) is my second option, where something like a permanent contact lens is folded up and injected into your eye through a slit and then put in place behind your iris.

These are removable & replaceable if needed -but designed to be permanent. You’re seeing perfectly within hours, experience very little discomfort, and no corneal damage. And protected further from UV rays and all this crazy stuff. It’s more expensive than PRK – and I need to find out if they’d charge me all over again if I ever needed a change or if I’d get some sort of discount as a repeat offender. I just don’t know.

I’ve got another consultation on Monday with a different doctor. (I’m hoping maybe they might have better pricing?)

So it’s not quite Lasik - but if I can get my vision to 20/20 without glasses. I’m still counting this goal as on track and on the way to completion!

Vé con los especialistas, vé con VisionCare!

$13900 +iva Cirugía Laser para corregir, miopía, Hipermetropía y/o Astigmatismo.

Llámanos 55405400 o Lada 018008740101

www.visioncare.com.mx

If your vision is deteriorating, consult your doctor immediately. You could be suffering from keratoconus, says Hema Vijay

Do you rub your eyes often? Have you been changing your glasses frequently? And is the astigmatic or cylindrical component of the change quite large? Then, take care, it may not just be a refractive error; it might be keratoconus, a progressive eye disease.

“Often we find people with keratoconus seeking a solution through LASIK (laser treatment) for their rapidly progressing myopia,” says Dr. Anand Parthasarathy, senior eye surgeon. Rapidly developing myopia, with a large component of astigmatism could be a sign of keratoconus. Consider the case of Ganesh, a 23-year-old BPO executive, who noticed his vision was getting blurred. He went to a nearby optician who prescribed a pair of spectacles; but even with the glasses, his vision was not clear. When he finally consulted an eye doctor, he was told that he had keratoconus.

About the problem

The cornea, the clear transparent layer in front of the eye, is normally spherical. But, sometimes, the cornea becomes conical. This is keratoconus, and this reduces the quality of vision.

Apparently, keratoconus or conical cornea, a disabling eye disease affects as many as 1 in 1,000 persons. Keratoconus generally strikes teenagers and young adults more than older patients. As keratoconus progresses, the quality of vision deteriorates, and even contact lenses or glasses may not provide a satisfactory solution. Untreated keratoconus can damage vision.

“The youngest patient (with keratoconus) that I have is a 12-year-old”, informs Dr. Anand Parthasarathy. Keratoconus could be triggered by constant rubbing of the eyes, especially if the cornea is weak; or it could be a genetic predisposition. People with keratoconus often tend to have systemic allergies such as asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, skin allergies, and an urge to rub their eyes.

However, keratoconus can be successfully managed with new clinical and surgical techniques. “Collagen cross-linking (to stop progression of the disease), implantable contact lens – rigid or piggy back lenses (to correct the refractive error) and intra corneal ring segments (rings to stabilise the cornea) – and rose K lens (special custom made imported contact lens for keratoconus) are treatment options depending on the severity of the case,” says Dr. S. Prashanth, consultant eye surgeon. In advanced cases, where nothing will work, there is no recourse but corneal transplant.

Spot the symptoms

Keratoconus in one eye can result in lazy eye (ambylopia), and even squint. “Parents should keep a watch on their kids and spot signs of eye trouble,” stresses Dr. A. G. Ramesh, opthalmologist and eye surgeon. For instance, if your child keeps tilting his head while watching television, it means he is using only one eye, as the other eye has become weaker or lazy. Parents can even test if their kids are using both their eyes by asking the child to close one eye and making him read the words on a hoarding or on television. Besides, you can get the child to sit in front of a window, and look at the reflection of the window, tubelight or some such thing in the child’s eye. “If this reflection is distorted or blurred, contact an ophthalmologist immediately,” advises Dr. Ramesh.

Moreover, eye checks-ups conducted in schools should be exhaustive, he feels. The same applies to people who come to renew their contact lenses or spectacles, or complain about improperly fitting lenses. Rather than just measuring the refractive error, a thorough eye examination should be done. Dr. Ramesh sums it up succinctly, “I wish people gave as much attention and significance to their eyes as they do for their spectacle frames”.

Dos and Dont’s

Avoid rubbing your eyes.

Get a comprehensive eye examination done annually, especially if you have had to change your glasses frequently.

If you have a close relative with keratoconus, get your eyes examined.

Parents should watch for signs that indicate the child is using one eye more than the other; also check for distortion or blurring of the reflected image of objects in the eye.

If a child complains of blurred vision, seeing objects in doubles or multiples, repeated headache, irritation, redness, or watering of the eye, take him to an ophthalmologist.

Contact lens should be fitted with the help of a keratometer and proper corneal topography should be done.

010. Take a multivitamin daily for 30 days. (25/30)

Five days to go on the multivitamins without screwing up. I’m proud of me right now!
Better yet – it’s become a habit. I think I’ll just keep going with taking them.

011. Have consultations for Lasik surgery. If corneas not too thin – then 
     do it. And now: try Surfing because you can see WTF is going on!
         (Why surfing?)

Going to my first consultation with Kremer Eye Center in Cherry Hill, NJ tonight at 6:00 p.m.
I’ve got another office I’m checking out next week as well – but I think if the folks tonight tell me I’m not ready, or my eyes won’t take the surgery – I probably won’t need to go to the next one. Kremer’s got a broader service selection with options the other doesn’t – so if they say it’s a no…. It’s a no.

012. Do something to make having flat feet better for you!
         - Visit Podiatrist. Explore custom insert options.

My Dad has flat feet like me – and has no faith in any local podiatrists or the inserts they make. The one that fixed his feet in the 80s has since retired – so I don’t want to pay a $50 copay for someone else to tell me what I already know is wrong with my feet… um, they’re flat.
Found a shop on eBay that has insanely good feedback for thousands upon thousands of custom inserts – they mail you a tray to take molds of your feet and then mail you inserts.
I sucked it up and placed an order. I’ve never been screwed by an eBay purchase before – and I’ve bought EVERYTHING under the sun on there before. I researched, they’re legitimate – and hopefully they will help with sneakers & make #013 happen faster!

039. Find a new less infuriating job with significantly better pay. Even if it
        means a new city, state, or country. 
       (Resumes & Cover Letters,  scattered to the winds!)

I may or may not have a job interview downtown on Monday….cough…
Thanks to a heads up from a friend about this position, I got a lovely phone call this morning. And am now going through the usual, “What will I wear? What will I say!?” motions before an opportunity like this. Crossing my fingers!

053. Learn you’ll never have a sloppy filing system again.
          – Finish transferring all music to external hard drive into
            appropriate folders. 

Bit the bullet and made a dent in file transferring this week. About 700 MB of music transferred & synced back into iTunes. Sooo tedious! I think I’m going to find out how much more I need to move & create a gauge for myself – because at the moment it feels like there’s no end in sight – and I had moved a TON of music before I even started 101 in 1001! A gauge will help.

~*~*~*~

Closer to finishing another book, have 2 movies to watch (one from Netflix, the other the library) and a possible switching of gym memberships coming up in the next few days as well.
Add in all the other stuff going on this week – and it’s going to be a busy one!

Health insurance  baffles me.  Every year at open enrollment my eyes glaze over staring at all of the documentation about various plans and supplemental benefits available.  I swear you need a doctorate degree to understand half of this stuff.

In my online research I kept seeing people tell others to use their FSA, which is something that my employer offers.  I looked into it.

The long and short of it is that most (if not all) FSA’s give you the ability to contribute “pre-tax” money into an account that you can use for qualified medical expenses, but that money must be used before the end of the calendar year or else it is forfeited.  Since this money is contributed pre-tax, this tends to affect the amount of taxes you pay at the end of the year.

Fortunately, I met with and picked the provider that will be doing my surgery during benefits open enrollment week, which gave me the chance to enroll in the FSA next year so I can save even more money with the tax benefits.

Since my surgery is supposed to cost in the neighborhood of $3,300 I chose to put $3,400 in my FSA account next year, just in case the cost of the surgery goes up a little bit more between then and now.  If anything, I’ll come in under that and can use the additional money for prescriptions or over-the-counter medication.

Once I have a better grasp of the details of FSA’s and the tax implications surrounding them, I will try to make another post.

I won’t lie.  I’m not independently wealthy, so cost did play a big role in my decision.  I only have two eyes, though, and I haven’t heard of any successful eye transplants, so I don’t want to go with the cheapest provider and sacrifice quality for price.

My first step was to figure out if my insurance offered any discounts or coverage.  My employer offers EyeMed vision coverage, which gives me a 15% discount at approved providers and a 5% discount at any other providers.  As this is an elective procedure, I was unable to find any discounts/coverage with my Cigna HRA (Health Reimbursement Arrangement).

I consulted my optometrist, who I have been discussing the possibility of LASIK for the past couple of years, and he gave me a list of three local LASIK providers that they partner with for all pre-op and post-op care.  Additionally, I consulted Eye Med’s web site and got the name of the only local LASIK provider that is in their network.

Two of the three providers that my optometrist recommended were extremely helpful and answered all of my questions.  One of them even sent me information in the mail.  The third, however, I was not left with a good feeling, as I tried to call them a couple of times during business hours on different days and only got an answering machine.  I didn’t find that to be a real great first impression.

The provider recommended by Eye Med didn’t make their phone number real easy to find, however they did offer online scheduling for a free in-office visit so you can meet with them face-to-face to ask questions and, more importantly, for them to run a couple of tests to even make sure your eyes are good candidates for LASIK.  If you don’t pass those tests, you don’t have to waste your time with anything else.

I think the in-office visit helped me tremendously.  One, I found out that I was still a good candidate for LASIK; two, I was able to get all of my questions answered and concerns addressed; and three, the fact that I was challenged by their optometrist regarding my desire to get LASIK so they knew if I was a good candidate.  For example, one of the questions they had is if I tried contacts before or not so they knew if I explored all possible avenues before doing something as permanent as LASIK.

Of the two providers I spoke with on the telephone and the provider I met with in-person, they were all right around the same price range of $3,800 – $3,900 for both eyes.  All three offered all check-ups for the first year included in that price as well as lifetime enhancements, should the first procedure not get/keep me at perfect vision.

The provider recommended by Eye Med, however, was in their network and, as a result, offered the discount which brought the price down to about $3,300.

Ultimately I went with the provider that was recommended by Eye Med, as it was substantially less expensive than the other two providers, but wasn’t a “bargain basement” type of place.  I really enjoyed their idea of bringing you into the office so you could meet with several people in the office and ask any questions, but also them making sure that I would be a good candidate in their eyes.

I’ve never been really great at doing blogs, but I’ll do my best here.  I’ve been halfway paying attention to LASIK since I first heard about it about 10 years ago, but haven’t looked too closely at it until the last year or so.  In my searches around the Internet I’ve found only a couple different viewpoints on LASIK:  the LASIK providers saying mostly positive things about the procedure and the “naysayers” that only hit the negative aspects of the procedure.  I’ve not been able to find a “diary” or any detailed first-hand experiences about the procedure.  Granted, everyone is different and no two surgeries are alike, but I’d like to share my experience from now to the surgery and afterward in hopes that someone who may be in my situation can benefit from what I’ve found.

I’ve been in glasses most of my life, and I’ve tried various contacts on three different occasions, and was never successful getting used to them.  On my honeymoon in September, 2007 one of the arms of my glasses broke off so I had to deal with scotch taped glasses for almost an entire week.  Not fun.

It’s not just that my glasses broke at a fairly inconvenient time while I was out of the country that made me do this, though it was a contributing factor.  It’s more of the everyday stuff that has pushed me over the edge.  It’s the being able to get up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom or get a glass of water without worrying about tripping over something unless I fumble around for my glasses.  It’s about being able to be in snowy or rainy weather without the constant need to wipe/dry off my glasses.  It’s about coming inside on a cold day and having my glasses fog up for the first few minutes I’m inside.

The technology has been in play for over a decade now.  Improvements have been made — no longer are blades needed to make the initial cut to the eye as it can now be accomplished with lasers which leads to fewer complications, doctors have had a chance to do more procedures and gain more experience, etc.

I will try to post regularly to this with my findings, however I am planning on having the surgery done in mid-February (possibly late January) so there may be a lull around the holidays.

Non-corneal, through the Eyelid Tonometer Diaton was presented at Latin American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Meeting ALACCSA/LASCRS; IV Congreso Internacional del Hemisferio Norte, Centro América y Caribe ALACCSA-R CMCC “El Segmento Anterior en la Práctica Diaria” by FarbaC Biomedical, BiCOM’s distributor in Mexico. Nearly 1000 ophthalmologists had a chance to acquaint themselves with unique abilities to measure IOP without anesthesia and without direct contact with the cornea.

La Tonometría con el Diaton es la única opción para tomar la presión intraocular (PIO) A TRAVÉS DEL PÁRPADO – no hay contacto con la córnea, no se requiere de anestesia y no se tiene que esterilizar. El dispositivo de diagnóstico de BiCOM tiene la forma de una pluma, es portátil, es perfecto para tomar la presión intraocular y ayuda para hacer diagnósticos y prevenir la ceguera que es causada por el Glaucoma. El Tonómetro Diaton es irremplazable para hacer el diagnóstico en masa de Glaucoma en adultos y niños.

More information about Diaton tonometer at: http://www.TonometerDiaton.com

About FarbaC Biomedical: http://www.FarbaC.com

I had Lasik 3 weeks ago and have been using tons of non-preserved drops.  I have used Systane, Blink, Refresh plus, and the Walgreens versions of Blink and Refresh.  I was recently urged to try Theratears.  I can say it is my favorite so far.  Blink and Refresh Plus felt the same and I’m sure they were doing the job just great(as well as the Walgreens versions).  Systane is awesome for abrasions or severe dryness.  I can admit though that the Theratears have felt the best so far.  I get less blurriness right when  put them in and I don’t feel like I need to put them in as often.  I will admit, I do not know if they would have felt any different than the others right after the lasik.  I do like it right now though.

As important as factors related to your doctor are, laser vision correction is not just about the technology that is used, and not just about the empirical results that are obtained. The first and most important step in pursuing laser vision correction or LASIK is to pick both the doctor and the technology which will hopefully deliver for you the best results. Beyond these basics the most important consideration is known as patient expectations. The patient’s perception of success is a key indicator since what goes on behind the eyes, that is in the brain of the person who has LASIK, is just as important as the objective results themselves. While most patients are extremely happy with their excellent results, it is important to understand that LASIK is a process, and one needs to look at the most important optical diagnostic instrument available, their own mirror. The bottom line is whether one is the type of person who is happy with substantial improvement in their quality of life or will only perfection be their minimum standard of success?

When we first introduced Intralase, all laser LASIK it was termed IntraLASIK by the company and everyone using this technology. Since that time, the company has been acquired by AMO and they have a new term for the combination of Intralase and the VISX excimer laser which they call i-LASIK. There is nothing new or magical about this combination and in fact many had used the VISX laser with the Intralase for years before this acquisition. While the Intralase laser makes flaps that work well with VISX lasers, they work equally well with any other excimer laser on the market and there is nothing special about this particular combination other than a branding or marketing name. In our practice we have used the Intralase with the Bausch and Lomb laser, the Wavelight Allegretto laser (now owned by Alcon) and the Zeiss MEL 80 laser. All of these combinations work extremely well since the making of a corneal flap is independent of the correction of vision by the second laser platform.

It is important to distinguish real technological advancements, from marketing hype and this is especially true when it comes to laser vision correction. There is not much question that I-LASIK is the latter of these in that it was the matching of two existing technologies. The VISX laser was one of the first approved lasers, and although there have been some improvements, it is still a broad beam first generation technology which is limited as compared to many newer lasers that have been available for a number of years since. Yes, there is a good chance of getting to 20/20 vision with VISX but no greater than any other platform, and it has limitations in the type of ablation that can be created. This gets into subtler issues than just 20/20. For instance, it is based on the original Munnerlyn formula and does not take into account a prolate optimized ablation pattern such as the Wavelight (Alcon) or the MEL80 (Zeiss) lasers can create. Other posts on this blog have discussed the benefits of these newer patterns. Even scanning spot lasers can have this limitation which was true with the Bausch and Lomb laser where they considered doing a clinical trial with the newer ablation patterns but abandoned this effort due to economic constraints. The Nidek laser was another intermediate step with scanning slits but also based on the older ablation patterns and for this reason has been largely abandoned. Some centers still offer LASIK with the Nidek at a reduced price, but is that really worth it? In today’s world, many laser centers are moving up to the newer type ablation lasers from “VISX type” and it is worth considering this since it represent a real change in technology.

With all modesty, if anyone should know about this it would be me, since one of the earliest approved LASIK lasers was the Dishler Laser. That is correct, I was the inventor (with a lot of help of course) of a laser design that was FDA approved to correct nearsightedness and astigmatism over a very large range. This laser was also a broad beam design, and although it had significant advantages over the VISX laser at the time (they thought it was so similar to theirs that they sued me for patent infringement!) we have long ago retired this laser due to advances well beyond the capability of that design. At best I would say that the VISX laser is the vanilla of lasers, sufficient but not extraordinary. Of course, this is just my personal opinion–that is what blogs are for.

Moving on the femtosecond lasers is something which I also know something about. We had the third femtosecond laser in the United States about 10 years ago. Of the first 1000 femtosecond flaps made, we did about 900 of them making us the very first real commercial site for Intralase. We have had one of the first lasers of each succeeding upgraded model to the current FS60 which is now in thousands of sites and has done millions of procedures worldwide. It is a great machine, and makes really nice flap. This is the mainstream flap maker and as such has been paired with practically every other excimer laser in the world for LASIK procedures. To claim some specific superiority with the VISX laser and call this I-LASIK is clever marketing but no real technological advance.

There is a real technological advance in femtosecond lasers, and it is the Visumax laser, also from Zeiss. Again, there is a post specifically on this topic, but in essence, it is faster, more accurate, works more gently and at lower energy than the Intralase laser. We have both of these platforms, and at this point use the Intralase as a reliable backup system or for unusual cases where it might be a better option. We are doing about 98% of all of our femto flaps with the Visumax. Consequently we are pairing the Visumax with the Zeiss Mel 80 which is really nice since they are both part of a combined workstation which is efficient, ergonomic, and very patient friendly. But we also can use the Visumax with the Wavelight laser and these results are also very excellent. Maybe we should call it ‘very good lasik’ or v-LASIK?

It took me a long time to get used to the idea of laser eye surgery. I remember when I first heard about it, back in the day, perhaps 15 years ago when it first came out, and thinking “holy shit!”

The idea of some laser machine fixing my eyeballs so that I would never have to wear glasses or contacts again was so amazing. The very idea that something like that could even be a remote possibility was almost too delicious of an idea to really be true. I remember discussing it with my father, and both of us being in awe of the concept. It gave me an almost reverential view of medical technology. I thought, “oh, I’ll give it ten years, and let them work out the kinks”.

So when I ended up in the laser eye center on the date my eyeballs were to be lasered into shape, approximately 15 years after the fact, and the doctor asked me how long I was thinking of getting laser eye surgery, I answered truthfully. He didn’t seem surprised, and he didn’t say much to me, he just squinted down at my file. My file was pages upon pages of beautiful color renditions of my eyeballs. There were rainbows everywhere, representing the many inaccuracies in my vision picked up by some kind of wavefront analyzer. The rainbows must’ve meant something to him, or at least I hoped. At the very least, he was doing a good job of squinting down at the information and had a very good thoughtful doctor expression plastered on his face. He looked up at me, and smiled. “Very good!” he said. “All set.”

For years my eyeballs have been the bane of my existence. I have been so blind, that I cannot even find my glasses without my glasses. You can imagine how this might present a problem in life. I have worn contacts since I was 13, so that would be wearing contacts straight for 18 years since I am now the ripe old age of 31. For 18 years straight, I have been able to pretend that I have 20/20 vision, simply by conducting a twice daily ritual that I used to refer to as “putting in” or “taking out my eyeballs”. At times, this ritual would cause great angst, since the contact lenses did not always cooperate. They were not reliable friends. At these times, I would be reminded that I was indeed quite blind, and unable to see farther then 10 inches from my face. The contact lenses got dirty easily from the myriad of activities that I do that involve copious amounts of dirt, and they stuck to my eyes or felt like sandpaper. Occasionally, they would decide to fall out at inappropriate times, such as driving on the freeway at seventy miles an hour, or when I was away for the weekend at a friend’s house and didn’t have another pair of contacts with me.

Contact lenses became a further hassle when, at the age of 27, I was told I had astigmatism and needed better, differently shaped lenses that also happened to cost twice as much. And my eyes, weary of the struggle of having things put in them each day, began to get annoyed sooner and sooner with the contact lenses. This meant I had to throw them away earlier in their life span, and despite numerous coaching sessions between the eyeballs and the lenses, nobody seemed to like each other anymore.

There were always the glasses. Glasses never had a problem with either of the eyeballs, they tended to be rather easygoing. On with the glasses, wow I can see, off with the glasses, oh shit I’m blind- where are my glasses? The glasses always had to be carefully set directly near me whenever they came off, or else I might not live another day. In fact, in matters of life or death, my struggle with the eyesight ranked high. During my hippie days, I was positive that the world was going to end shortly. Probably, this would entail running and yelling and building forts in the woods, at which point my stash of canned goods and underused backpacking equipment was going to come in great handy. But what was I going to do about the eyesight? During the Armageddon, when my last box of contact lenses ran out, and my last pair of glasses were stepped on during some frenzied stampede, what was I going to do? I would be useless. A burden to someone, or worse, left to flail around helplessly or starve to death while natural selection quickly plucked me out of the gene pool.

So I wasn’t surprised when filling out the initial questionnaire at the laser eye center, to discover that the number 4 checkbox under “Reasons Why You Want to Have LASIK” was indeed “safety in an emergency or other situation where there is no time to find glasses or contacts”. I checked that one with a flourish.

On surgery day, they gave me enough Valium to sink a ship. Well, not to sink a ship, that’s an exaggeration. But enough Valium to allow someone to willingly stick their eyeballs under a huge laser machine, for re-shaping. Because no matter how many times people tell you it’s the best thing that ever happened to them, and no matter how many times you read the statistics that claim 99% satisfaction, there is nothing natural about having laser beams shape your eyes. And even as the Valium set in, and I laid on a chair in the bone chilling temperatures of the “surgical suite”, there was a tiny voice somewhere hollering at me “Nooooooo! What are you doing????? Ruuuuuuuuun! Laser beams + eyeballs = TERRIBLE IDEA!!!!!”

I couldn’t feel much, but everything went gray. This perhaps is the most frightening moment, in a lost gray world, and there is some pressure on your eyeball. It is remarkably unpleasent, but not painful. I definitly wondered if I would ever see again. Soon, the lasers are working, dull orange pulses of blurry light, I try to watch them and hold my eyes steady as they get to work. They tell you it doesn’t matter, that if you move your eyes, the laser beams have a tracking system.

When it was over, in an amazingly quick burst of time, I sit up, and am surprised to see on the clock above the chair that it is 10:30. Before, the clock could’ve been a smoke detector, for all I knew, a white blurry blob. Otherwise, I’m in a Valium dream, and there are doctors shaking my hand and telling me “congratulations” and to “enjoy my new eyes”. I feel like a bionic woman, half woman, half robot, and that the lasers have someone shaped who I am. I stumble out into the waiting room wearing black goggles, and my driver, who also happens to be my boyfriend, collects my things, gathers me up, and gets me to the car somehow, wisely suggesting we take the elevator instead of the stairs on the way down.

Now it is the following day. I have 20/20 vision. I have normal human eyeballs. I’m glad I took the day off, not because I needed it, but because I wanted to wander around the city, and look at the world as if seeing it for the first time. Because it was my eyeballs, by themselves, seeing it. There will never be any stumbling around looking for glasses. There will never be anymore dreading of campfires, because the smoke will ruin my contacts. I can sleep over at anyone’s house I want if I have too much to drink, without paying big bucks for a cab because I don’t have my contact stuff with me. Oh, it will be the little things! And, the big things too, like Armegeddon. Bring it on!

Das berichtete gestern die Nachrichtenagentur n-tv. Der Meldung lag der Fall eines Mannes zugrunde, der sich die Operationskosten von 4.300 Euro zur Korrektur seiner Fehlsichtigkeit von seiner privaten Krankenkasse erstatten lassen wollte. Die Richter des Amtsgerichts München wiesen die Klage jedoch ab.

Zur Begründung hieß es, dass man Behandlungen nicht für medizinisch notwendig befinden könne, wenn sie mit einem erheblichen Risiko verbunden seien. Diese Risiken reichen bis hin zu einer möglichen Erblindung, so die Richter. Auch bestünde die Möglichkeit, dass trotz Laser-Operation weiterhin eine Brille getragen werden müsse.

Somit sei diese die bessere Alternative, eine Weitsichtigkeit auszugleichen. Viele Patienten, die unter einer Fehlsichtigkeit leiden, dürften über das Urteil wenig erfreut sein. Denn wie auch die Richter einräumten, besteht für Versicherte grundsätzlich das Recht, zwischen unterschiedlichen Behandlungsmöglichkeiten zu wählen und sich durchaus auch für eine teurere Methode zu entscheiden. Dennoch sehen sie sich mit den immensen Kosten für eine Laser-OP allein gelassen. Dies ist für viele oft der ausschlaggebende Grund, sich in einem anderen Land behandeln zu lassen.

Dabei sind die Risiken einer Augen-Laser-Operation heutzutage äußerst gering. Der Eingriff dauert nur wenige Minuten und die Schonzeit ist um Vieles kürzer als bei den meisten anderen Operationen. Ausführliche Informationen zum Thema Lasik, der am meisten verbreiteten Operationsmethode, finden Sie in unserem Themenspecial auf www.flymedic.de, Ihrer Internetplattform für Medizintourismus und Behandlungen im Ausland.

Lasik Eye Surgery

Lasik Eye Surgery is a fairly new technology that corrects the eye using a laser. As the surgery is new, little extend research is done on the topic. However, due to its recent success more and more questions are being raised. The most important one is probably regarding the safety of the procedure and the patient’s recovery.

Lasik Eye Surgery is your option to wearing corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses. While eyeglasses a reasonably safe, lots of people hate the impact it has on your presence. Children get mocked at school and adults tend to mind the obstacle blocking their view as well.  Some people believe that contact lenses are safer than an eye laser surgery. However, recent research proved that contact lenses are more likely to have complications in regards to vision loss over a longer period of time than those choosing for a Lasik laser surgery.

The research calculated that contact lenses give you a 1/100 chance of developing infections that are related to contacts over a period of 20 years. Laser surgery has a 1/2000 chance of suffering vision loss as a result of the surgery of that same period of time.

If you should suffer from eye infection following a Lasik eye surgery, many specialized surgeons can treat the eye-threatening infections with a customized care plan.

Θολά τα πράγματα στην βελτίωση της όρασης

Όταν αρχίσεις να βλέπεις τον κόσμο σαν μια μάχη για ανεξαρτησία, αποκτά πολύ ενδιαφέρον σαν παιχνίδι η ανάλυση κάθε επί μέρους που συναντάς.  Έχω μυωπία.  Γυαλιά, φακούς ή laser στα μάτια καλύτερα;

Από οικονομικής άποψης υπέθετα πάντα ότι είναι καλύτερα τα γυαλιά.  Παρά την μεγάλη μου μυωπία, το τελευταίο ζευγάρι που έφτιαξα πρόσφατα μου στοίχισε μόλις διακόσια ευρώ από τα οποία μάλιστα πήρα 85 πίσω από το ΙΚΑ.  Δηλαδή αν ζήσω άλλα σαράντα χρόνια με το καλό και αλλάζω γυαλιά κάθε δέκα, με σημερινές τιμές 500 ευρώ περίπου θα ξοδέψω όλα και όλα στην υπόλοιπή μου ζωή για να βλέπω τα λέλουδα των κάμπων καθαρά.  Αν έχετε μάλιστα οικολογικές ευαισθησίες μπορείτε να ψωνίσετε και πλήρως ανακυκλωμένα γυαλιά από εταιρείες όπως αυτή εδώ που βγαίνουν όλο και περισσότερες. 

Οι φακοί επαφής είναι πιο ακριβό σπορ.  Η απατεωνιά που κάνω από τότε που βγήκαν οι φακοί μιας χρήσης είναι να τους κρατάω για μήνα.  Δεν είμαι ο μόνος που το κάνει αυτό, μάλιστα το προτείνουν οι περισσότεροι οφθαλμίατροι που είναι λίγο πιο ειλικρινείς με τους πελάτες τους.  Αν είστε από αυτούς τους ανθρώπους που έχουν ευαισθησία στους φακούς, παθαίνετε συχνά επιφεφυκίτιδα  ή δεν πλένετε ποτέ τα χέρια σας μην το δοκιμάσετε.  Αλλά αν είστε τυχεροί σαν κι εμένα που έχω κάνει μέχρι και άσκηση εύρεσης της μάσκας μου στα 20 μέτρα βάθος φορώντας φακούς, κανένα πρόβλημα.  Μόνο μου πρόβλημα όταν είμαι υπερβολικά άνετος με φακούς στην κατασκήνωση ότι καμιά φορά πέφτουν σε ψηλά χόρτα και δεν τους βρίσκω μετά!

Ανάλογα με την μάρκα φακών που θα πάρετε, την κατανάλωση (γιατί οι μιας χρήσης γρατζουνιούνται πιο εύκολα και ίσως δεν βγάλουν όλοι έναν μήνα) και την μάρκα, στα επόμενα σαράντα χρόνια θα μου κοστίσουν 2.500 με 3.500 ευρώ με σημερινές τιμές.  Και πρέπει να προσθέσουμε άλλα τόσα για τα υγρά με τα οποία τους καθαρίζουμε κάθε βράδυ για να αντέξουν τόσο καιρό.

Μετά από τέτοια ανάλυση λοιπόν τα δύο χιλιάρικα που ζητάνε για την εγχείριση laser (lasik επίσης) στα μάτια δεν είναι και τόσο ακριβά.  Πας λέει το πρωί και γυρίζεις στην δουλειά σου βλέποντας τέλεια.  Μια και έξω.  Ξεμπερδεύεις.  Ναι, ίσως στο 70% των περιπτώσεων.  Λεπτομερή ανάλυση των παραγόντων που πρέπει να σας προβληματίσουν για να εμπιστευτείτε την διαδικασία μπορείτε να διαβάσετε εδώ και πιο πρόσφατα προβλήματα που προέκυψαν, πατώντας εδώ.

Όπως και να έχει, αν σας πείσει κάποιος με λευκή ποδιά από κοντά και όχι τα παραπάνω άρθρα, τότε η εγχείριση είναι από τις πιο οικονομικές μεθόδους.  Σίγουρα τα γυαλιά είναι ενοχλητικά ή και αποτρεπτικά για πάρα πολλές δραστηριότητες.   Οι σημερινές τιμές θα μειωθούν σίγουρα δραματικά στην περίπτωση της εγχείρισης καθώς γίνεται πιο διαδομένη.  Οι φακοί επίσης μπορεί να πέσουν λίγο.  Τα γυαλιά δυστυχώς δεν προβλέπω να πέφτουν σε τιμές και πολύ.   Άρα η διαφορά τιμής θα κάνει ακόμα πιο συμφέρουσα τελικά την εγχείριση στα μάτια στο άμεσο μέλλον..

Αλλά διαβάστε προσεκτικά τις επιστημονικές αντιρρήσεις ακολουθώντας τους παραπάνω συνδέσμους και σκεφτείτε το καλά πρώτα.

ΔΕΙΚΤΗΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΡΤΗΣΙΑΣ 30 – ΤΡΙΑΝΤΑ.  Δεν είναι τεράστιο το κόστος  αλλά καθημερινή σημαντική πραγματικότητα η καλή όραση.

Clearly, LASIK eye surgery has been around for a while, right?

It seems like everyone knows someone who has gotten it by now, since the routine surgery was introduced to the United States in the early 1990s. And we have all heard the stories and seen the comedy bits about what can go wrong.

But no worries, after almost twenty years of practice, the FDA has made the decision to check up on this surgery and see what the deal is with all the side effects.

Steps of LASIK | Courtesy of Toronto Lasik Eye Surgery

Last week, the FDA announced in a press release that it had launched a study to “examine the potential impact on quality of life from LASIK.”

The study is a three-step process that involves a multi-center clinical trial that will follow LASIK patients and study the impact the procedure had on them, according to the release. The FDA expects the third step to end in 2012.

Now, I know what you may be wondering. Where was this study twenty years ago?

In the FDA’s defense, this study does seem to be aimed at finding those surgical centers who are using defective or unsafe lasers. In the same release, it said that 17 warning letters were issued to ambulatory surgical centers that were being too quiet in reporting if they had device-related serious injuries. Meaning they weren’t saying their lasers were what was causing their patients to go blind, etc. Oops.

Still, it seems a little odd that they this slipped under the radar for so long. Maybe now we will see some answers and find out what the real scoop is on LASIK surgery.

Well, in a few years at least.

Kommentar vom 17. November 2009: Abschied von der Brille

So lautete vor einigen Wochen (28. Oktober) die Überschrift eines mehr als halbseitigen Artikels im RGA. Vorgestellt wurde die Laser-Technik, die sicher geworden sei. “Doch noch gibt es Skeptiker” .

Ich trage selbst seit meinem 17. Lebensjahr eine Brille, weil ich kurzsichtig bin. Zumindest beim Autofahren und mittlerweile am PC ist sie unumgänglich. Ich erinnere mich noch genau, als ich damals die erste Brille abholte und aufsetzte: Ich fühlte mich nicht mehr intakt. Ich dachte: “Jetzt bist du nicht mehr ‘ganz’, du brauchst eine Stütze, um durch die Welt zu kommen.” Der Eindruck verflog in wenigen Wochen. Danach bin ich einige Höhen und Tiefen der Dioptrien durchschritten, da einige Ärzte mir -3,0 verpassten, andere -1,0. Die -3,0 waren natürlich viel zu stark, aber meine allgemeine Arzterfahrung führt dazu, dass ich mich nicht mehr darüber aufrege. Ich trage nun also zwei Brillen: eine am PC, eine beim Autofahren. Beim Spazierengehen lasse ich das lieber, um meine Augen zu trainieren, beim Lesen brauche ich keine, auch wenn ein Optiker sich vor ein paar Jahren aufregte, weil seine Werte besagten, dass ich eine brauche, und außerdem: Jeder Mensch ab 40 braucht eine Lesebrille! Nun denn, ich brauche vielleicht eine, lese aber auch ohne Brille stundenlang ohne Probleme

Was ich damit sagen will: Ich finde das Tragen einer Brille weder sehr lästig noch gar verunstaltend. Und wer sich ein bisschen Mühe gibt, findet gerade heute nette GeSTELLE, die keineswegs entSTELLEn. Nun aber gibt es die Laser-Technik, die der Artikel uns schmackhaft machen möchte.

Schmerzlos sei die Operation und man sei frei von einer Brille. Also meistens. Rechts eine Spalte, die mich mehr interessiert, vor allem die Rubrik mit der Überschrift “RISIKEN. Die Erfolgsquote liegt bei über 90 Prozent.” Das heißt bei jedem 10. Patienten wird kein Erfolg erreicht. Ups. Da ist die Chance aber ziemlich groß, dass es einen erwischt! “Dann muss nachgelasert werden.” Also noch eine Operation, und es ist bekannt: Jede Operation birgt natürlich auch ihre eigenen Risiken. “Verschiedene Patienten klagen über trockene Augen und Halos – Lichthöfe um Lampen.” Freundlicherweise wird hier eine Prozentzahl unterschlagen. Wie viel ist denn “verschiedene”? “Schwere Komplikationen wie Hornhaut-Entzündungen gibt es nach Angaben der Laser-Ärzte bei weniger als einem Prozent der Operierten.” Wie beruhigend. Einer von Hundert ist auch noch recht viel…. Vor allem: Ich möchte auch nicht um alle Lampen Kringel sehen. Bei mittlerweile 30 Millionen Behandlungen weltweit (so die Zeitung) wären das 3 Millionen Menschen, die trockene Augen haben oder Lichthöfe sehen. Ihr Leben lang. Und bei 300.000, wenn ich mich nicht verrechnet habe, war eine zweite Operation erforderlich.

Interessant auch: Krankenkassen erstatten die Kosten nicht. Aha, muss ich da Ärzten unterstellen, dass es deshalb so ein attraktives Verfahren für sie ist? Was stört es sie, wenn 10 unter 100 Operierten für den Rest des Lebens trockene Augen haben oder Ringe sehen? Befragt wird dann auch noch ein Kölner Spezialist, Matthias Maus. Zu den Risiken sagt er: “Die Lasik hat weniger Risiken als das Tragen von weichen Kontaktlinsen.”

Was für eine perfide Aussage! Ich habe in meinem Leben genug Kontaktlinsenträger kennen gelernt, um zu wissen, dass weiche Kontaktlinsen häufig Probleme machen. Überspitzt umformuliert: “Lasik hat weniger Risiken als der Verzehr eines Fliegenpilzes.”

Es geht noch weiter. Mich mit meiner harmlosen Kurzsichtigkeit überzeugt das nicht. Das ist mir das Risiko nicht wert, wie überhaupt kein operativer Eingriff, der nicht unbedingt nötig ist. Augenoperationen bei Gefahr des Erblindens oder mit extremen Weit- und Kurzsichtigkeiten: Da kann ich den Bedarf noch nachvollziehen. Wobei im Artikel auch noch, fast geht es unter, steht, dass bei Menschen mit extremer Kurzsichtigkeit die Hornhaut-Dicke für ein solches Verfahren nicht ausreicht, bei dem ja mit Laser Hornhaut abgeschnitten wird.

Ich glaube, ich kaufe mir nächste Woche mal ein nettes neues Brillengestell