Lasik Surgery or contacts? Which is better?

Jean Enerson
King5 News

There are more than a million people who say they need vision correction but don't use any.

Whats the best option?

We looked at two women, both have 20-20 vision but they achieved it in different ways.

Claire Anselmo traded in her glasses 6 years ago and became one of more than 30 million Americans who wear contact lenses. They were easy to use, and not as high maintenance as I originally thought they were," she said.

Jacquelyn Walent wore contacts until she developed a fungus and went back to glasses but they were a burden.Article is Here

'Wavefront' charts new way for eye tests

By Deena Beasley

Los Angeles - The next time you go to the eye doctor, chances are a machine will be able to tell whether you can make out "T Z V E C L" before you even try to read the eye chart.

That's because the 100-year-old system used by ophthalmologists to find your eye prescription is likely to be replaced by technology - invented by an astrophysicist - that can precisely measure how light waves are bent by each human eye.

Several companies are working on commercial "wavefront" technology and at least one version, priced in the same
$30 000-$50 000 (R180 000-R300 000) range as other ophthalmic diagnostic imaging systems, is expected on the market later this year.

Since the current method relies on the patient's judgment of whether a particular set of lenses results in better vision, access to more objective, scientific data will give doctors much more accurate measurements, makers of the devices say.

In addition, the combination of wavefront measurements with increasingly popular vision correction surgery enables surgeons to directly input a map of the patient's eye into the lasers used to reshape the cornea.

complete article here

Laser Eye Surgery: 10 Years Later

CBS News

If you're considering laser surgery to correct your nearsightedness, you can rest assured that the results will last long term.

A team of researchers from Spain tracked LASIK surgery (laser in-situ keratomileusis) and its forerunner, PRK (photorefractive keratectomy). In both procedures, the cornea is reshaped so that light entering the eye focuses on the retina in the back of the eye, as it does in those with normal vision.

"Our findings are that both are safe after 10 years," and the visual correction holds for the most part, says researcher Jorge Alio, M.D., Ph.D., an ophthalmologist.

Complete Article

What to Look for in LASIK

Click2 Houston.com
J. Scott Wilson, Staff writer

The ads are everywhere, on TV and radio and in the newspaper and your e-mail box: "Live Without Glasses or Contacts!" "Vision Restoration!"

All the noise is over LASIK surgery, but does it really work? The short answer, for the vast majority of clients, is yes.

Jennifer Haynes-Watkins, a Web journalist in Belmont, N.C., had LASIK five years ago

"As cliché as it sounds, LASIK really did change my life. I’ll never forget my first trip to the beach after my surgery. I woke up in the middle of the night in the hotel and could actually see to get to the bathroom and didn’t have to pat down the entire nightstand to find my glasses. It was like a whole new world," she says.

Haynes-Watkins recounts her first trip to the beach after the surgery.

"Who knew you could actually just open your eyes and walk over? Then, to be able to go swimming without feeling like the children in the pool were planning an evil plot to splash you and ruin your contacts was great, too. I could go from lounge chair to pool and back without thinking twice about my vision."

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Eye Braces To Correct Vision

LOS ANGELES -- Should you get laser surgery, contacts or wear glasses? All are choices that should be made with your eyes wide open. But what if you could change the way you see while you sleep and straighten out bad vision with eye braces?

Following is a verbatim script from the on-air report:

Eye Doctor: Day glow eyes ... we put a little florescent dye in so we could see the tear pattern

Peggy Pico, Reporter: It's just one way to see if NBC producer, Tim Williams' special contact lenses or eye braces are in place.

Tim volunteered for a research study on the nightwear corrective lenses ... officially known as orthocaratolgogy or CRT lenses.

The hard and thick glass contact lenses are worn to bed each night

Complete Article is Here

Dr. James Salz Highlights Advantages of "Wavefront" LASIK and PRK

PRWeb

Dr. James Salz
"Years of Refinement Have Made Laser Eye Surgery Better Than Ever" by Michelle Andrews.

In the article, Dr. James Salz, discussed "wavefront" technology for LASIK and PRK refractive procedures. According to Dr. James Salz, "wavefront technology" increases the chance of obtaining 20/20 vision and reduces higher order aberrations such as glare and starbursts by providing a more precise map of the unique optical landscape of a patient's eyes. Dr. Salz can be seen performing the LASIK refractory surgery procedure on a patient in the accompanying photo (by Joey Terrill).

The article discusses LASIK, PRK, and other laser eye procedures, such as LASEK and Epi-LASIK, and interviews both patients who have had laser vision correction surgery and the doctors who perform these types of procedures. The article provides a good summary of eye conditions that can be improved with laser eye surgery procedures as well as some of the complications that can occur. In addition, the article notes what patients should look for in selecting a doctor in order to obtain the best results from LASIK, PRK or another laser vision correction surgery.

LASIK vs. LASEK? It's a Draw

Review of Optometry Online

A study comparing the safety, effectiveness and reliability of LASIK and LASEK has found no clinically significant differences between the two types of laser eye surgery.


The study, published in December’s American Journal of Ophthalmology, involved 122 LASIK-treated eyes that were matched for all measures with 122 LASEK-treated eyes from a review of the charts of 2,257 eye surgeries performed by one surgeon.


“We found that although there were some differences in the visual and refractive results that favor the LASEK procedure, the differences were not clinically significant,” says lead researcher Dimitri Azar, M.D., head of ophthalmology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The researchers note that previous smaller studies had found similar results.


“Both procedures seem safe, effective and predictable for the treatment of low to moderate myopia,” Dr. Azar says.