laser eye surgery
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Laser Eye Surgery - Everything You Need To Know
By Izzy Brewer, Thu Dec 8th

What is Lasik The eye and vision errors The cornea is a part ofthe eye that helps focus light to create an image on the retina.It works in much the same way that the lens of a camera focuseslight to create an image on film. The bending and focusing oflight is also known as refraction. Usually the shape of thecornea and the eye are not perfect and the image on the retinais out-of-focus (blurred) or distorted. These imperfections inthe focusing power of the eye are called refractive errors.There are three primary types of refractive errors: myopia,hyperopia and astigmatism. Persons with myopia, ornearsightedness, have more difficulty seeing distant objects asclearly as near objects. Persons with hyperopia, orfarsightedness, have more difficulty seeing near objects asclearly as distant objects. Astigmatism is a distortion of theimage on the retina caused by irregularities in the cornea orlens of the eye. Combinations of and astigmatism orhyperopia and astigmatism are common. Glasses or contact lensesare designed to compensate for the eye's imperfections. Surgicalprocedures aimed at improving the focusing power of the eye arecalled refractive surgery. In LASIK surgery, precise andcontrolled removal of corneal tissue by a special laser reshapesthe cornea changing its focusing power. More about this andeverything else to do with Laser Eye Surgery can be found athttp://www.freewebs.com/lasik. This site contains all the infoyou will ever need on the subject. Other types of refractivesurgery Radial Keratotomy or RK and Photorefractive Keratectomyor PRK are other refractive surgeries used to reshape thecornea. In RK, a very sharp knife is used to cut slits in thecornea changing its shape. PRK was the first surgical proceduredeveloped to reshape the cornea, by sculpting, using a laser.Later, LASIK was developed. The same type of laser is used forLASIK and PRK. Often the exact same laser is used for the twotypes of surgery. The major difference between the two surgeriesis the way that the stroma, the middle layer of the cornea, isexposed before it is vaporized with the laser. In PRK, the toplayer of the cornea, called the epithelium, is scraped away toexpose the stromal layer underneath. In LASIK, a flap is cut inthe stromal layer and the flap is folded back. Another type ofrefractive surgery is thermokeratoplasty in which heat is usedto reshape the cornea. The source of the heat can be a laser,but it is a different kind of laser than is used for LASIK andPRK. Other refractive devices include corneal ring segments thatare inserted into the stroma and special contact lenses thattemporarily reshape the cornea (orthokeratology). What the FDAregulates In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) regulates the sale of medical devices such as the lasersused for LASIK. Before a medical device can be legally sold inthe U.S., the person or company that wants to sell the devicemust seek approval from the FDA. To gain approval, they mustpresent evidence that the device is reasonably safe andeffective for a particular use, the "indication." Once the FDAhas approved a medical device, a doctor may decide to use thatdevice for other indications if the doctor feels it is in thebest interest of a patient. The use of an approved device forother than its FDA-approved indication is called "off-labeluse." The FDA does not regulate off-label use or the practice ofmedicine. The FDA does not have the authority to: Regulate adoctor's practice. In other words, FDA does not tell doctorswhat to do when running their business or what they can orcannot tell their patients. Set the amount a doctor can chargefor LASIK eye surgery. "Insist" the patient information bookletfrom the laser manufacturer be provided to the potentialpatient. Make recommendations for individual doctors, clinics,or eye centers. FDA does not maintain nor have access to anysuch list of doctors performing LASIK eye surgery. Conduct orprovide a rating system on any medical device it regulates. Thefirst refractive laser systems approved by FDA were excimerlasers for use in PRK to treat and later to treatastigmatism. However, doctors began using these lasers for LASIK(not just PRK), and to treat other refractive errors (not justmyopia). Over the last several years, LASIK has become the mainsurgery doctors use to treat in the United States. Morerecently, some laser manufacturers have gained FDA approval forlaser systems for LASIK to treat myopia, hyperopia andastigmatism and for PRK to treat hyperopia and astigmatism. Tofind out everything you need to know about Laser Eye Surgeryvisit http://www.freewebs.com/lasik

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