The Latest FDA News On Lasik Eye Surgery

The Latest FDA News on Lasik Eye Surgery

In September of 2005 the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved a new custom lasik procedure. This procedure can treat a number of patients previously ineligible for the surgery. This procedure can treat high myopia, or nearsightedness. Nearsightedness occurs when the eye is too long and light rays focus in front on the retina instead of focusing on the retina. Some of the symptoms of nearsightedness are blurred distant vision, eye strain, and squinting. You may also have a hard time seeing at night. This problem is easily fixed with glasses. Contact lenses can also be an answer if the problem is not too severe. But many people do not want to be inconvenienced by the hassles of glasses or contacts. People want the freedom to get up in the morning and just see. That's all. No contacts. No glasses. They just want pure vision. That's all they want. New breakthroughs in technology are happening all the time. These breakthroughs in lasik technology have changed people's life. It has made their lives better. It has improved the quality of life that was once unattainable.

The FDA approved a lasik procedure to treat patients with astigmatism. Astigmatism is the effect of the eye being shaped like a football instead of round like a baseball. Light rays are focused on two points on the retina instead of just one. This deformity will result in blurred vision, double vision, and shadows on letters when reading. This deformity has been a problem for decades. Up until recently it has prevented some people from getting contact lenses. Only people with slight astigmatism were able to comfortably wear contact lenses. Breakthroughs in contact lenses have not accommodated patients with extreme astigmatism. But even now not all patients can be helped. But with this new breakthrough in lasik, patients can have their eyes repaired to normal, or at least be repaired enough to comfortably wear contact lenses. Either way, their vision is enhanced and many are happy just to get rid of the glasses and finally be able to wear contacts, or possibly nothing at all.

Another approved surgery allows for lasik surgery to be done on patients with hyperopia. Hyperopia is another word for farsightedness. This happens when light rays focus behind the retina instead of on the retina. This results in blurred near vision. Some patients that have sever farsightedness and have to step back from what they are reading. Some patients required magnifying glasses to see something that is right in front of them. Many are embarrassed by this. They can see you 30 feet away, but when you get right up close they can't see you. It makes some feel insecure and feel as though they are going blind. Though it is easily fixed by wearing glasses to read and see things up close, having to constantly take your glasses on and off can be rather inconvenient, and many choose not to. Many prefer to put their glasses on and keep them on or take them off and keep them off. Taking them off and on is inconvenient and you run the chance of leaving your glasses somewhere and never finding them again. Then you have to buy a chain to put on your glasses. Some patients find this embarrassing because it reminds them of their grandparents. It makes them feel old, and that is not good for morale. Eye surgery is what many people want to fix their eye problems. Until just recently, that option was not available to these patients.

These fantastic breakthroughs are the result of a new laser technology. The new Visx STAR Excimer laser system was recently approved by the Food and Drug administration. This new breakthrough in technology allows doctors to do more than they ever could before. Now they have the ability to reshape the eye to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Before this marvelous breakthrough patients with myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism were not good candidates for lasik eye surgery. Now they have something to celebrate. They can now join the rest of the vision impaired and have the option for lasik!

FDA studies have shown that over 98 % of all patients receiving these new procedures were seeing 20/40 or better six months after surgery. Over 84 % were seeing much better than 20/20 after six months.

Many people do not want to be inconvenienced by the hassles of glasses or contacts. People want the freedom to get up in the morning and just see. That's all. No contacts. No glasses. They just want pure vision. That's all they want. New breakthroughs in technology are happening all the time. These breakthroughs in lasik technology have changed people's life. It has made their lives better. It has improved the quality of life that was once unattainable.