Options available for vision correction

As baby boomers look for ways to get rid of their glasses and contact lenses and still see with 20/20 vision, laser vision correction centers anticipate an ever increasing patient population.

The Herndon, VA-based Visual Freedom Center and the Birmingham, AL-based Michelson Vision Center offer procedures that correct myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism by using a laser to reshape the cornea. The most common vision correction procedures are:

• Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) — A thin flap is created on the cornea, and short pulses of the laser reshapes the underlying tissue. The flap is laid back into its original position and readheres naturally.

• Radial keratotomy (RK) — Introduced in the late 70s, this procedure doesn’t use a laser. A series of incisions are made in the cornea to flatten it and correct nearsightedness.

• Photo-reactive keratectomy (PRK) — Laser is applied directly to cornea to remove layers of the cornea to reshape it. This procedure treats nearsightedness, as well as farsightedness.

• Intra-Stromal Corneal Rings — This nonlaser procedure uses two thin crescents that are placed in the cornea to reshape it. This procedure treats mild nearsightedness.

(For more details on vision correction procedures, see Same-Day Surgery, May 1999, p. 61.)