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Patients
considering LASIK eye surgery now have an easy way to assess
whether they are an good candidate for the procedure.
LASIK
is a form of eye surgery designed to improve vision and lessen
the need for corrective eyewear. The procedure uses a laser
to permanently change the shape of the cornea, the clear covering
of the front of the eye. The procedure takes approximately
30 minutes.
Guidelines
released by the Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC), the
education initiative of the American Society of Cataract and
Refractive Surgery, also provide descriptions of tests that
should be a part of a pre-LASIK screening and general expectations
for the surgery.
According
to the guidelines, the ideal LASIK candidate:
- Is
over age 18 and has had a stable glasses or contact lens
prescription for at least two years;
- Hhas
sufficient corneal thickness to allow the surgeon to safely
create a clean corneal flap of appropriate depth;
- Iis
affected by one of the common types of vision problems or
refractive error including nearsightedness, astigmatism,
farsightedness or a combination of the three;
- Does
not suffer from any disease, vision-related or otherwise,
that could reduce the effectiveness of the procedure or
the patient's ability to heal properly and quickly; and
- Is
adequately informed about the benefits and risks of the
surgery.
"These
guidelines will help patients to understand whether or not
LASIK is right for them, what they should expect from their
doctor and, ultimately, what to expect from the procedure,"
said Dr. Roger Steinert, ESEC Chair and Associate Clinical
Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. "LASIK
is a surgical procedure, performed by a medical doctor. As
with all surgeries, the decision to undergo laser eye surgery
should not be taken lightly."
The development
of the guidelines was fueled by a lack of public knowledge
regarding LASIK surger. A recent Harris Interactive survey
found that nearly half of the respondents believed that anyone
with imperfect vision is an appropriate LASIK candidate.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of June 16, 2002
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