What makes Laser Vision Correction Safe Enough for US Air Force Pilots?
The US army now performs LASIK free of charge for certain groups of combat soldiers.The US Air Force invests millions of dollars training combat fighter pilots and encourages them to undergo laser vision correction.
A British Government report recently came out in favour of developing laser clinics within the UK Public National Heath Service.
What has caused laser vision correction (Lasik or PRK) to have become so accepted by the establishment?
As a surgeon active in the laser vision correction field for nearly eight years, and having performed thousands of procedures with several different machines, I can say that a number of recent technological improvements have made vision correction even more effective, and safer than ever.
Choosing an experienced surgeon is of course vital but here I will concentrate on the new technologies. A major innovation on modern laser machines is the development of a tracker. This instrument means that if the patient is unable to keep his eyes pointing straight during the laser treatment, the laser beam will follow or track his eye movements. As a result the laser falls even more accurately on the centre of the cornea.
The Allegretto laser that we use at Ra`anana Eye Clinic is unique in that the laser beam energy is dispersed evenly over the whole of the target area. All other laser machines tend to give more laser energy centrally and less peripherally. Uniform laser energy dispersal has the effect of giving better quality of vision with complaints of night time halos and dazzle almost a thing of the past.
One of the most popular laser techniques today is LASIK which enables good functioning vision without glasses within hours. The vast majority of laser centres world wide use a microkeratome, which employs a razor sharp oscillating blade to create a cleanly cut flap, a technique that has been used in millions of successful operations. Newer models of microkeratomes are able to generate thinner and more precise flaps making the procedure less invasive and safer than ever.
Other variations of existing technique, recently introduced in Israel are "Intralasik" and "Epilasik". Both techniques have been heavily marketed and usually cost a lot more, but there is little, if any, scientific evidence proving their superiority in terms of safety or vision.
Copyright All Rights Reserved 2006 Dr Andrew Fink
Dr Andrew Fink MD is a practising cataract and laser eye surgeon. He consults on all types of eye and visual problems and is the medical adviser to
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