New Improvements Make Laser Eye Surgery More Effective
New York-WABC, April 8, 2002
Laser eye surgery is now even more effective. Dr. Jay Adlersberg is On Call with the details.
Julliard student Eric Joyner is a talented pianist and he recently became determined to get rid of one movement of his performance and that was his bad eyesight.
Like thousands of others who are nearsighted, Eric has decided to go under "the laser" to get his eyesight fixed. He's been wearing glasses since age seven.
Eric Joyner, Eye Laser Patient: "I want to try playing without my glasses for the first time."
Dr. Joseph Dello Russo, who is performing surgery on Eric's eyes, says the latest evolution in laser surgery is a new laser which cuts the eye differently and therefore reduces the possibility of side effects.
The first step in the surgery is to slice back a flap so that the cornea can be reshaped. The traditional way has been to make the first cut with a blade called a Microkeratome.
This newer way uses laser light creating bubbles and water vapor to create the flap. This method, says Dr. Dello Russo, is more precise and reduces the chances of uneven cuts and complications.
Dr. Joseph Dello Russo: 'The side effects are always caused by the creation of the flap, so despite how good the blade is it has some shortcomings. It is not precise, it can give scratches, wrinkles and tears."
The side effects can be the appearances of glare and halos in dim lighting which have been reported by some patients since the procedure first gained popularity.
Dr. Dello Russo: "We're getting rid of some of those uncommon but possible complications."
The new flap cut also makes the surgery possible for more patients. People like Eric who have strong prescriptions and thin corneas were not candidates before.
The second part of the procedure which used another type of laser to reshape the cornea remains the same. Being a new machine it adds to costs which now stand at around $4,000 dollars per procedure.
Researchers are now exploring the possibility of extending this technique to other eye procedures, such as cornea transplant or glaucoma treatments. Eric, by the way, is now playing without his glasses.
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