Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: cuso4 on 09/06/2003 21:55:22
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My mum is thinking about doing a laser eye treatment but is concerned about the safety of the procedure and the effectiveness of the treatment. I have the following questions:-
- How does the treatment actually work?
- what is success rate of this treatment at the moment and how safe is the operation?
- Does anybody know people who have done laser eye treatment and what did they think about it?
Angel (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.networkessence.net%2Fs%2Fcontrib%2Fruinkai%2FbiggrinangelA.gif&hash=7a3ab31861328a98db23edcb21639ab9)
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Angel, my concerns would be regarding the long term effects. How long have they been doing these treatments?
I recall hearing about some people suffering night blindness several years after having their eyes lasered, but that may have been a different procedure than your mum is thinking of having.
Another problem I heard about was fragility of the eye afterward, meaning that an impact to the eye would more easily rupture the eyeball.
Chris probably knows a lot more about it.
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My general idea of how it works is that a laser beam is shined into the eyes and it focuses on the retina by the lens in the eye. The intensity of the light somehow turns into heat and burns certain parts of the retina that need to be gotten rid of, for example in a person with diabetic blindness, the extra capillaries or whatever they are that form. I don't know what else can be gotten rid of with the laser. Chris probably knows.
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Quantum, the laser treatment I was talking about is for treating short sight. And I don't think it works by burning bits of the retina. My idea is that the laser burns certain amount of muscle controlling the lens (ciliary muscles) and when the muscle heals they will be able to change the shape of the lens properly.
Angel (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.networkessence.net%2Fs%2Fcontrib%2Fruinkai%2FbiggrinangelA.gif&hash=7a3ab31861328a98db23edcb21639ab9)
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I think the technology in eye treatment has improved. I read this from somewhere that they laser your conjunctiva, or make ajustment to the outer part of your eye or something so light is focus and reflected correctly into the eyes.
The website was not official, this could be a load of crap I'm talking about. Don't quote me.
Tom
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Oh, right. Oh well, it burns something in any case :-p
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Actually, I am very short sighted, but I would not opt for laser-treatment. As was said before, nothing is known about long-term effects, as this sort of tretment is only about 10 or 15 years old. And why risking any side-effects if your eyes are healthy (except for that you need glasses)?
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Dalya has done an article about laser eye treatment called 'Laser Ways', just started reading it and it was quite interesting.
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It may be late for posting here, but....I had LASIK done about 2 years ago and I am forever grateful for it. My contact lens prescription in my left eye was -11 and the right was -10. That's legally blind if not correctable, which thankfully mine was. I had extremely good luck with it and I am convinced it's in the technique of the surgeon. They cut a flap half off my cornea, peeled it back, directed the beam to reshape the exposed cornea (worse the eyesight, the longer it takes), squirted some 'eye glue' in, folded the flap back over and taped my eye shut for about 1 minute. Of course you're blind when they let you open your eyes, but it only takes about 5 of the longest minutes of your life for it to return. Your eyes heal completely in about 10-12 weeks, during which you can experience some mild side effects. I had mine done in winter, because I have allergies and it reduced the watery and itchy eyes. I couldn't go out to the barn during that time and I cleaned house with ski googles. You can't swim while they're healing, so winter is a good time.
McGee
Teachers don't make a lot of money, but they make a lot of difference.
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So your vision is corrected completely? Do you need to wear glasses to aid things like reading or driving? And would you recommand my mum to go forward with the treatment?
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I know two doctors who have had it done and both are pleased with the results. As far as I know, you can't correct presbyopia, the farsightedness that comes with old age, so one still needs his reading glasses. The other doctor who had it done is a retinal specialist, and absolutely one of the smartest men I have ever met. I figure if he had it done, it must be safe. And now there are computers that read your eye and know exactly how much to take off and where. Apparently very safe now, and a minor procedure.
Bezoar
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mmm...but no long-term follow up yet to assess people more than 10 years down the line or into old age...though, I agree, in the short term, at least, it seems reasonably safe.
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
- Groucho Marx
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I would never get it done, its not worth the risk and i personally like my glasses, i think they look quite nice on so its cool to have them. [:D]
Resident Tour Operator - The Naked Scientists
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Some people look better without glasses, like me for instence. But like you said, I wouldn't risk damaging my healthy eye ball so I'll probably consider wearing contact lenses. May be need to wait for few years for the laser treatment to be more reliable.
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I was at the point that even with the 'revolutionary' thin lenses, I still had bottles. My eyes were starting to reject contact lenses after 13 years of wearing. I take good care of my eyes and I always kept them clean and never slept in them. I will have to wear glasses to read eventually, I am sure. I will now sometimes if I am tired and still have papers to grade very late. I could get by without them, but the reduced strain is worth it. I recommend reasearching heavily. Use a doctor that optometrists and opthamalogists use. I am leary of docs who advertise 'deals' on surgery. The one I used was happy to produce stats and references.
McGee
Teachers don't make a lot of money, but they make a lot of difference.
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Haven't the laser procedures been done somewhere out of the states for longer than 10 years? I seem to remember Russia, or is that the radial keratotomy?
Bezoar
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I'm pretty short sighted (about -10D) and every year or so I go and get new glasses because the prescription needs updating (ie my eyes have changed). I'd be very annoyed if I had laser treatment and then, because my eyes change ) I needed another (expensive) course of treatment or needed to wear glasses again after a year or two.
Am I missing something here?
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a lot of the doctors will offer 2 or 3 corrective procedures as part of the original price that you pay. i used to have a job setting up consultations for this procedure. i don't remember a whole lot, but i know that most of the doctors we worked with offered that because people's eyes do change all the time
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That means it would be a few years before I get annoyed- then what? I plan to live a while longer than that.
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i guess then you get glasses again.
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They cut a flap half off my cornea, peeled it back, directed the beam to reshape the exposed cornea (worse the eyesight, the longer it takes), squirted some 'eye glue' in, folded the flap back over and taped my eye shut for about 1 minute.
That's the scariest thing I have read for ages!
It's fantastic that it worked - congratulations.
It makes my vasectomy sound like a stroll in the park. AND it needn't have affected your sex life for a second!
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Lasik is surgery to a very delicate part of the eye. Thousands of people have had Lasik and most very successfully. Lasik may not give you perfect vision. The American Academy of Ophthalmology reports that seven out of 10 patients achieve 20/20 vision, but 20/20 does not always mean perfect vision. Most insurance does not cover the surgery and you may need additional surgery — called "enhancements" to get the best possible vision after Lasik.
laser1
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My life has been completely destroyed by lasik, the pain is so intense that I can't work anymore! even if i had money coming in there's not much i could do with it, simply watching tv is too much work for me, the eyes are seriously messed up and nobody seems to have an answer to my problem.