Laser Eye Correction: The Emerging Need For Certification

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Health )



When you talk about correcting refractive errors in your eyes today, you generally discuss either contact lenses or laser eye correction surgery.

In 1963, eye doctors first used laser eye correction to seal retina tears. Since then, laser correction has replaced traditional methods to treat a variety of eye problems and diseases, particularly refractive errors (myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, and astigmatism).

You have probably heard of such words as PRK, LASIK, IntraLasik and Epi-Lasik. Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is the first laser eye correction approved for use in 1995, followed by laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in 1998.

IntraLasik is an improvement on LASIK, where the surgeon creates your corneal flap with a special laser instead of with a fine sharp blade (called a microkeratome). Epi-Lasik is a procedure that removes the epithelial cells (outer layer of your cornea) by a blunt-bladed microkeratome.

Because of the proliferation of laser eye correction procedures and of surgeons performing them, concerned consumers have begun to organize into advocacy groups to ensure quality assurance in laser correction surgeries. In pursuit of quality assurance objectives, these organizations want eye doctors to get certification on their laser eye correction and refractive surgery skills.

If you are considering laser correction on your eyes, you should ask your doctor about the certification. Or at least, ask some tough questions regarding the doctor’s experience in refractive surgery and other details.

You will be curious to know what type of equipment the doctor uses to perform the laser eye correction procedure. That is important for you to ascertain, especially since the type of laser beam to be used depends largely upon your individual situation.

But then again, the equipment used is of less importance than the surgeon’s demonstrated abilities. The best doctor using older equipment is much better than an inexperienced surgeon with a fancy state-of-the-art laser correction equipment.


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