This is the 6th of a series of eight articles chronicling the development of Customized Ablation or Wavefront Directed Lasik. This column was written following the pre-meetings before the 2001 AAO meeting and was published in the January 15, 2002 issue of Ocular Surgery News. Technology Update Irving J. Arons Spectrum Consulting AAO Refractive Pre-meetings Focus on LASIK, LASEK [LASIK results are improving with active eye trackers. LASEK may provide better results with wavefront-guided ablation. Other options seem far off in development.] As I have done for several years, I attended the refractive pre-meetings held by the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS) and the Refractive Surgery Interest Group (RSIG) , prior to visiting the AAO exhibit halls. This year, after looking at both programs, I decided to spend most of my time at the ISRS Fall Refractive Symposium. That two-day program was jam-packed with sessions of interest, and I had to pick and choose carefully in ord...
White Paper The Evolution and Prospects for Laser Refractive Keratoplasty
This White Paper was published by Arthur D. Little in September 1989. IRVING J. ARONS ARTHUR D. LITTLE I. Overview The American public spends more than $16 billion annually for vision care. More than 60 million eye examinations are given annually and nearly 60 million pairs of eyeglasses and 3 to 4 million pairs of contact lenses are dispensed. In addition, more than 1 million surgical procedures are performed to correct vision deficiencies or for therapeutic reasons. The laser has and continues to play an important role in the treatment of eye disease. Soon after the laser's discovery, ophthalmologists were putting this unique tool to use in stopping retinal bleeding and repairing retinal tears. Today, more than 90% of all ophthalmologists own or have access to a laser for performing a myriad of treatments including retinal photocoagulation, retinal reattachment, punching holes through the trabecular network to alleviate glaucomas, clearing vitreous strands and membranes, treating...