CLOSING REMARKS
LASIK vision correction is the most popular refractive surgery performed today. Its reputation is well deserved, as people discover that LASIK delivers good vision safely when it is performed by experienced, skilled surgeons. Perhaps more telling than the general public's enthusiasm for LASIK, however, is the widespread acceptance the procedure has gained among professionals in the fields of ophthalmology and optometry. In fact, more eye doctors have had LASIK on their own eyes than any other group of people.
What does the future hold for people who could benefit from laser vision correction? Currently in the United States, myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism have all been approved for treatment, but only for refractive errors that fall within certain parameters. Newer laser technology is being developed that expands these parameters; this will make it possible to treat patients with more severe vision problems in the future.
The issue of gradually losing one's near vision after age forty, or presbyopia, still looms. A number of medical research efforts are now under way to develop procedures that could restore near vision in the vast majority of aging patients. Some of the research involves new techniques to reshape the cornea; others, to restore the function of the focusing muscles of the eye; and still others, that concentrate on the lens itself.
Newer lasers now entering the marketplace offer customizable programs that allow surgeons to treat patients with irregular corneas on a patient-by-patient basis.
Finally, there are new tracking devices that lock the excimer laser beam onto the patient's eye. If the patient's eye moves, the laser moves with it. This innovation should benefit patients who find it difficult to fix their eyes in one place and those who require particularly long treatments.
In its current state, LASIK has proven to be a life-changing experience for many. However, the decision to have LASIK is an important one that ultimately only you can make. We hope to have given you information that will help you make sound decisions based on facts, not on hopes or misconceptions.
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