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The Steps Leading to Lasik

The history of Lasik is often believed to be short-lived or non-existent. Lasik seems like a new idea to a number of people. But Lasik was actually developed a long time back, and the techniques used today are the result of improvements made to past techniques.

Surgeries performed over 55 years ago were the first in vision correction. In 1948, a technique for correcting vision that today would seem barbaric and unethical was developed by a doctor named Jose Barraquer. His techniques required over half of the cornea to be removed and frozen. A lathe would then be used to redesign the surface of a cornea to a better shape. The cornea was immediately sewn back into its original position after it had been reshaped.

This procedure was called freeze myopic keratomileusis (FMK) and was very unpredictable. It was also a very difficult procedure to perform. Strange as it may seem, this technique has been vital in the development of today's Lasik technology. The basic version of the microkeratome that is currently used in Lasik was used in MKM.

A deeper understanding of the various problems associated with MKM led to further developments in vision correction. Automated lamellar keratoplasty or ALK was created over ten years later. This process used a modified microkeratome to create a flap at the eye front and to remove a section of the cornea as a way to correct refractive errors. Similar to Doctor Barraquer’s method, ALK produced unpredictable results.

With the development of automated lamellar keratoplasty, another technique was developed by a Russian doctor called radial keratotomy or RK. Doctor Fyodorov sought to achieve more reliable results, so he altered the previous techniques slightly. With RK, standard surgical instruments were used to reshape the cornea. Using a scalpel, the doctor removed portions of the cornea for reshaping to help correct refractive errors such as myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism.

Dr. Fyodorov’s RK technique, compared to today’s Lasik, required far more physical labor to achieve a result. This procedure provided more reliable and accurate results than earlier methods; however, the procedure was no good for anything other than refractive errors resulting in simple cases of nearsightedness or astigmatism.

Thirty years after Dr. Fyodorov developed his technique, applicable uses for lasers were discovered, researched, and applied to use in eye surgeries. In the early 1980's, Steven Trokel was the first to detail the excision of corneal tissue with the use of the excimer laser. He made use of this laser when performing a procedure called photo-refractive keratectomy, also known as PRK. With PRK, lasers are used to reshape the corneal surface. PRK was the immediate precursor to Lasik, which has an effect on the cornea's inner tissue.

In 1991, the first Lasik procedure was performed in the United States. It was the first process to produce the most predictable results. Lasik is the first procedure to be both quick and painless, with only a short time needed for recovery. The history and development of Lasik is an interesting and important one.

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Information about the Author:

While researching Stockton eye surgery a few years ago, Joe Palerma found a great Lasik eye surgery in Modesto. He went to Zeiter Eye Care and consulted with the experts in laser eye surgery in stockton. From researching Stockton Lasik, Joe got the information he needed for the surgery he desired.