internal medicine

Radial keratotomy (RK) is a refractive surgical procedure employed to correct myopia or nearsightedness. Radial Keratotomy came into existence by accident rather than through meticulous research. The procedure was discovered by Dr. Svyatoslav Fyodorov when he operated one of his patients who had met with a bicycle accident. The boy wore eyeglasses
which broke on impact
and the glass splinters lodged into his eyes. The doctor had to make several radial incisions in the corneal tissue in order to extract the glass. When the cornea healed
the doctor found that the boy’s eyesight was significantly improved.

In radial keratotomy (RK)
a series of micro-fine incisions are made in the outer portion of the cornea with the aid of a high-precision calibrated diamond knife. The surgeon administers a local anesthetic
since the incisions are superficial and the procedure is fairly painless. The corneal thickness of the patient’s eye is measured prior to the surgery. Before the incisions are made
the diamond-edged cutting instrument is precisely set under the operating microscope. Thus by flattening the curvature of the cornea in such a manner
RK can easily correct myopia or nearsightedness.

Radial keratotomy was first introduced in the United States in the 1980s. Initially it was much of an investigational procedure
with doctors operating only one eye at a time and waiting for at least 3 months to observe the results
before operating on the other eye. But the surgeons gained experience over time and now they could well operate both eyes simultaneously. Now
radial keratotomy is a minor surgery that takes about 15 to 20 minutes for each eye.

Radial keratotomy is constantly improving
owing much to the rapid advances in technology
and the fact that a number of such procedures have already been performed successfully. However
RK is not as precise as LASIK and PRK. Since
RK is less predictable
only a few surgeons now perform this procedure.

There is no "best" method for correcting vision errors. The most appropriate correction for you depends on your eyes and your lifestyle. You should discuss you situation with your ophthalmologist or eye doctor to decide which correction will be most effective for you.

10 Reasons for Lasik!

1. Nothing is as sweet as the freedom from the hassles and inconveniences of contacts or glasses.

2. You save money! Over the years
the costs of lenses
solutions and glasses amounts to thousands of dollars.

3. You save time! In one year
the average contact lens wearer spends nearly 60 hours wetting
soaking
rubbing
cleaning and otherwise maintaining them. This is about 2.5 whole days!

4. Imagine waking up in the morning
and being able to see the clock!

5. You get to go swimming
scuba diving and be able to see things!

6. You are able to spontaneously go camping or stay overnight.

7. You are able to take a nap when the mood strikes without first having to remove lenses. Imagine the hassle saved!

8. You will be able to see while putting on makeup or shaving
no more squinting!

9. You will be able to participate in outdoor sports without glasses that fog or get splashed with rain or lenses that dry out in the wind.

10. And most important of all
you w ill be able to avoid the negative consequences of long term contact lens wear!

Clinicians wishing to undertake laser eye surgery should ensure that patients understand the benefits and potential risks of the procedure. So the better you understand your LASIK surgery
and what happens after your surgery
the better prepared you'll be for your surgery. Patients should be counseled on the potential risks and benefits of LASIK
then make an informed decision. No matter what your motivation may be
the decision to have eye improvement surgery is no small task and it should be considered carefully. If you decide Lasik surgery is for you
consulting your eye doctor is critical to making an informed decision.