The History of Lasik Eye Surgery
Lasik eye surgery is a refractive surgery that using the assistance of lasers. The lasers produce small incisions along the edge of cornea to flatten it and change the shape. “Lasik” is an anagram for “Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis.”
Changing the Shape of the Cornea
Although Lasik eye surgery has only been in practice for 15 years, the technology for refractive surgery dates back much further. The concept for Lasik was first toyed with back in the mid-1800s. A physician name J. Ball developed and advertised a device that flattened the cornea by striking it with a mallet. Not surprisingly, the technology did not catch on.
In the mid 1930s, Dr. Tutomu Satu developed a process to make incisions in the cornea to improve vision. He tried to perfect his “radial keratotomy” process on rabbits and then people. However, Satu’s process resulted in damage to the cornea and the eyes of his patients became swollen and cloudy.
Radial Kerotomy Changes Eyesight
Thirty years later in Russia, Dr. Fyordorov adapted Dr. Sato’s process with success. While Sato had attempted to cut through the back of the cornea, Fyordorov made incisions in the front and was able to adjust the process to correct both near-sightedness and far-sightedness Radial Kerototomy or “RK” as it came to be called was popularized in the United States in the early 1980s.
The RK procedure was first used successfully on a sighted human in 1985 in Germany. That particular procedure removed scars from the cornea and was called “phototherpauetic keratectomy.” The operation removed scars but did not repair vision. Two years later, the first photorefractive keratectomy was performed and corrected the vision of a previously blind patient.
Lasik Revolutionizes the Industry
Modern Lasik eye surgery is the latest technological leap for the corrective eye surgery field. Although RK worked, putting their eyes underneath the knife put off many consumers. In 1983, Dr. Stephen Trokel developed a technique to use a laser to make the necessary incisions to change the shape of the cornea. While photorefractive keratectomy requires major alterations to the cornea, the Lasik procedure makes a minimum amount of incisions. The first trial of Lasik eye surgery was performed in 1991 and the popularity of the procedure has grown since then.
Lasik eye surgery technology continues to improve. Consumers can now expect faster healing times and clearer vision than could be achieve in previous years.
