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| Edited By: dna Correspondent |Source: DNA |Updated: May 28, 2010, 01:31 PM IST
One of the pioneers of refractive surgery in India, Dr Rupal Shah, MS, DOMS and the clinical director of the LaseRx unit has taught LASIK to more than 600 doctors from India and abroad. Also a member of the All-India Ophthalmological Society and the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery, she explains the fundamentals of LASIK surgery...
What is the USP of LASIK surgery?
LASIK or Laser in situ Keratomeleusis offers a cure from refractive errors, i.e., those who need to glasses or contact lenses to see clearly can undergo LASIK to have clear vision without any external aids. LASIK can treat both long sightedness and near sightedness. It is a quick 10 minute procedure in which both eyes are treated in the same session.
How is it different from conventional eye surgery?
Conventional eye surgery generally treats a disease, like cataract, glaucoma and other types of corneal and retinal diseases. People undergo LASIK for many reasons — most often, they would like the convenience of seeing everything clearly without glasses and contact lenses. Relative to most other types of eye surgery, LASIK is simple, predictable and safe.
What are the eye conditions where LASIK surgery would be recommended?
LASIK is recommended for people who have refractive errors. It works for myopia (short-sightedness or minus numbers), hypermetropia (long-sightedness or plus numbers), and astigmatism (cylindrical powers)
What has been your experience having individually performed more than 25,000 LASIK procedures in the last 15 years?
For me, it has been an extremely rewarding experience. I am really just happy seeing the reactions of the patients the day after surgery. They are usually ecstatic. As technology has improved, so have the outcomes.
What are the common misconceptions about LASIK surgery?
The most common misconception about LASIK is that the numbers come back over time. While this may have happened with other types of vision correction procedures, like RK, it rarely happens with LASIK.
