Ralph J. Damiano,
pioneers robotically assisted herat surgery
|
Ralph J. Damiano, pioneers robotically assisted herat surgery |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
Ophthalmology opens
Refractive Surgery Center The Department of Ophthalmology in the School of Medicine has opened a comprehensive Refractive Surgery Center in the new Center for Advanced Medicine.
"Our turnaway rate probably will be higher than it is at some places," Conners said. "There are some patients who still aren't good candidates for these procedures, and although the vast majority of patients don't have any problems following surgery, we have to remember that LASIK is a surgical procedure, not something that you enter into lightly." LASIK (LAser In-Situ, Keratomileusis) and other laser procedures are used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism (uneven curvature of the cornea). During the procedure, the surgeon uses precision instruments to create a flap in the cornea. The flap is folded back, and then the laser reshapes the cornea to more precisely focus light onto the retina of the eye. After the LASIK procedure is completed, the flap is replaced, the eye is treated with antibiotic drops and the patient is sent home. Some experience minor pain or light sensitivity, but that usually subsides within a few hours. Most patients have vision between 20/20 and 20/40 by the next day. Conners believes large numbers of potential patients are interested but cautious about refractive surgery. He encourages them to learn more about the surgery and other procedures that the center offers. "This is not just a LASIK practice," he said. "We can handle many more things than refractive surgery, and we are very careful not to operate if there is any abnormality of the cornea that might make surgery risky." The Washington University Refractive Surgery Center is offering employees and their spouses at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital a 20 percent discount on refractive procedures. For more information, call 747-8036 or e-mail the center's
refractive surgery coordinator, Diana Moellering, at lasik@vision.wustl.edu.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
