Advertisement
Approved for use on consumers almost a decade ago, more than 11 millionLASIK procedures have been performed to-date, making it the most-commonelective surgical procedure in the U.S. But it wasn't until LASIK developedinto an all-laser procedure that NASA approved it for use on pilots, missionand payload specialists who face extreme, physically demanding conditions inspace. The all-laser LASIK technologies, which utilize wavefront guided andfemtosecond lasers, have also been cleared for U.S. military personnel,including most recently Air Force pilots.
Advertisement
"NASA's approval is further evidence that today's LASIK exceeds allestablished standards of safety and effectiveness," said Steven Schallhorn,M.D., retired captain of the U.S. Navy, investigator in multiple studiesinvolving use of LASIK and other refractive surgeries for treatment ofnearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, and Medical Director forOptical Express. "NASA followed the Naval Aviation clinical studies closelywith a particular interest in both safety and quality of vision under extremeconditions. Wavefront guided and femtosecond lasers were proven to provideexcellent safety with consistent visual results of 20/20 or better. LASIK wasable to withstand even the most extreme rigors of warfare and flight. Allsurgical procedures have risks, but with this exceptional track record, theaverage consumer has nothing to fear from LASIK."
LASIK is a two-step procedure. The IntraLase(R) FS (femtosecond) laserreplaces the hand-held microkeratome blade historically used in creating LASIKcorneal flaps -- the first step of the procedure. The computer guided,ultra-fast laser virtually eliminates almost all of the most severe, sightthreatening LASIK complications related to microkeratomes. The laser createsan optimal corneal surface below the flap, allowing for better visual outcomesfrom the second step of the procedure where wavefront guided technology maps,and then custom-corrects vision based upon the unique characteristics of anindividual's eye. This sophisticated measurement provides 25 times moreprecision than measurements using standard methods for glasses and contactlenses.
LASIK'S FINAL FRONTIER
Though LASIK has been around for almost a decade, concerns about the harshaviation environment prevented its use. To date, aeromedical professionalshave been cautious of employing the procedure on military aviators whofrequently encounter environmental extremes such as high altitude, dry air,wind blast and "G" forces. In space, these and other conditions add evenhigher levels of concern due to the extreme precision needed during flight andspace walks.
Dr. Schallhorn, himself a retired naval aviator, spearheaded the majorityof the Defense Department's research in laser vision correction. Some notableresults of the many clinical trials conducted include:
"Today's news further validates AMO as the global leader in laser visioncorrection technologies," said Jim Mazzo, AMO chairman, president and CEO."Our Advanced CustomVue(TM) LASIK with the IntraLase(R) Method is the onlyprocedure in the U.S. to incorporate the technologies specifically approvedfor use by NASA."
In the U.S. laser vision correction market, the Advanced CustomVue(TM)LASIK procedure with the IntraLase(R) Method has become the new standard andis rapidly becoming the most widely performe
