-
Radial Keratotomy
Radial keratotomy, or RK, was the first type of surgical eye correction to become popular. First developed in 1898 and improved in the 1960s, RK is designed to correct myopia, or nearsightedness. It is performed by making several small incisions in the surface of the cornea that radiate outward like the spokes on a bicycle wheel. These incisions cause the cornea to flatten out somewhat in the center, changing the way in which it focuses light onto the retina. One of the primary disadvantages of -
Eye Correction Surgery
For nearly as long as people have had vision problems, efforts have been made to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness. Prior to the twentieth century, however, little progress was made beyond the development of eyeglasses and contact lenses. With the advent of modern surgical eye correction, the history of laser eye surgery began in earnest. RK, ALK, PRK, LASIK, and other corrective eye surgeries have allowed people to give up their glasses and contacts. -
The History Of Laser Vision Correction
In the 1970s, one invention propelled doctors toward that solution: the excimer laser. This new technology caught the eye of Columbia University researcher Stephen L. Trokel, who borrowed one and used it to perform laser vision correction. He started by worked on animal cadavers, then human cadavers, and eventually living rabbit and monkey corneas. -
First Human Laser Vision Invention
In 1988, a 60-year-old woman diagnosed with malignant melanoma, which left a growing black spot on her eye, asked scientists if they would like to perform an experiment on her eye before it was removed.. Trokel’s colleague, Marguerite McDonald, performed the first photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, procedure on the woman that year. In 1991, Canada approved the excimer laser for use in PRK, and in 1995 it was approved in the United States -
Vision Correction Today
An astonishing number of innovative techniques and technologies have become part of the history of surgical eye correction and laser eye surgery over the past several years. From glasses and contacts to PRK, LASIK, and innovative new devices used in corrective eye surgery like the Visian ICL, today’s patients enjoy an array of choices that give them greater control over their vision correction treatment.Contact STAAR® Surgical Company today to learn more about the technology behind the Visian I
