For the last few years, nearsighted people have been able to receive laser surgery to correct their vision. If the new technique proves effective, a large number of people who had not been candidates for refractive surgery will become eligible for laser surgery procedures. Up to 30 percent of Americans are farsighted.
Preliminary results are encouraging.
We've operated on both eyes of only two patients, so it is too early to know whether this procedure will work for everyone. But our early results are striking. The flap is folded back, and an excimer laser is used to remove tissue in the periphery of the cornea. Then the flap is closed, and the cornea heals without a stitch. The cornea of nearsighted patients is too steep, focusing images in front of the retina.