Look See

By Kavita Gosnye

Toss your glasses for good. The reasons to get laser eye surgery get clearer every day.

Miranda got it on Sex and the City. Jessica Simpson toted the Newlyweds cameras along for her appointment. Courteney Cox Arquette had it in real life. And last year’s Oscar nominees got coupons to get it done for free. Laser-eye-surgery clinics are now as common as takeout sushi stands. But some people are still hesitant. To dispel any myths and concerns still surrounding laser eye surgery, we went to the experts – Dr. Mark Cohen of Lasik MD and Dr. Sheldon Herzig of the Herzig Eye Institute. Option #1: PRK
PRK, or photorefractive keratectomy, was invented in the early ’80s. The procedure takes only a few minutes to perform, and uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove tiny pieces of tissue from the surface of the cornea, reshaping it so that it better focuses light into the eye and onto the retina.

The results? Clearer vision than before.

Risks and recovery: “With PRK, the patient should take a week off until they can see well enough to drive and work,” suggests Dr. Herzig, adding that it’s important to be sure nothing pokes or goes into the eye during the recovery period.

Option #2: Lasik
Lasik, Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, first performed in clinical trials in the U.S. in 1995, uses an instrument called a microkeratome to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. After folding back the flap, the surgeon uses an excimer laser to remove pieces of the corneal tissue, then replaces the flap.

The results? Clearer vision, with better precision, less pain and more immediate results than PRK’s week-long recovery period. “People see functionally the very next day,” says Dr. Herzig.

Risks and side effects: One of the main concerns in the past for laser-eye-surgery recipients was “haloing,” a term used to describe the blurry effect around lights at night. “It’s now very rare,” says Dr. Cohen. “One in 1,000 patients may experience it.” Other risks have now been minimized. One to two per cent could get a minor complication. “The higher the prescription the greater the risk,” says Dr. Cohen. The major concern is damage to the cornea due to infection, says Dr. Herzig, “Risk [of cornea infection] is about 1 in 20,000, but we have new antibiotics to reduce that risk to zero,” he says. Today, the only side effects are dry eyes, which are less common and can be easily treated with re-wetting drops.