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>> Aspiring Astronauts May Now Undergo LASIK
WASHINGTON, October 2007 — Aspiring astronauts who have undergone "all laser" LASIK can now be considered for NASA's space program because of a recent policy change.
Previously, LASIK was considered unsafe for astronauts in extreme conditions such as liftoff because of a hinged flap created on the eye's surface. After the cornea is reshaped by an excimer laser, the flap is replaced as a type of natural bandage.
Healing times are much faster because of the flap used with LASIK. But NASA officials feared that even a healed flap could become dislodged under extreme conditions.
Now, NASA officials say that modern wavefront-guided LASIK using flaps created by a special laser (femtosecond) known as IntraLase has a safety profile good enough to clear the vision correction procedure for astronauts.
>> Schwind Introduces "High Performance" Excimer Laser
KLEINOSTHEIM, Germany, September 2007 — Schwind company officials say they have introduced a new "high performance" excimer laser that shortens times for procedures such as LASIK. Built-in features of the new laser include continuous measurements of the eye's surface (corneal) thickness.
Schwind officials say the new excimer laser can reshape an eye at the rate of less than 2.5 seconds per diopter of correction. An eye tracker that helps keep the laser beam on target has a response time of approximately three milliseconds.
The new excimer laser, known as Amaris, was unveiled in September at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) conference in Stockholm.
>> FDA Approves Monovision LASIK
WASHINGTON D.C., July 2007 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced approval of a common corrective eye surgery technique, known as monovision LASIK, in which one eye is corrected for near vision and the other eye is corrected for distance.
The LASIK procedure often is used off label for correcting presbyopia, the age-related inability to focus at all distances. But the recent FDA action for the first time officially approves use of the monovision technique with a specific excimer laser, the Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) and Visx CustomVue.
As follow-up, FDA officials say they also have asked AMO and Visx to conduct a six-month study evaluating visual outcomes and quality-of-life issues for 500 individuals who have undergone monovision LASIK.
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