LASIK

The Problem: Myopia

• Also known as nearsightedness
• Eye is too long or cornea (outer lens) too steep
• Light doesn't focus properly on retina, causing blurred vision for objects far way

Causes Of Myopia

• Genetics (more likely to have it if both parents have it)
• Spending too much time focusing on up-close objects

My interest

• I have myopia
• I am interested in different ways of mitigating symptoms besides normal glasses/contacts

biological Aspects

• Most treatment, including LASIK, focuses on the cornea

The cornea is the outer "lens" of the eye:
-cornea refracts light to help focus it
-light then passes through lens and is focused on the retina

Design Choices: Glasses

• Refract light before hitting cornea so it will be correctly focused when it reaches the retina
• Only mitigate symptoms, do not treat underlying cause
• Least invasive treatment

Design Choices: Contacts

• Work on the same principle as glasses(refract light before hitting eye)
• Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) uses hard contacts to reshape cornea while patients sleep
• Temporarily address cause of condition (contacts must be worn each day/night for good vision)
• More invasive than glasses

Design Choices: LASIK

• Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) targets the underlying cause of myopia
• Permanently reshapes cornea to fix vision
• Most invasive option

Lasik: The Procedure

First, a flap is cut in the cornea

Next, excimer laser (UV light) vaporizes some of the cornea to reshape it

Lastly, the cut flap is repositioned and heals naturally

LASIK Summary

• Targets cause of myopia (steep cornea/long eye)
• Very quick surgery (20 mins for both eyes), only numbing drops needed
• Most expensive treatment ($1500-$2500 per eye) in short term
• Long term benefits may outweigh short-term cost

After 10 years:

Downsides to Lasik

• Patients may still need to wear glasses/contacts for certain situations (low light, night driving)
• Possible dry eyes, blurry night vision, glares/halos around lights
• May need a second "enhancement" surgery to get fully corrected vision

Ecological/Societal Impacts

• Less waste material than contacts (small plastics from disposable contacts are hard to remove from water)
• Helps improve vision for wide range of people
• Allows people to donate no-longer-needed glasses to third-world countries

Future improvements

• Brillouin spectroscopy (non-invasive light-scattering technology) can be used to measure refractive index of cornea
• Would result in more accurate surgeries
• Could also eliminate need to cut into cornea

Works Cited

• One Cost of Not Having LASIK – Environmental Damages Caused by Contact Lenses. (2019, March 4). Retrieved from https://www.lasikplus.com/lasik-resources/laser-eye-surgery-cost/one-cost-o....

Works Cited

• Shiel, W. C. (2018, December 27). Definition of LASIK. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet .com/script/main/art.asp? articlekey=7849.

Works cited

• The Cost of LASIK Surgery in 2019: What's the Average? (2019). Retrieved from https://www.nvisioncenters .com/lasik/cost/.

works cited

• Tomlinson, A. W. (2019, March 12). New microscopy method could improve LASIK surgery. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2019-03-microscopy-method-lasik-surgery.html.

works cited

• Wachler, B. B. (2019, April). The LASIK procedure: A brief guide. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutvision. com/visionsurgery/lasik.htm.