To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: FDA Panel Approves Cold Laser Treatment For Astigmatism URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/18FC6.htm Doctor's Guide January 21, 1997
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 21, 1997 -- A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel has recommended approval of a new surgical procedure that uses a "cold" laser to treat astigmatism, a common vision problem that distorts images for millions of people. Eye specialists trained with this new technology will soon be able to correct astigmatism in patients using this new technique, called Photorefractive Astigmatic Keratectomy (PARK), that takes less than a minute to perform. Astigmatism typically is caused by an irregularity of the cornea, the front surface of the eye. The effect of astigmatism is to change vision similar to the distorted effects one sees in a funhouse mirror. A similar procedure called photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) uses the same VISX Excimer Laser for the treatment of nearsightedness, or myopia. The FDA approved that procedure in 1996. "Because most patients with nearsightedness also have some astigmatism, this new capability will dramatically increase the number of patients that can be helped with this simple, outpatient procedure," said Peter McDonnell, M.D., Medical Director of USC/Doheny Refractive Laser Medical Center and Professor of Ophthalmology at the USC School of Medicine. USC/Doheny Refractive Laser Medical Center was the first site to study the treatment of astigmatism with this new technology in 1991. According to Dr. McDonnell, the PARK procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and gives consumers an alternative to the incisional surgical technique that is used today. The laser uses a cold beam of high frequency light to remove corneal tissue without damaging the surrounding tissue. "This results in a reshaped or resculpted cornea so that light rays focus directly on the retina for clearer distance vision, instead of in front of the retina (nearsightedness) or an different points of the retina (astigmatism)," he said. "Full FDA approval of PARK is expected soon," McDonnell said. USC/Doheny Refractive Laser Medical Center specializes in refractive surgery. For more information, please call (800) 4SC-EYES. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.