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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!floyd!clyde!ihnp4!ihuxa!gek
From: gek@ihuxa.UUCP (Glenn Kapetansky)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: re: radial keratotomy
Message-ID: <302@ihuxa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Oct-83 17:49:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxa.302
Posted: Mon Oct 10 17:49:03 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Oct-83 21:27:45 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 21

this is concerning the operation, radial keratotomy, which was advertised
in a portland paper as a treatment for nearsightedness. BEWARE! it was
originally developed in russia, and touted as a cure for myopia (near-
sightedness). it involves making radial incisions in the cornea, and
as they heal the scar tissue pulls the cornea into a new shape which
acts like a corrective lense. one problem is that the correction was
(and to the best of my knowledge, still is) variable; someone with
20-800 vision may end up with 20-40, yet someone with 20-200 may only
improve to 20-100. still worth it, you say?? another problem is that
the scar tissue in the cornea is not completely clear. when light
strikes the scar tissue it is refracted in a flash across the entire
cornea (unnerving to downright dangerous if you're driving at night and
an oncoming car's headlights blind you completely). well, perhaps it
is still worth it just to be able to SEE (i know; i'm 20-800 myself).
but here's the clincher: dr. fred kapetansky reported to me that at least
some of the earliest operations are now reverting back to the original
corneal shape (we're talking on the order of 7-10 years)! so these
poor trusting suckers now have their old (poor) eyesight back PLUS
their scarred corneas. still want to try it?

-glenn kapetansky (ihnp4!gek)