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From: twh@mb2c.UUCP (Tim Hitchcock)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: radial keratotomy
Message-ID: <165@mb2c.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Oct-83 12:23:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: mb2c.165
Posted: Wed Oct 12 12:23:03 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Oct-83 22:57:55 EDT
References: <142@verdix.UUCP> ulysses.641
Lines: 35

Michigan State University is now doing a study to determine
the usefulness/safety of Radial Keratonomy.

They selected 60 volunteers to undergo the surgery.

I applied but was not accepted because my vision is greater
than -8.0 diopters.

However I have a friend who was.

The deal was that the surgery was done for FREE, one eye
per year.

He has elected NOT to have the second eye done.
He was a -3.0 diopters before and now has 20/20 vision
in that eye.

BUT, he has extreme difficulty seeing at night due
to interference from headlights, street lights.
The scar tissue from the cuts around the cornea 
causes glare.

I am glade I did not get it done, my friend doesn't
regret having the one eye done.

The tool being used now is a special knife.
I would wait until a more high tech tool for cutting
the cornea is developed (laser, electron beam ?).

There also is no way to tell what your vision will be
after the surgery. The faster you heal the less gain
you will get. 


Timothy Hitchcock   Michigan Bell   (313) 424-1027 sb1!mb2c!twh