Focus On Farsightedness
Just a few years ago LASIK surgery came out and people everywhere were able to throw away their glasses. LASIK, though, carries certain safety risks, and some people are uncomfortable with the idea of laser beams cutting the eye. Now, there's a promising alternative for farsighted people.
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WHEN JOHN AND KAROL SINAYI ENTERED MIDDLE-AGE, THEIR EYES BEGAN TO BETRAY THEM.
John Sinayi
Farsighted
"All of our friends our age, they're all struggling with the same thing."
THEY WERE FARSIGHTED. EVEN READING A RESTAURANT MENU WAS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT GLASSES. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE CONDUCTIVE KERATOPLASTY, OR CK.
Robert Maloney, M.D.
Ophthalmologist
Maloney-Seibel Vision Institute
Los Angeles, CA
"CK is using radioenergy to make a series of spots around the cornea, the front part of your eye, which re-shapes it and corrects farsightedness."
PATIENTS SAY THE PROCEDURE IS PAINLESS AND IT TAKES JUST MINUTES. BECAUSE CK USES RADIO WAVES INSTEAD OF A LASER BEAM, DOCTOR ROBERT MALONEY SAYS IT'S LESS RISKY THAN LASIK.
Robert Maloney, M.D.
"LASIK's a wonderful treatment, but CK has two advantages. One, it doesn't involve cutting the eye like LASIK does, and two, it doesn't involve removing any tissue. So we think it's safer than LASIK."
AS PART OF THE FDA CLINICAL TRIALS ON CK, DOCTOR MALONEY PERFORMED THE PROCEDURE MORE THAN A HUNDRED TIMES. HE SAYS EVERY PATIENT EXPERIENCED SOME DEGREE OF IMPROVEMENT. FOR THE SINAYI'S, THE CHANGE WAS DRAMATIC.
Karol Sinayi
Had CK procedure
"I think I brag about it so much, people are getting tired of hearing me. Because it is just so amazing to me. I've never been able to see the way I can see now. Never."
IT'S STILL UNCLEAR WHETHER THE IMPROVEMENT IS PERMANENT, BUT KAROL AND JOHN ARE OPTIMISTIC. THE ONLY THING THEY CAN'T SEE, IS THE NEED FOR GLASSES IN THEIR FUTURE.
THE PROCEDURE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN MORE THAN 50 LOCATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY. IT COSTS ANYWHERE FROM $1,500 TO $2,500. ABOUT THE SAME AS LASIK.
DOCTORS SAY THEY EXPECT TO HAVE RESULTS FROM THE NATIONAL STUDY IN SIX MONTHS. ONE BENEFIT OF CREATINE IS IT DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS IN THE PATIENTS WHO ARE TAKING IT. HOWEVER, DOCTORS CAUTION THAT MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED AND THAT YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE TAKING CREATINE.
WHEN GOOD EYES GO BAD: The onset of farsightedness can be a frustrating experience for those used to good vision. After age 40, it is not uncommon for vision to deteriorate. Objects in the distance remain in focus, but it becomes increasingly difficult to see objects that are closer up. Until recent years, reading glasses were the most common treatment for farsightedness. Then LASIK came along, offering a surgical alternative. LASIK involves the re-shaping of the cornea through the use of a laser beam, which can be uncomfortable and risky.
THE BEST SOLUTION YET?: Like LASIK, Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) involves the re-shaping of the cornea, or frontal portion of the eye. But instead of the invasive laser beam, CK makes use of radiofrequency energy. The radio waves do not actually cut into the eye. Rather, the waves gently heat up the cornea, and the resulting temperature change works to re-shape the tissues. Doctors say the CK procedure performed exceedingly well in clinical trials and has only recently been approved for the general treatment of farsightedness. Robert Maloney, M.D., director of Los Angeles' Maloney-
Seibel Vision Institute, participated in the clinical trials. He performed the procedure on more than 100 patients and reported some degree of improvement in every one of them.
Dr. Maloney says he likes the procedure because it neither cuts into the eye, nor removes any tissue, the way LASIK does. "We think it's safer than LASIK," he says. Dr. Maloney also points out that the procedure is easier for doctors to perform, and therefore less risky for the patient. A typical CK procedure takes just minutes and patients say it is totally painless.
NOTHING'S PERFECT: Though apparently very promising in the treatment of farsightedness, CK is not without it's shortcomings. For one, the procedure is not approved for treating nearsightedness, whereas LASIK is. Furthermore, there is some question as to how long the correction will last. Because the earliest clinical trials were conducted just two years ago, it is difficult for experts to be sure the effects of the procedure will last for the long-term. Finally, it can take 1-2 weeks for vision to improve following CK; considerably longer than with LASIK.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?: The CK procedure will soon be available in as many as 100 clinics around the country. The cost is comparable to that of LASIK, roughly $1,500 to $2,500.
Maloney-Seibel Vision Institute
10921 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 900
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(877) EYE-SIGHT
www.maloneyseibelvision.com
Copyright © 2002 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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