LASIK Eye Surgery – Raleigh, Cary, Durham

Open-angle glaucoma patients are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease over time, a review of 12 years of Medicare claims found.
Researchers presented their findings at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting recently. To come to their conclusion, the investigators followed a group of glaucoma patients and compared them to a similar group of patients without glaucoma. The glaucoma patients were much more likely to eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease.
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An ophthalmologist in Panama is currently implanting a colored implant in patients to change eye color. The cost is approximately $8000 plus airfare and accommodations. These implants may be of value to patients with albinism (lack of color) but patients who are receiving these for purely cosmetic reasons are cautioned about potential long term side effects. The lenses have the potential to cause cataract, glaucoma, corneal decompensation, infection and irreversible blindness. They are currently not approved for use in the US.

Correcting vision by LASIK or PRK involves removal of corneal tissue. Therefore, the cornea is thinner after the procedure than before. Investigators in Denmark wanted to study what happens to the cornea in the months after refractive surgery. They followed patients for 36 months after LASIK or PRK and found a thickening in both the top (epithelial) layer and deeper (stromal) layers in the months after refractive surgery. Doctors and patients can feel more at ease knowing that the cornea does not continue to thin in later years after LASIK.