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Myopia (Nearsightedness) with Astigmatism________________________________Approximately 98% of persons who undergo refractive laser surgery obtain 20/40 or better visual acuity, which is the visual acuity required to obtain a drivers license without wearing corrective lenses. If you have been wearing contacts and/or glasses for a year, or for 30 years, it will should not have an impact on your potential laser vision correction surgery. Does my degree of nearsightedness with astigmatism matter?The answer depends on the degree of myopia and the degree of astigmatism. the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of its VISX STAR S2 Excimer Laser System(TM) as safe and effective for the treatment of up to 14 diopters of myopia, or nearsightedness, with up to 5 diopters of astigmatism. Today, Cornea Specialists may combine complementary refractive surgery procedures to effectively treat a growing base of patients with high level astigmatism. Patients who were formerly considered poor candidates for refractive surgery are increasingly becoming eligible for surgical correction because a complementary combination of procedures can now be employed. Refractive combinations make sense when the two procedures address different refractive problems, different aspects of the total problem, when the problems exceed the approved scope of the individual procedure or when the first procedure has altered the eye in such a way as to narrow down options for further enhancement. The decision as to which technique or combination of techniques is best for any individual, should be determined based on the exact nature of the vision problem during the consultation with an ophthalmic Cornea Specialist. This specialist can help determine what. s best for the patient, based on his/her lifestyle and other factors. Does age Matter?Laser eye surgery used to be for those under 40, this is not true anymore. More and more patients over 40, 50 and even some over 60 have had successful laser eye surgery. Patients need to be at least 18 years of age or older for the treatment of mild nearsightedness. Patients under 18 may not have finished developing and may need to wait until they are at least 18 years old. If you have a higher degree of nearsightedness or astigmatism you should probably wait until you are 21. This is something you will need to discuss with your opthmalogist. What are my choices?Up until now, you have probably chosen to wear glasses and/or contacts. You now have several options available to you to enhance your current vision. RK is used ONLY in myopia. Myopia of 1 to 14 diopters with up to 5 D of astigmatism. Also, either LASIK (LASIK can be used to correct up to . 13.00 D of myopia and up to 6.00 D of astigmatism), PRK or permanent contacts (if your prescription for eyeglasses or contacts is between 1.00 and 3.00 diopters, with no more than 1.00 diopter of astigmatism). _______________________________________ Symptons of myopia with astigmatism include: blurred or distorted vision - blurred vision of distant objects - squinting eyestrain - headaches - fatigue or blurred vision at certain distances
For more information about Myopia, visit AllAboutVision.com. __________________________________________
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