News and Updates
News
News, September 2, 2009
Dr. Shealy's Professional
Experience with The Allegretto WaveLight Analyzer
Dr. Shealy has been studying the comparative results of older methods
of determining refractive prescriptions with newer electronic means. He
has recently determined that the Allegretto Wavefront Analyzer is much
more accurate at determining prescriptions for refractive patients than
older methods using the phoropter to determine a patient's need for
correction. This finding will allow Dr. Shealy to not only more
accurately determine prescription levels, but will assist him in finding
the best correction method for each individual, thus producing better,
safer, high quality, high definition vision for his patients. Use of
wavefront guided technology with the Allegretto Wavefront Analyzer is
good for minus 7 diopters of myopia and up to 3 diopters of astigmatism.
The analyzer findings according to Dr. Steve Hollis of Auburn, Alabama,
are not as accurate when treating hyperopia requiring eye-tracker
decentration and in patients with abnormal crystalline lenses. Further
results need to be investigated.
News, June 8, 2009
From EyeWorld Weekly News
The news magazine of the American Society of Cataract
and Refractive Surgery
http://www.eyeworld.org/ewweek.php?id=557#6
B&L settles fungal-infection lawsuits
Bausch & Lomb (B&L; Rochester, N.Y.) has settled nearly 600
fungal-infection lawsuits related to its ReNu with MoistureLoc multipurpose
contact lens solution for more than $250 million, according to an AP news
item. There were more than 700 contact lens wearers in the U.S. and Asia who
said they were exposed to Fusarium keratitis as a result of using the
solution. Seven people in Florida, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Tennessee and
West Virginia had to have an eye removed. At least 60 more Americans needed
corneal transplants, according to the AP. The U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention confirmed 180 cases in 35 states from June 2005
through September 2006, and continued to hear of sporadic, unconfirmed cases
in the months after MoistureLoc was withdrawn, AP said. While B&L says it
has settled “the vast majority of fungal infection cases,” it is challenging
another 500-plus lawsuits linking MoistureLoc to assorted bacterial, viral
and parasitic afflictions. Last week, a pretrial hearing in New York was to
decide if there existed a reliable scientific basis for arguing the link, AP
reported.
Update, July 2009: At the
Shealy Eye Laser Center we recommend that patients avoid water borne
hazards and carefully attend to lens hygiene. A patient should wash
their contact lens case, disinfect their lenses, avoid swimming in
lenses, and do not use tap water for rinsing and storing their contact
lenses.
News, January
1, 2009
We now have an evolving definition of
glaucoma which will alter treatment patterns also. October, 2008,
Ophthalmology Times. Once thought to be a disease characterized sole be
elevated IOP, the definition of glaucoma has been evolving to portray the
disease's true nature more accurately: a progressive neurodegenerative
disorder in which structural damage precedes psychophysical visual field
damage. When monitoring patients who have elevated IOP and ocular
hypertension or glaucoma with visual field loss, it is important to evaluate
the optic nerve for change rather than wait until visual field progression
is evident.
News, December 15, 2008
A decade of LASIK Surgery has found that 5% of patients are dissatisfied
with conventional LASIK. The most common side effect was dry eyes which is
more common as people get older. 31% of patents had dry eye before surgery
and about 5% worsened after surgery. Cutting a flap was found to decrease
the stimulus for tear production and how well the nerves heal determine how
much dry lingers. With improvements in technology, these issues are being
addressed and by doing a better job we intend to improve the satisfaction
rate from 95% to 98 to 99%, in the year 2008.
Risk factors for dry eye include:
-
Age
-
Female
-
Asian Race
-
Vitamin A deficiency
-
Hepatitis C infection
-
HIV/HTLV1 infection
-
Diabetes mellitus
-
Connective tissue disease
-
Sarcoidosis
-
Androgen deficiency
-
Ovarian dysfunction
-
Post-menopausal oestrogen therapy
-
Antihistamines
-
Tricyclic antidepressants
-
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
-
Diuretics
-
Beta-blockers
-
Isotretinoin
-
Systemic chemotherapy
-
Radiation therapy
-
Bone marrow transplantation
-
LASIK and refractive excimer laser therapy
- Large incision extracapsular cataract extraction and
penetrating keratoplasty
- Low humidity
- High room temperature or velocity
- Pollution/poor air quality
- Computer use (due to sustained visual attention and
decreased blink rate)
- Contact lens wear
- Diet low in omega-3 fatty acids or with a high ratio
of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids
News, November
10, 2008
Sunlight exposure may be linked to AMD.
Ocular Surgery News, November 10, 2008. Study shows late age-related macular
degeneration patients have more facial wrinkling than control patients
without AMD. Lifetime exposure to sunlight, as measured by facial wrinkle
length, appears to be associated with the development of age-related macular
degeneration, according to the findings of a study. Chronic inflammation is
an important factor. If mild but chronic damage is caused in the macula by
sunlight exposure, it can induce chronic inflammation. Additionally, if this
phenomenon occurs repeatedly, it would affect the eye in a cumulative way.
News, June,
2008
Laser vision casualties are treatable.
since laser vision correction in it's beginning, we've come a long way, but
despite that, 95% of the patients have been satisfied with a higher quality
of life. Concerns about suicide, depression have been raised in the FDA. We
at the Shealy Eye Laser Center, as many other doctors, will not be satisfied
until all complications have been eliminated. We will not rest until all
patients are completely satisfied with their outcomes. We at times, misread
the mental status of our patients. More is being learned each day about how
depression and laser vision correction combined. We've heard stories for
years about patients with depression, and we at the Shealy Eye Laser Center
have experienced one suicide out of 40,000 surgeries which occurred in the
early 1990's following a very well performed radial keratotomy (non-laser
treatment). The family still blames our previous staff and doctor for this
tragedy. This person also left a note that he was going to kill our staff
and myself.
News, June 1,
2008
Ophthalmology Times, June, 2008. In a
debate at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, one surgeon
contended that surface ablation is safer and more effective than LASIK
because of complications associated with flap creation in lamellar
procedures. His counterpart, however, suggested that LASIK is preferable
because of risks associated with surface procedures, including ectasia,
infections and haze.
News, June
15, 2008
LASIK and PRK are permitted for U.S. Air Force aviators. Low-contrast
acuity outcomes demonstrate faster return after custom LASIK compared with
custom PRK. Wilford Hall Medical Center permits the use of femto-second
lasers although any microkeratome is allowed. The patients must be under -5.50
of myopia.
Walter Reed, Fort Lewis, Fort Hood and
Fort Campbell prefer Surface No-cut Epi-Laser or modulated PRK for it's
combat ground forces.
ABC News - "Is Lasik Surgery
Right for Me?"
Introduction: Patients presented their
comments about Laser Vision Correction or LASIK (Laser Assisted Intrastromal
Keratomileusis)
Positive Comments:
-
Patients indicate that they are
happier with custom or wavefront treating lasers
-
Doctors should reject poor candidates
that have prescriptions outside LASIK guidelines which are more
restrictive than with Surface Epi-Laser Guidelines
-
Large prescriptions will tolerate halos at night, but
it is one of the best things he did for himself
-
Allowed to watch surgery "best thing he has ever
done"
Negative Comments:
- Patients advise against having a flap cut in
their cornea
- Caution has been indicated for lasers that create
more nighttime glare and halos
- LASIK has predisposed patients to ectasia and has
reduced corneal biomechanics
- LASIK should be practiced as medicine, not as a
business and patients need more one on one with their treating
ophthalmologist
- Think long and hard before you have LASIK or
Laser Intrastromal surgery
- Some doctors and optometrists are opposed to
LASIK
Dr. Shealy's Comments:
"Patients having cutting or flap surgery with
traditional lasers tend to have nighttime glare and halos, structural
weakening of their cornea predisposing to ectasia, wrinkles in their cap or
flap, and reduced quality of vision, compared to new wavefront lasers where
the treatment is placed on the corneal surface without a flap. 90% of all
the complications are related to retreatments and making a cap or flap.
Surface Epi-Laser with the Allegretto Wavelight is
accurate 99.9% of the time and the quality of vision better than with
glasses and contact lenses 98% of the time. Patients can function without
bifocals 90% of the time. This new surface laser treatment has been made
possible with better pharmaceutical management and new temporary soft
contact lenses worn 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 days after surgery."
"Newer technologies and better medical management of
postop discomfort have allowed us to offer superior results with patient
safety in mind." - Ming Wang, MD, PhD, and Tracy S.
Swartz, OD, MS, FAAO.
Back to the top.
Other News
The
'O' Magazine article about Laser Vision Correction!
Anterior Segment Techniques;
Microkeratome vs. Femtosecond Laser
Advantages of Thin-Flap Laser Vision
Correction vs.
Femtosecond Laser Surgery
Epi-Laser vs. IntraLASIK; Three-month post-op
visual acuity is better with Epi-Laser
Epi-LASER; Better
Biomechanics than LASIK or PRK!
Back to the top.
Archival
Links
US Food & Drug Administration;
When is LASIK not for me?
ABC News - "Is Lasik Surgery Right for
Me?"
FDA to Hold Public Meeting in June on
Contact Lenses
Following up on the keratitis outbreaks
of recent years, the FDA’s Ophthalmic Devices Panel is meeting June 10 to
discuss postmarket experience with various contact lens care products
contact lens care product development (including preclinical testing and
clinical performance measures) and labeling for contact lenses and lens care
products. The Academy is working with the Cornea Society and the Contact
Lens Association of Ophthalmologists to develop recommendations and
testimony on these issues for the meeting.
Back to the top.
Updates
Shealyeye.com is updated weekly, every Wednesday
from 1:00 to 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Sometimes, more often than once
a week as technology changes so quickly these days.
Notes from the Webmaster
December, 2008
It still lives!
Our website continues to grow and mature
as new and existing technologies such as collagen cross-linking,
pharmacological treatments, advances in multi-focal intra-ocular implants,
continue to drive improvements and refinements in the laser vision
correction industry, expanding the reaches of vision improvements. Dr.
Shealy and I are still updating the site weekly, and lately 2 or 3 times a
week, in order to make sure that our website visitors are the best educated
laser vision correction consumers, ever.
Despite the current economical
atmosphere, Dr. Shealy's business continues to grow when many other business
are facing difficulties. I'm sure that it is because of his extraordinary
efforts to stay abreast and current in his industry and his insight into
what technologies will fuel future advancements and improvements in laser
vision correction. And many people are finding that it is financially
logical to reduce many of their reoccurring expenses and make an investment
in their own self-improvement.
It doesn't hurt to look into laser vision
correction!
May, 2008
My update from June, 2006 still holds true, this website is very much
alive. Dr. Shealy and I make changes to it weekly, and we have to -
the technology of laser vision correction is changing that quickly! It's
exciting! More new advances in optical, medical, laser, and computer
technology have made surface procedures even safer with better results.
Some are predicting a rebirth of corneal refractive surgery driven by new
technologies, like computer-controlled femtosecond lasers, that makes even
thinner flaps to enhance safety called Sub-Bowman's keratomileusis or SBK
Thin Flap Laser Vision Correction.
Safer, better, faster - the future is
NOW! Is it time for you to look into laser
vision correction?
June, 2006
Contrary to print media that goes to the
press and is therefore editable only to a certain point in the production
process, a website is constantly changing, always growing; in a sense, never
finished. As technology changes, not only in the website industry and the
way websites are designed, built and implemented but the in the technology
that the site represents as well, we webmasters have our work cut out for us
when it comes to keeping our sites current and up to date. A website can almost be thought of as a living thing. I'm
sure that all of you have been to a 'dead' website at one point - only 1/2
or none of the links work, the contact email returns a 'mailer daemon', the
phone number is no longer valid, etc. So why not one that's 'alive'?
This website is one of those sites - It's
alive!
Since April of 2005, when I first started
as the Webmaster here, technology has made great strides in the area of
laser vision correction. I am submersed in the data and information that is
compiled here and I am learning a lot about eyes, laser vision correction,
LASIK, Epi-Laser, surface procedures and more. And a lot
is happening - new tools and techniques are being invented and tested,
better, faster, more precise lasers are being produced, even advancements in
the computer and software industries are helping laser vision correction
technology to grow.
I have also been fortunate enough to see
the joy and elation on the faces of people who have just had the surgery and
minutes later are seeing better than ever in their lives.
If you've been told that you're not a
candidate for laser vision correction in the past, maybe it's time to take
another 'look' at it, so to speak - and yes, pun intended. Unless you keep
checking, you'll never know when technology has caught up and the problem
you have with your vision may be something that can be addressed now or in
the very near future. And the consultation is FREE! Maybe it IS time to get
rid of your glasses!
Back to the top.
To Schedule
Consultation &
Treatment on Same Day
With Dr. Shealy, Give Us a Call at 1-800-644-6393 or
Email Us!
Shealy Eye Laser Center
6036 Trier Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 ♦
Tel: (260) 486-0065 or (800) 644-6393 ♦ email:
shealy@shealyeye.com
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