This flash shows a basic laser eye surgery procedure. First,
the speculum holds the eyelids open. Then, shows the suction ring of the microkeratome
being placed on top of the eye, encircling the cornea. The the microkeratime
blade slides over the cornea, making a thin flap in the cornea. The flap is
then lifted back so a laser beam can then reshape the cornea. The flap is then
folded back, completing the surgery.
It started when Dr. Fyodorov,
of Russia, was treating a boy whose glasses had broken. Following
recovery, this patient's refraction was significantly less myopic
than
prior to the injury. He
then worked out a formula which made this procedure more predictable
than ever been before. In 1978, American ophthalmologists
became interested in these findings.
Since introduced, surgery has
been performed on over 2 million patients in the United States
alone.