Is Laser Eye Surgery Right for ... Video Transcri...

Participants

Israel Bordainick , David R. Marks MD, Julius Shulman MD

Summary

An estimated 60 million Americans are in need of vision correction. So it's no surprise that LASIK surgery-- a laser treatment touted as a worry-free alternative to glasses or contacts-- has become a highly sought-after procedure. But will it work for everyone? Join our physician and patient panel as they discuss the pros and cons of LASIK surgery.

Webcast Transcript

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Hi, and welcome to our webcast. I'm Dr. David Marks. Did you know about 60 million Americans don't see well? But today, more and more of them are turning to laser eye surgery. How does it work and is it for everyone? Joining us today to help shed some light on this topic are two experts, one doctor and one patient. First we have Dr. Julius Shulman. He's an Associate Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and he also has a private practice in New York City. Welcome.

Next to him we have a patient. It's Israel Bordainick, and he's had at least a couple of these procedures. So you're going to shed some light on how it feels to be on the other side of the laser. Welcome.

Dr. Shulman, tell us what kind of vision problems can be treated with some of the new techniques.

JULIUS SHULMAN, MD: Most vision problems can be treated. Myopia, which is nearsightedness, hyperopia, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The laser companies first went after myopia because that's the most prevalent, then astigmatism, and now we can treat hyperopia, so the whole gamut is covered.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Tell us what astigmatism is.

JULIUS SHULMAN, MD: Astigmatism is when light does not fall to a point. A is without, stigma is point in Greek. It's a refractive error where everything is blurred, near and far, as opposed to farsighted or nearsighted. So astigmatism is kind of a combination.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: There are a lot of ways now with the laser to treat, and you're a specialist at that, but there are some ways to treat these problems without resorting to laser treatment. What are they?

JULIUS SHULMAN, MD: Well, the obvious one is glasses. Glasses have been around for many, many years. There are contact lenses and contact lenses now can correct almost all refractive errors: myopia, even astigmatism. There are bifocal soft contact lenses. There are gas permeable. So contact lenses are generally an option. And most people probably will have tried contact lenses and certainly glasses before they come to laser eye surgery.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: What are some of the negatives of using either glasses or contacts to treat a vision problem?

JULIUS SHULMAN, MD: Glasses are fine up to a point. After you become extremely nearsighted or farsighted, many people feel handicapped. They go to sleep, they wake up, they may not be able to find their glasses.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: You see people putting them on and taking them off all the time.

JULIUS SHULMAN, MD: Exactly. They may have sports or hobbies or occupations where glasses are not feasible. It's difficult to scuba dive with glasses. Contact lenses are another option. They have disadvantages. Some people are not that tolerant of contact lenses. So these options are certainly something to be tried and if the patient is happy with these then they don't have to proceed with laser eye surgery.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Again, the downside of contact lenses as opposed to glasses?

JULIUS SHULMAN, MD: Contact lenses. The downside is some people cannot wear them a full day. People lose them. They break them. They have to reorder them. If you think of someone wearing a contact lens for their whole life versus having one laser eye surgery, the preference might be for laser eye surgery, although a good argument could be made for just staying with your contact lenses. Contact lenses can cause their own health problems in the eye. Infection is rare but it can occur. Irritation, dryness. So each modality has good and bad to it.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Izzy, what kind of vision problems did you have?

ISRAEL BORDAINICK: I was very nearsighted.