UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, March 17, 1994
5
High-tech eye surgery corrects vision
By David Wilson
By David Wilson Special to the Kansan
Ashley Stout can see clearly now. And she no longer needs contact lenses to do so.
Stout, Fayetteville, Ark., junior, has had radial keratotomy, a surgery to correct nearsightedness and a procedure that is growing in popularity.
A surgeon cut tiny slits in Stout's cornea using a specially calibrated diamond knife. The slits were arranged like the spokes of a wheel and caused her central cornea to become flatter, resulting in a better-focused image.
The morning after her surgery, Stout had 20/15 vision, which is better than 20/20.
Her results were a little better than average. Hamid Sajadi, an ophthalmologist at the University of Kansas Medical Center who performs radial keratotomies, said 90 percent of the patients who underwent the operation could expect improvement to 20/40 vision or better. A person with 20/40 vision can drive without glasses
or contact lenses.
To avoid overcorrection, some surgeons, including Sajadi, now are deliberately undercorrecting the nearsightedness.
Sajjiadi recommended that prospective radial keratotomy patients opt for undercorrection.
"I do a conservative technique," Saji-iadi said.
"Those patients will be better off in the long run," he said.
Radial keratotomy is not without risks. There is the possibility of overcorrection, which makes the eyewall too flat and the patient farsighted. Sajadi said that about 2 percent of his patients were farsighted immediately after survive, and then only slightly.
Students considering the operation should be only mildly nearsighted, Sajiadi said. The minimum age for the operation at the Med Center is 20, and a person must not have had a change in vision in at least a year.
Related to the risk of overcorrection
Radial keratotomy can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 an eye. The Med Center charges $650 an eye.
immediately after surgery is the risk of progressive overcorrection, where the comea continues to flatten over a period of years. Sajjadi said some studies had shown that up to 20 percent of radial keratotomy patients had become progressively farsighted.
"That's a little worrisome," he said.
There is also the risk of a ruptured cornea. Because radial keratotomy weakens the eyewall, the cornea is more susceptible to be ruptured by an injury.
Steven Flory, a Lawrence optometrist, said he generally would recommend radial keratotomy for those interested.
"I think it's a good procedure," he said.
One of his patients who has had radial keratotomy has experienced some vision fluctuations, but the patient was highly nearsighted before the surgery. Flory said.
Students concerned about the risks of radial keratotomy might want to wait for photorefractive keratectomy, a newer type of corrective eye surgery currently awaiting approval
from the Federal Drug Administration. During a photorefractive keratectomy operation, a laser is used to remove a piece of the cornea.
One advantage of photorefractive keratectomy is that the eyewall is not weakened.
Radial keratotomy patients stay awake for the operation. Before her operation, Stout was given Valium and eye drops to numb her eyes.
"It only takes 10 minutes," she said. "You look up at these two lights, and your pupils are really dilated."
For about three weeks after her operation, Stout was sensitive to light.
"I kind of had to squint," she said.
At night she also experienced a "starburst" effect — strings of light that would spread out from light sources. The effect goes away after six months, she said.
Contact lens-free life is great, she said.
"It's incredible," she said. "You can see the alarm clock in the morning."
Kansans not eating enough fruits, fiber
The Associated Press
TOPEKA-Kansans don't know how to eat right, according to a survey conducted by the state Department of Health and Environment.
That means there is an increased risk of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses, said Steven Potsic, director of the department's division of health.
Potsic said at a Statehouse news conference that only one in five Kansans eats the right amount of fruits and vegetables. Department officials now are trying to find out why.
Judy Johnston, director of the department's Kansas Lean program, said they do know some general reasons for the pattern.
People don't know what foods fit into the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid, she
said. For example, an apple counts as a high-fiber food, or green peppers have high amounts of vitamin C.
"The perception is that they are not convenient, or they are too expensive," Johnston said.
In addition, people don't understand what a serving size is. The recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day means a half-cup of many foods like strawberries or potatoes.
People can add tomato, lettuce and sprouts to a sandwich at lunchtime or drink a glass of juice as a snack. They also can add sliced bananas or strawberries to cereal.
The study found that 29 percent of adult Kansans eat one or two servings of fruits and vegetables daily, instead of the five or more recommended servings.
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(Maybe it can help you save up to buy an atlas.)