Hi!

In case you’re interested I’ll give a quick history of laser eye surgery, starting today with Radial Keratotomy and The Excimer Laser. Enjoy…

The Beginning - Radial Keratotomy

In 1898 a Dutch Ophthalmology professor explained the basic principles of keratotomy. This was followed in the 1930’s with some actual trial’s of the corneal incisions in Japan. These early tests unfortunately left many patients suffering with late corneal decomposition after the surgeries.

But in the 1970’s Dr. Svyatoslav Fyodorov from Russia actually “discovered” the procedure by accident: He used this technique to treat a boy who suffered from corneal lacerations after breaking his glasses. After treatment, the boy’s vision was better than before. This success encouraged Dr. Fyodorov to do some research on past efforts in this field. His findings caught the attention of American ophthalmologists in 1978.

After visiting Dr. Fyodorov in Russia, Dr. Leo Bores brought the technology to the United States. Now even though millions of people have undergone radial keratotomy there were some limitations discovered, which lead to more research into alternative forms and eye surgery and…

Enter the Laser - The Excimer Laser

The first excimer laser was invented in 1971 by Nikolai Basov, V. A. Danilychev and Yu. M. Popov, at the P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow. A later improvement was invented (and patented) in 1975 by George Hart and Stuart Searles of the United States Government’s Naval Research Laboratory.

An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet chemical laser, has been used in refractive surgery worldwide since 1987 and has proven a high level of effectiveness and safety. Millions of people suffering from various eye conditions have undergone this procedure.

An interesting fact:
Excimer laser light is typically absorbed within the first billionth of a meter (nanometer) of tissue:
“The Excimer laser is incredibly precise. It has the ability to focus a beam as small as 0.25 microns [and] capable of removing 0.5 percent of a human hair’s width at a time.”

In a few days I’ll continue the lesson with the history of PRK and LASIK.

Hope this helps!
Mark