LASIK Surgery

Wang Vision 3D Cataract and LASIK Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Seeing Is Believing
By Sameh Fahmy Staff Writer

New corneal surgery option gives hope to people with potentially blinding condition

A new corneal surgery is offering people with a potentially blinding condition known as keratoconus a new chance at sight.

In people with keratoconus, the normally basketball-shaped cornea bulges out to a shape that resembles the tip of a football. This abnormal shape prevents it from focusing light properly, but in most cases hard contact lenses can improve vision. Until now, the only hope for severe cases was corneal transplant surgery, which carries a lifetime risk of graft rejection.

A new option called Intacs corneal inserts can actually stop the disease from progressing, says Dr. Ming Wang, staff surgeon at Saint Thomas Hospital and director of Wang Vision 3D Cataract and LASIK Center.

Like internal tent poles, the implants reshape the cornea from a cone-like shape to a more normal dome-like shape.

Late last month, Steve Howell, 45, of Sparks, Tennessee, became the first person to have an implant placed in his left eye using an incision cut with a laser. His vision has improved, but he likely will still require correction with either glasses or contact lenses.

The most important benefit of the surgery, Wang says, is that unlike hard contact lenses, it prevents the condition from worsening.

''His disease is being arrested,'' Wang said, ''and that means he is no longer on the path to corneal transplantation.''