Difference between revisions of "Radial Keratotomy"
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Revision as of 23:41, 7 March 2007
A refractive surgery that corrects myopia.
How It Works
Radial incisions are made facing inwards and perpendicular to cornea. As the incisions heal, the center of the cornea flattens and refractive error is modified. The procedure is an ancestor of modern LASIK surgery, and is rarely performed today due to its unpredictability and tendency for inaccuracies.
Benefits
- Very safe
- Predictable for low range of Myopia
- Rapid results
Drawbacks
RK may result in:
- Significant glare
- Halos or starburst patterns around lights at night
- Structural weakening of the eye (resulting in a risk of ruptering with blunt trauma). Note: this is largely hypothetical.
- More incisions need to be made for patient's that are more nearsighted
History
Discovered by Svyatoslav Fyodorov during an attempt to remove glass from a young patient's eye. In order to remove the glass, Dr. Fyodorov made radial incisions in the cornea in a pie-like pattern to gain access to the broken shards. After the cornea healed, the patient's eyesight was, remarkably, improved.
Alternatives
Radial Keratotomy has been almost completely replaced in recent years by PRK, LASIK, and Intacs due to their higher degree of accuracy
External Links
References
