|
Year |
Event |
| 1268 |
First
recorded comments on
eyeglasses by Englishman
Roger Bacon |
| 1784 |
Benjamin
Franklin (USA) invents
bifocals |
| 1827 |
English
astronomer Frederick
Herschel invents hard
contact lenses |
| 1885 |
Dr.
Schiotz of Norway performs
the first surgery to
correct astigmatism |
| 1940's |
Dr.
Sato begins performing RK
and AK in Japan |
| 1961 |
Dr.
Barraquer in South America
begins performing
keratomileusis, an early
precursor to LASIK |
| 1962 |
Otto
Wichterie invents soft
contact lenses in Czechoslovakia |
| 1970's |
Dr.
Fyodorov modernizes RK/AK
in Russia |
| 1978 |
Dr.
Bores introduces RK/AK in
the United States |
| 1983 |
Dr.
Trokel (USA) describes the
use of the excimer laser
for vision correction
surgery |
| 1985 |
Dr.
Seiler (Germany)
performs the first excimer
laser treatment for
astigmatism |
| 1995-98 |
The
United States FDA approves
use of the excimer laser
for treating
nearsightedness,
farsightedness and
astigmatism. |
| 2003 |
VISX,
Inc. receives FDA approval
for CustomVue, the first
wavefront guided laser
treatment for
nearsightedness and
astigmatism |
The
surgical correction of vision
deficiencies, such as
nearsightedness and astigmatism,
started in the 1880’s, when
crude incisions were used to
reduce warpage of the cornea
(astigmatic keratotomy). These
techniques were advanced in the
1940's, as Dr. Sato invented RK in
Japan.
In
the 1960’s, Columbian surgeon
Jose Barraquer, M.D. began using
flap techniques and cryo-lathing
(keratomileusis) to reshape the
cornea. And, in the 1970's, Dr.
Fyodorov started a renaissance in
vision correction surgery in
Russia by modernizing radial
keratotomy (RK). His
success raised awareness of the
growing effectiveness of these
procedures, which, along with
technological breakthroughs in
laser systems, opened the door to
modern-day procedures such as
LASIK, LASEK and PRK.
With
the recent approval (May 23, 2003)
of the CustomVue wavefront guided
laser system, a new era of vision
correction surgery is underway.
Now, for the first time, there is
a realistic possibility that many
patients will see even better than
they did with glasses or contact
lenses.
|
