Participate in Contact Sports? LASEK is the Answer

One of the many questions I face from prospective patients inquiring about LASIK is "When is it safe to get hit in the eye?"  The answer may be never!  If the eye is hit at just that right angle with just the right force, there is a chance that the LASIK flap can be moved.  Case in point:  I reported the 2 latest cases in medical literature of LASIK flaps moving up to 9 years after the original surgery.  The results were presented at last years American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery's Annual Meeting in San Francisco.  The title of this presentation was:  Late Onset Dehiscence of LASIK Flap.

So, when a prospective patient tells me they are actively involved in activities that may lead to an eye injury such as:

• Boxing or martial arts
• Occupations such as special forces

I will try to convince them to opt for LASEK, a surface treatment that involves no flap.  If one gets hit in the eye following this procedure, there is no increased risk of injury.

Doug Miller is moving towards a career as a professional Ultimate fighter.  He discusses his results with LASEK with me here.

Comments

[drtheeye]

Epi-lasik and lasek are new refractive surgery techniques to correct refractive errors. Both of them have advantages over lasik with less flap related complications but patients with high refractive errors are not good candidates for epi-lasik and lasek. In lasek there will be epithelial flap creation but without microkeratome, so flap related complications are much less than in lasik, and that i sway it is better for patients who are in a risk of trauma like those involved in contact sports and also those involved in the military

[Cary Silverman]

Doug happened to be in the office today for a pre fight physical. He is still 20/20 and will be fighting in his first pro bout this Friday in Jersey City. Let's wish him luck in his pro debut!

For more info on the fight venue: http://www.amafightclub.com/upcoming-events/