Why you can’t enjoy Avatar

Posted on February 3, 2010 | No Comments

The 3-D version of Avatar has two images projected on the screen, each image seen by one eye. The images are then merged into one by your brain. If the images aren’t perceived correctly, it will be very difficult to merge or fuse the images into 3-D. The technology behind the Avatar 3-D effects is based on the premise that the viewer has the ability to see 3-D or has good stereovision.

“There are a variety of vision problems which may cause difficulty in viewing 3-D Avatar.  This may cause headaches or at the least make viewing very uncomfortable,” explained Dr. Farooq Ashraf, medical director of the Atlanta Vision Institute.

Research has shown that up to 56% of those 18 to 38 years of age have one or more problems with binocular vision and therefore could have difficulty seeing 3-D. In addition, about five percent of the population have amblyopia (lazy eye) and/or strabismus which makes 3-D viewing impossible.

Study Shows UV-Blocking Contact Lenses Can Protect Eyes From Sun Damage

Posted on February 2, 2010 | No Comments

A new study reported in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that UV-blocking contact lenses can reduce or eliminate the effects of the sun’s harmful UV radiation.

According to the article, “Prevention of UV-Induced Damage to the Anterior Segment Using Class I UV Absorbing Hydrogel), overexposure to UV radiation can lead to harmful changes in the cornea, conjunctiva and lens, includingcataracts, the most common cause of visual impairment around the globe. According to the researchers, some estimates say that by the year 2050, there will be 167,000 to 830,000 more cases of cataracts.

Dr Ashraf adds that UV light exposure not only puts your skin at risk but also the eyes. Certain eye diseases have been implicated to UV exposure including cataracts, pterygium, and macular degeneration. This study shows that UV blocking contact lenses are beneficial in decrease your risk to UV exposure to the eye. In patients that do not wear contact lenses, such as ones that had LASIK surgery, good UV blocking sunglasses and hats also aid in decreasing UV light exposure. Dr Ashraf adds that these preventative measures are important not only in the summer but also during winter activities such as skiing in which the sun light gets reflected off the snow and can enter the eye.

Dry Eye Common Condition with Laser Vision Correction Patients

Posted on May 4, 2009 | No Comments

Dry eye is very common in patients presenting with cataract or wanting refractive surgery, said Kerry D. Solomon, M.D., Charleston, South Carolina. “These are people whose ocular surface disease has made contact lenses or spectacles uncomfortable,” Dr. Solomon said speaking during an EyeWorld Educational Symposia. The ocular surface is the refractive surface of the eye, he said, and dry eye is the most common complaint after LASIK. “Keep in mind that one in four or one in five patients presenting in your offices has dry eye,” he said. Dr Ashraf, Atlanta LASIK surgeon, adds that preoperative screening for dry eyes prior to LASIK is very important. “With screening and aggressive treatment prior to surgery, our post LASIK dry eye complaints have decreased tremendously over the past year,” adds Dr Ashraf.

Worldwide review shows high patient satisfaction rate with LASIK surgery

Posted on April 23, 2009 | No Comments

The report notes that 16.3 million surgeries have been performed worldwide to date, and about one million LASIK surgeries are done annually in the United States. This peer-reviewed report provides a systematic worldwide overview of LASIK patient satisfaction as of 2008. Report findings were first released last year by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). LASIK has been assessed and improved by more than a decade of clinical studies and technological innovation since the procedure was introduced.
The review found an overall patient satisfaction rate of 95.4 percent (2,097 of 2,198 subjects), with a range of 87.2 to 100 percent.. For an elective surgery like LASIK, satisfaction criteria include whether the patients’ physical, emotional, and financial expectations are met and physical and psychological benefits achieved.

The researchers looked at whether patient satisfaction with LASIK has changed over time by comparing rates for surgeries performed 1995 to 2000 with those performed 2001 and after. The rate was 96.0 percent in the earlier period and 94.6 percent in the later period, confirming consistently high patient satisfaction. The review also analyzed satisfaction rates in relation to questionnaire characteristics, administration methods and timing, type of patient refractive error (near- or farsightedness, astigmatism) and country. All analyses showed very high overall patient satisfaction rates. Questionnaires used in all studies allowed patients to rate their satisfaction on graduated scales, from “satisfied” to “dissatisfied.” Five articles offered an “undecided” category, and patients who selected this option were not included in the review analysis.

The research team reviewed 19 studies from 13 countries representing the U.S. and most areas of the world, encompassing 2,198 subjects who had LASIK between 1995 and 2003. A comprehensive international literature search performed by a Storm Eye Institute panel had indentified 309 peer-reviewed, well-designed studies of primary (original) LASIK surgery, of which 19 reported on both patient quality of life and satisfaction. All were randomized, controlled clinical trials, or cohort or case-controlled studies.

“This surgery confirms what patients and physicians performing LASIK have known all along, that LASIK surgery is safe, effective, and yields very few side effects.” adds Atlanta LASIK surgeon Dr Ashraf of the Atlanta Vision Institute.

April 2009 Issue of Ophthalmology.