Dr. James J. Salz gave two lectures at the International Congress meeting of the Italian Society of Ophthalmology in Rome, Italy, which took place from May 17-20, 2006. This meeting was also a regional meeting of the International Society of Refractive Surgeons of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Salz has been past chair of this Society and is currently on its executive committee. Dr. Salz gave one lecture on intraocular lens calculations after refractive surgery and a second on the pre and post-operative management of LASIK patients with large nighttime pupils.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with over 2,000 colleagues from Europe at this important meeting,” said Dr. James Salz.

Laser eye surgery involves reshaping the cornea, the outer lens of the eye, with an excimer laser beam, to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Laser vision correction was first approved by the FDA in 1996 and the procedure has undergone multiple refinements since the original approval including flap creation with a laser instead of a blade and customized wavefront based treatments which improve the chances of obtaining 20/20 vision or better and provide better quality vision with fewer side effects such a night glare and halos

LASIK is a popular form of laser eye surgery uses a combination of automated lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) using a microkeratome (FDA approved) to create a “flap” and the excimer laser (FDA approved) to reshape the cornea (“zap”). LASIK is the most commonly performed laser eye procedure worldwide.

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Eyes are often the subject of songs and poetry and sight is one of our most precious senses. Still, most take theirs for granted. So how do you protect your windows to the soul?

Most people take their sight for granted, yet in the next two decades about one million Australians will go blind or suffer vision loss. They'll then also be more at risk of injuries and, perhaps because of increased isolation, they'll be more likely to suffer depression.

Vision loss cost Australia a total of $9.85 billion in 2004 - more than it costs to treat and manage coronary heart disease, stroke, arthritis or depression. But around 75 per cent of vision loss and blindness ispreventable or treatable. Looking after your eyes now may stop you losing your sight in the future.

"In a study, 80 per cent of people said sight was important for ageing in a healthy way. But when we asked people to rank the most important regular health checks, eyes wereat the bottom of the list," says Jennifer Gersbeck, CEO of Vision 2020 Australia, a national organisation which encourages eye care and works with the government to develop the National Framework for Action to Promote Eye Health and Prevent Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss.

"People want healthy eyesight but they don't do anything in apreventative sense," says Gersbeck. "They get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked and have aregular mammogram and Pap smear, but they don't think about their eyes."
About 80 per cent of vision loss and blindness in Australia is caused by five key conditions.

Refractive Error • what is it?
Refractive error is the most common cause of vision problems. The image of an object is not focused properly on the retina - the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye - so images are blurred. Common refractive errors are myopia (short-sightedness) and hyperopia (long-sightedness).

"About 1.6 billion people in the world are short-sighted," says Professor Deborah Sweeney, CEO of the Vision Cooperative Research Centre (Vision CRC). "Partly because we spend more time watching TV, using computers and studying."
• signs - Refractive error increases with age. You'll have difficulty doing close work if you're long-sighted and you'll have trouble driving or seeing long distances if you're short-sighted.

• treatment - Over half the people with this problem would have their sight improved by wearing a correct pair of glasses or lenses. Vision CRC is also developing an anti-myopia lens. "We're developing a lens that looks at the way light enters the eye and how it focuses on the back of the retina to keep things in focus," says Professor Sweeney. "We may see something on the market in the next two years."
• prevention - Get your eyes tested every two years. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, have regular eye tests.

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When a baseball hitter gets on a roll, the cliche is that he is "seeing the ball better."

For Salt Lake Bee infielder Casey Smith, it's not just a saying. It's fact. Smith went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored in leading the Bees to a 12-4 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday at Franklin Covey Field. That raised his season batting average to .333.

Last year Smith was a .221 hitter for the Stingers. The big difference? This year he actually is seeing the ball.Smith had Lasik surgery on his eyes two years ago, but excessive scar tissue on his right eye after the procedure made his vision unclear when his eyes dilate. "So when it gets dark, I have trouble seeing," Smith said.

That was a huge problem last season. The vast majority of the games are played at night. But Smith has found a solution. He now puts drops in his eyes about eight hours before game time. "They keep my eyes from dilating, and it makes a world of difference," he said.

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The eyes are the window to the world and it’s no fun when you need glasses or contacts to get a clear view.

But in Texarkana, patients can take advantage of state-of-the-art excimer laser treatments at Collom & Carney Eye Institute to see the world without having to resort to contacts or glasses.

“Particularly at this time of the year there is a high level of interest in LASIK treatment. As people are heading to the lake, pool or the beach, they struggle if they need glasses or contacts and seriously consider the freedom natural vision without them can bring to their lives,” said Dr. Wanda Northam, an eye surgeon at Collom & Carney.

“We brought LASIK to the Texarkana area over eight years ago, and although the results have been remarkable, I’ve been amazed at the extra dimension to the quality of vision that wavefront Custom Cornea has added.” Dr. Northam said. “The LADARWave measurement device creates a unique 3D map that serves as a guide for the laser treatment.”

Each patient’s customized map is created by transmitting a safe ray of light into the patient’s eye. The light is reflected off the retina and out through the pupil, where it is received and arranged into a unique pattern representing the patient’s distortions. These visual irregularities are displayed as a three-dimensional map, referred to as a wavefront map. This is matched by computer to the eye’s position, enabling Dr. Northam to customize LASIK for each patient’s visual requirements.

“Astronomers have been using wavefront technology for decades to detect and remove atmospheric distortions that blur images seen through powerful telescopes,” she said. With this same technology being applied to vision correction, Dr. Northam can measure and reduce visual abnormalities that couldn’t be detected before.

The custom wavefront lasers are more expensive but offer greater accuracy in producing high quality vision. Cost depends on the procedure, the equipment used and the expertise of the surgeon.

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