Laser refractive surgery helps people overcome eyesight problems<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Hilda, who had just graduated from university, had experienced a
\nsight problem starting at junior high school. Since then, she had
\nto rely on her glasses but the spectacles only helped her to see
\nbetter instead of genuinely improving her vision.<\/p>\n
One day, she decided to undergo Laser-Assisted in-Situ
\nKeratomileusis (lasik) refractive surgery at a clinic in South
\nJakarta and after treatment, plus a three-hour sleep, she woke up
\nwith clear vision, without feeling any pain. On that particular
\nday, she kissed her glasses goodbye.<\/p>\n
With lasik surgery, people with various eyesight problems --
\nbe it myopia (short-sightedness), hypermetropia (long-
\nsightedness), astigmatism and presbyopia (middle-aged people's
\nneed for reading glasses) -- can eliminate their problems instead
\nof relying on visual aids.<\/p>\n
There is no official data on the number of people with
\neyesight problems in Indonesia but Sidharta Ilyas, a senior
\nophthalmologist with the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital, estimated
\nthe number at around 20 percent of the country's population.<\/p>\n
\"Those who can afford laser refractive surgery go overseas to
\nimprove their vision,\" he said during the launching of Laser
\nSight Centers Indonesia, located on Jl. Wolter Monginsidi,
\nKebayoran Baru, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The center is the second in Indonesia that can perform lasik
\nrefractive surgery -- after the Jakarta Eye Center in Menteng,
\nCentral Jakarta -- and it is a (franchised) branch of Australia-
\nbased Laser Sight Centres.<\/p>\n
The normal eye operates on the same principle as a
\nconventional camera, with the iris acting as the shutter to
\nregulate the amount of light admitted to the eye, while the
\ncornea and the lens focus the light rays from the object onto the
\nretina at the back of the eye.<\/p>\n
Eyesight problems can occur when the cornea and the lens are
\ntoo strong, causing the light rays to focus in front of the
\nretina (short-sightedness) or too weak, leading to failure to
\nfocus light rays onto the retina (far-sightedness).<\/p>\n
It can also be triggered by refractive error, as the cornea is
\nnot perfectly spherical. As a result the light is focused at
\ndifferent locations, causing asymmetric blur (astigmatism).<\/p>\n
People aged 40 and above are prone to presbyopia, a condition
\nthat occurs due to the aging eye, which naturally loses its
\nflexibility. That person will find it increasingly difficult to
\nfocus on close objects.<\/p>\n
All these visual problems can be corrected by Lasik refractive
\nsurgery, a painless procedure that combines conventional ocular
\nsurgery with state-of-the-art excimer laser surgical technology.<\/p>\n
First, the patient is given anesthetic eye drops and
\nophthalmologists prepare the area around the eyes with antiseptic
\nsolution to minimize the risk of infection.<\/p>\n
The procedure is performed by making a partial cut through the
\nfront surface of the cornea to create a 160-micron-thick flap,
\nthen a cool beam excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea,
\nincluding removing microscopic layers of corneal tissue to meet
\nthe person's specific refractive requirement.<\/p>\n
After the laser treatment, the flap is carefully repositioned
\nover the newly contoured corneal tissue where it adheres
\nimmediately with the underlying tissue -- like an own body band-
\naid -- thus eliminating the need for sutures, which helps speed
\nup the healing process.<\/p>\n
People suitable for the treatment are those aged 20 or above,
\nwith stable vision for the last 12 months, not pregnant and
\nenjoying good health in general.<\/p>\n
The procedure takes about 10 minutes for each eye, with an
\naverage of six seconds to cut the flap and about one minute to
\nreshape the corneal layer using the laser, said Aloysius Joseph
\nLow, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon from Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The quick treatment is done on an outpatient basis and offers
\nfast recovery without the usual post-operative discomforts,
\nincluding mild scratchy or gritty sensations and watery eyes.<\/p>\n
It is also safe, as 99 percent of patients can see much
\nbetter, while the remainder can enjoy obtain significantly
\nimproved vision, although they might still need another visual
\nenhancement treatment, said Raman R. Saman, an ophthalmologist
\nfrom the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
People with eyesight problems can undergo Lasik refractive
\nsurgery which cost from Rp 6 million (US$652) to Rp 12 million
\ndepending on the eyes condition.<\/p>\n
Saman and two other local ophthalmologists, Bondan Harmani and
\nBambang Triwiyono, have recently completed their intensive
\ntraining in Queensland, Australia, led by a pioneer of lasik
\nrefractive surgery and cofounder of the Australia-based Laser
\nSight Centres, Peter Stewart.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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