Is there any surgery to cure myopia?
(Lansing State Journal, July 8, 1992)

Myopia, or as it is more commonly known, nearsightedness, is a condition in which the eye is not able to focus on far-away objects.  Two of the main components of the eye are a lens, called the cornea, and the retina.

The lens of a myopic eye focuses the incoming light too strongly.  The result: The image it creates is not focused on the retina but in front of it.  This results in a blurry image on the retina.  In the past, the only way to help a myopic patient was to place another lens in front of the eye.

There is now some experimental surgery being done to correct myopia in some patients.  There are at least two methods being used.  One is laser surgery called photo-refractive keratectomy.  An ophthalmologist uses the laser to reshape the cornea, thus changing where the image is focused.  Now instead of being focused in front to f the retina, most of the light is focused on the retina.  The eye heals within four days, but vision may be hazy for up to four months.  The second surgery uses a scalpel to reshape the cornea and is called radial keratotomy.  This method has a less accurate correction rate.  For more information about either of these surgeries, you should consult your eye care physician.

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