Monday, July 28, 2008
Lasik Eye Procedure A Boon For Aging Boomers
BOSTON (WBZ) ― Like a growing number of people, Yolanda Rosero uses reading glasses for close work. In fact, she has eight pairs.
"I have it in my house. I have it in the car, and I have it in the office," Rosero says. "It's always a pain in the neck."
So Yolanda has come to the New England Eye Center.
"I wanted to be able to see better," she says.
She's having a procedure called "CK" - conductive keratoplasty - which corrects the changes that happen to the eye's lens as we age.
The procedure takes about three minutes.
After applying a few drops of anesthetic, Dr. Helen Wu places a small probe on a number of spots on the outer cornea.
The probe emits radio frequency energy, slightly heating the cornea.
"So it provides a belt-like effect," Wu says. "Which steepens the center, improving near vision. It's aimed at the growing number of aging boomers, forty- and fifty-somethings.
"It's huge, it's basically 40-some percent of the aging population."
:There was no pain," Rosero says after the procedure. "it was very comfortable."
Rosero will have to wait about a month to notice the improvements.
Joyce Hynds 1:11 (:03)
Joyce Hynds had the procedure three years ago, when she was 46.
"A hundred percent difference in the quality of your vision," she reports. "Perfectly crystal clear, as if I was in my teenage years again."
And since the effects last as many as three years, Hynds is nearly ready to have the procedure repeated.
"It's so easy," she says.
Besides having to repeat the procedure periodically, there's another thing to be aware of. Because CK is an elective procedure, insurance companies don't cover it. Expect to pay about $1,000. But think how much you'll save by getting rid of all those reading glasses.
