SMall Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE): It ’s what’s new in laser vision correction
The goal of laser vision correction (LVC) is to eliminate or reduce the need for glasses and contact lenses. LVC treats three basic refractive errors: myopia (nearsightedness), astigmatism (blurring of vision due to non-spherical shape of the eye), and hyperopia (farsightedness).
During an LVC procedure, the cornea — the clear dome on the surface of the eye — is reshaped in order to correct the refractive error. The different techniques to perform LVC are laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), phototherapeutic refractive keratectomy (PRK), and small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE).
LASIK and PRK
LASIK, the most co...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kathryn Hatch, MD Tags: Eye Health Source Type: blogs
Zeiss Gets Approval for ReLEx SMILE for Myopia Treatment for People with Astigmatism
Zeiss won FDA approval for its ReLEx SMILE product for performing myopia treatment on patients with astigmatism. The product is offered on the company’s VisuMax femtosecond laser system, allowing the creation of a lenticule inside the cornea and access incision in one step. The laser is used to create millions of “photodisruptions” within the targeted tissue, gently cutting through it with high precision.
A major benefit of ReLEx SMILE is that it allows for significantly smaller flaps to be created compared to LASIK, potentially resulting in 80% smaller side-cuts and 30% smaller cap cuts.
“Thanks to o...
Source: Medgadget - October 8, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Ophthalmology Source Type: blogs
Dry Eye: An Interview With Corneal Specialist Dr. Peter Polack
I met ophthalmologist and corneal specialist Dr. Peter Polack while speaking in Ocala, Florida. He told me that, by having his patients with dry eye—which has increased dramatically over the last 20 years—remove all wheat and grains, he is seeing this condition reverse within weeks, along with all the other health benefits.
Unlike other ophthalmologists, who virtually have nothing to do with diet and therefore prescribe the costly drugs Restasis and Xiidra (each cost $500-$550 per month), Dr. Polack rarely has to resort to use of these awful agents.
Here Dr. Polack speaks about his phenomenal experience.
More a...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - July 20, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates autoimmune dry eye gluten-free grain-free grains Inflammation restasis undoctored wheat belly xiidra Source Type: blogs
How to treat dry eyes
How common are dye eyes?The prevalence of dry eyes has been estimated to be 5-30% percent in persons aged 50 years and older, 7% of US adult population has been diagnosed with dry eye disease. The prevalence increases with age (2.7% in those 18 to 34 years old vs. 19% in those aged 75 years and older). Prevalence is higher in women than men (9% versus 4%).What are the risk factors for dry eye disease?- Advanced age- Female gender- Hormonal changes (primarily due to decreased androgens)- Systemic diseases (eg, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson disease)- Contact lens wear- Systemic medications (antihistamines, anticholinergi...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - January 2, 2018 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: noreply at blogger.com (Ves Dimov) Tags: Ophthalmology Source Type: blogs
The Secret Behind Our Powers of Perception
When you’re an eye doctor, and I’ve spent my entire career as one, you learn a lot about how people use, and misuse, the sense of sight to perceive the world around them. As humans, we’re constantly interpreting and occasionally manipulating our experiences to distinguish fantasy from reality. Some people are better at this than others. Some, for example, are consistently taken in by conspiracy theories or fake news stories, whereas others can quickly sniff them out as bogus.
A few years ago, I asked myself-what’s the difference between people with keen powers of perception and those with weaker powers? Is it educ...
Source: World of Psychology - December 22, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Staff Tags: Brain Blogger Memory and Perception Publishers Fantasy perceptual intelligence reality Source Type: blogs
First U.S. Physicians to Save Lives & Limbs with New DABRA Laser Technology: Interview with CEO of Ra Medical Systems
More than 200 million people worldwide, including approximately 8.5 million Americans, suffer from Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). In the U.S. and Europe, PAD is responsible for around 240,000 amputations every year. Nearly a quarter of patients die within 30 days and almost half within a year of their limb amputation. With the number of diabetic patients increasing annually, a group at high risk for arterial blockages, safer, faster, more effective, and less expensive treatment options have never been as important. DABRA is an innovative new technology from Ra Medical Systems that can combat the growing number of diab...
Source: Medgadget - September 25, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Alice Ferng Tags: Exclusive Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs
Outbreaks of Non-tuberculous Mycobacterium Infection in the United States
To date, 114 known outbreaks of human infection by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been associated with medical / other invasive procedures. 37 of these (32%) have reported from the United States. The following chronology is abstracted from the Gideon e-book series. [1] Primary references are available from the author.
1987 17 cases of Mycobacterium chelonae otitis media in Louisiana caused by contaminated water used by an ENT practice
1988 8 cases of Mycobacterium chelonae infection associated with a contaminated jet injector used in a Podiatry office.
1989 – 1990 16 cases of Myco...
Source: GIDEON blog - June 26, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Dr. Stephen Berger Tags: General Source Type: blogs
Healthcare Insurance: America ’s Collective Action Nightmare
By CHARLES SILVER
Across the country, ugly confrontations are occurring between Republican lawmakers who pledged to repeal Obamacare and Americans who are afraid of losing their healthcare coverage. The protesters’ fears are understandable. The cost of medical services can be devastating. The chief selling point for Obamacare was that, between the guarantee of coverage on the exchanges and the expansion of Medicaid, the vast majority of Americans would be protected. And the main difficulty that Republicans face in repealing Obamacare is the widespread concern that tens of millions of people might be tossed off th...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 7, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jonathan Halvorson Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Better Tool to Help Assess LASIK Patients
By: Malvina Eydelman, MD LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) eye surgery is an alternative for patients who need glasses or contacts to see well. Some 600,000 to 800,000 patients undergo LASIK in the U.S. each year, and a very high … Continue reading → (Source: FDA Voice)
Source: FDA Voice - December 14, 2016 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
Bogotá, Colombia – A Study of Medtech Contrasts
In conclusion, Colombia has a very pioneering spirit when it comes to medical technology. Despite some lack of resources as a still developing nation, an imperfect healthcare system, and a not-so-positive reputation based on its checkered history, Colombians have found a way to make things work, and in some cases, have shown themselves to be ahead of the curve in medical technology. With numerous tax incentives, a strategic location, and a friendly culture with a low cost of living, the government is hoping to make Bogotá the capital of medical technology in Latin America. If the country continues to make as much progres...
Source: Medgadget - July 7, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Scott Jung Tags: Exclusive Source Type: blogs
That’s The Fact Jack – MedJack and Device Cybersecurity
This article highlights the issue of medical devices and Cybersecurity, address the comprehensive regulatory response and evaluate the impact upon the medical device industry.
The medical device industry was somewhat taken by surprise when a well-known cyber security firm TrapX, published a report in early 2015documenting recent security breaches aimed at obtaining private and confidential medical information.7 TrapX branded these attacks as "MedJack" or medical device jack.8 The report also highlighted the existence of an "extensive compromise of a variety of medical devices which included X-ray equipment, picture arch...
Source: Policy and Medicine - April 20, 2016 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
How Specialization Is Making Quality Care More Affordable Across The Globe
Developing countries are catching up to the rest of the world — and in this case it isn’t good news. Higher rates of non-communicable diseases are increasing demand for services to treat cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Taking care of these patients, whether rich or poor, will require a massive expansion of services — from detection through complicated tertiary care. Both public and private sector providers will need to find affordable ways to close the gap between what’s available and the treatment that’s needed.
Without proper planning, efforts to expand health services can come with a big ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - February 25, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Chris McCahan Tags: Costs and Spending Equity and Disparities Featured Global Health Organization and Delivery Population Health Public Health Quality China India Mexico NCDs Source Type: blogs
Go Ahead, Have a Lasik!
This morning, I saw a TV ad for Lasik eye surgery and that got me wondering, “What’s happened to the price of Lasik since I had my procedure 10 years ago?” We hear a lot about the rising cost of healthcare. (By the way, how is that Obamacare working out for you?) But, what about medical procedures that patients pay for themselves? And so I called the ophthalmologist who performed my Lasik operation (with superb results, I might add) to find out the details.
Back in 2005, he charged $3,500 for fixing nearsightedness and astigmatism in both eyes, or $4,264 in 2015 dollars. Today, he charges $3,000. That amounts...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 2, 2015 Category: American Health Authors: Marian L. Tupy Source Type: blogs
What Health Policy Analysts Can Learn From Development Economics
Have you ever wondered why some countries seem completely dysfunctional — enjoying no economic growth or even negative growth and serving as home to millions of people who live on the income equivalent of one or two dollars a day?
In 1993, a group of economists developed a model which appears to theoretically explain this phenomenon quite well. As it turns out, the very same model can be used to explain the dysfunctionality in our health care system. It can also help us understand why so many proposed reforms are completely wrongheaded.
In the 1993 paper, Kevin Murphy and Robert Vishny (University of Chicago) and And...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - October 13, 2015 Category: Health Management Authors: John Goodman Tags: Costs and Spending Featured Insurance and Coverage Long-term Services and Supports Medicare Payment Policy Population Health Public Health Quality CalPERS John Goodman Minute Clinic productive activities rent-seeking Telemedici Source Type: blogs
FDA Enforcement Update From CDRH, CDER, and CBER: Advertising and Promotion
Keeping track of the Food and Drug Administration’s enforcement of advertising and promotion of drugs, devices, and biologics is a challenging task that requires constant monitoring. At this year’s 2015 DIA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, FDA representatives from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) provided a good summary of enforcement activity and priority areas that manufacturers should take note of.
CDRH Update: Promotion and Advertising of Devices
Deboarah Wolf spoke fr...
Source: Policy and Medicine - June 18, 2015 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
