NASA Approves Advanced LASIK for Use on Astronauts
SANTA ANA, CA (Sept. 21, 2007) - Advanced Medical Optics, Inc (AMO) (NYSE: EYE), a global leader in ophthalmic surgical devices and eye care products, today announced that the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) has approved the company's LASIK technologies for use on U.S. astronauts. The NASA decision was made following review of extensive military clinical data using AMO's Advanced CustomVue LASIK with the IntraLASE Method, which showed the combination of technologies provides superior safety and vision.
Approved for use on consumers almost a decade ago, more that 11 million LASIK procedures have been performed to-date, making it the most common elective surgical procedure in the U.S. But it wasn't until LASIK developed into an all-laser procedure that NASA approved it for use on pilots, mission and payload specialists who face extreme, physically demanding conditions in space. The all-laser LASIK technologies, which utilize wavefront guided and
femtosecond lasers, have also been cleared for U.S. military personnel, including most recently Air Force pilots.
Vance Thompson Vision of Sioux Falls, SD was the second surgical center in the United States to perform LASIK surgery using custom wavefront guided LASIK surgery in conjunction with IntraLASE technology.
The LASIK procedure is the right answer for most patients who are considering refractive surgery to improve their vision. However, in patients with higher degrees of nearsightedness or farsightedness, the cornea may be too thin to allow full refractive correction.
In these cases, surgical implants may be the best alternative. These special devices are placed in the eyes to improve their focusing ability.