More Info

Oct. 17, 2000-- A new generation laser brought a 64-year-old Salt Lake man to tears after it gave him his first clear vision in 40 years.

The device, the first one of its kind in Utah, corrects farsightedness in less than three seconds. Science Specialist Ed Yeates reports.

Dewey Oglesbee wasn't quite prepared to see clearly again -- this fast. But in less than three seconds, he did. It was an emotional experience he shared with everybody, especially his wife.

Dewey Oglesbee: "YOU LOOK GOOD."

Fifteen minutes earlier Dewey and another patient, Janice Hendricks, were like most farsighted people 40 years old and older who haven't seen well close up or at a distance for most of their lives.

But they became the first in a group of Utah patients to sit in front of the machine. It's a new generation laser that, unlike LASIX, does not treat the center of the cornea.

The instrument never touches the eye, but does its thing, making little white spots on the sides of the cornea in only 2.8 seconds. The spots disappear in a couple of days.

PHILLIP HOOPES, M.D., OPTHALMOLOGIST: "THE INSTANT THESE LASER BURNS ARE PLACED IN THE EYE - THE EYE INSTANTLY ROUNDS UP AND BECOMES STEEPER."

Unlike other procedures, this technique does not produce nightime side effects, like glaring or halo lights.

But the cornea may slip a bit back into its old shape again. So...

Dr. Hoopes: "WE TRY TO OVERSHOOT TO BEGIN WITH. WE MAKE PEOPLE A LITTLE NEARSIGHTED IN THE BEGINNING. THEN IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS THERE IS A LEVELING OFF OF THE EFFECT."

ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER THE PROCEDURE - AFTER THE BLURINESS HAS CLEARED UP IN BOTH EYES - DEWEY AND JANICE COULD READ A LINE OF SMALL TYPE."

JANICE HENDRICKS: "NINE, THREE, SEVEN, FOUR, TWO SIX. THAT'S AMAZING. IT'S WONDERFUL. I NEVER COULD DO THAT BEFORE."

DEWEY OGLESBEE: "AND I WOULD ALMOST HAVE TO GUESS ALL THE TIME. BUT NOW, I LOOK AT IT AND SEE THAT IT'S ONE MINUTE AFTER TWELVE AND 55 SECONDS."

Opthalmologists say they've been waiting for this for a long time. It's not perfect - but the first step, they say, in treating farsightedness in older people.

The results are remarkable, but they don't come cheap. Because of heavy competition in the field of laser surgeries, the new technique will cost patients about $1,300 per eye.

More Info

The initial application for the SUNRISE LTK Procedure will be for treating individuals within the following parameters:

• Be at least 40 years of age

• Low to moderate hyperopia in the range of +0.75 to +2.50 diopters (measure of the focusing power of the eye)

• Stable vision for at least six months and healthy eyes

• Astigmatism less than or equal to +/- 0.75 diopters