CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, September 21, 2007 -- The National Aeronautics
and Space Agency (NASA) has approved Bladeless Lasik technologies
for use on U.S. astronauts. The NASA decision was made following
review of extensive military clinical data, which showed the combination
of femtosecond laser for Lasik flap creation and wavefront-guided
excimer laser for corneal sculpting provides superior safety and
vision.
Approved for use on consumers almost a decade ago, more than 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 Bladeless Lasik technologies,
which utilize wavefront guided and femtosecond lasers, have also
been cleared for U.S. military personnel, including most recently
Air Force pilots.
"NASA's approval is further evidence that today's Lasik exceeds
all established standards of safety and effectiveness," said Steven
Schallhorn, M.D., retired captain of the U.S. Navy, investigator
in multiple studies involving use of Lasik and other refractive
surgeries for treatment of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism,
and Medical Director for Optical Express. "NASA followed the Naval
Aviation clinical studies closely with a particular interest in
both safety and quality of vision under extreme conditions. Wavefront
guided and femtosecond lasers were proven to provide excellent safety
with consistent visual results of 20/20 or better. Lasik was able
to withstand even the most extreme rigors of warfare and flight.
All surgical procedures have risks, but with this exceptional track
record, the average consumer has nothing to fear from Lasik."
Dr. Schallhorn, himself a retired naval aviator, spearheaded
the majority of the Defense Department's research in laser vision
correction.
