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University of Iowa Health Care
Contact: Tom Moore
Joint Office for Planning, Marketing and Communications
(319) 356-3945
thomas-moore@uiowa.edu
Release: Immediate
July 31, 2002
University of Iowa Health Specialists Offer Advanced Laser Eye Treatments
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Eye specialists at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics are now using the most advanced laser eye surgery system available to correct patients’ vision.
Technicians recently installed the new laser eye surgery system in the Iowa Eye Institute. The $350,000 system features the most advanced technology available. The device integrates a unique function that essentially generates a fingerprint of the eye with 3-D tracking capabilities and a treatment zone that is up to 51 percent larger than earlier systems.
“The system is precise, safe and flexible,” said John Sutphin, M.D., a clinical professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and a specialist in refractive corneal surgery. “We can treat patients even faster, yet the system is also very reliable and provides excellent outcomes.”
The new system is used to treat patients with myopia, myopic astigmatism, hyperopia and hyperopic astigmatism. The surgery team uses the state-of-the-art technology to provide photo-therapeutic keratectomy (PTK) and trans-epithelial (PRK) and subepithelial (LASEK) refractive surgery treatments, in addition to the more popular LASIK procedures. It’s the only laser eye surgery system that can capture all three dimensions of eye movements during a procedure, which means that it is not necessary to dilate the patient’s eyes.
“The technology also adjusts the size of the laser beam according to the treatment, which minimizes the amount of corneal tissue that is removed,” added Sutphin.
The system is manufactured by VISX, Inc. For more information, contact Lisa Milder at (319) 353-7625.
