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FOX16 Family Health Headlines
Finding Support for Infertility Issues
According to the American Pregnancy Organization, the Natural State ranks 34th in the country in infertility, and many families in Northwest Arkansas are struggling to find support when dealing with infertility issues.
Family Health: Kids & Migraines
Fox 16's Donna Terrell shares details on this health story making headlines. Video
Family Health: How Yoga Can Help with Yard Work Effects
Fox 16's Donna Terrell has the day's health headlines in a look at how a little stretching can go a long way when it comes to soreness you may get after doing your spring yard work. Video
Family Health: Music Therapy for Babies
Fox 16's Donna Terrell has this story and more in today's Family Health report. Video
Family Health: Making Better Food Choices
Fox 16's Donna Terrell has the day's health headlines. Video
Family Health: Breast Cancer Breakthrough
Fox 16's Donna Terrell has the stories making health headlines. Video
Hyperopic ALK
Hyperopic (hy-per-AW-pik) automated lammelar keratectomy (luh-MEL-lur care-uh-TECK-tuh-mee), is a procedure used to reduce low to moderate levels of farsightedness.
Is LASIK right for me?
LASIK (LAY-sick) is the most popular eye surgery being performed. Each year, about a million people elect to undergo this procedure, which is designed to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Is PRK right for me?
Laser eye surgery has been a relief for millions of people who experienced the inconvenience of eyeglasses or contact lenses. One popular surgical procedure is called photo-refractive keratectomy (care-uh-TECK-tuh-mee), or PRK (P-R-K).
Is there discomfort from PRK surgery?
Most patients feel very little, if any, discomfort during PRK (P-R-K) surgery. It's not unusual to notice a little pressure around the eye, but most patients report no pain at all.
Laser eye surgery
In recent years, the laser has made an amazing impact on eye surgery. Not only are surgical procedures quicker and safer when operating with laser technology, but the healing time has been dramatically reduced from weeks or months to just days in many cases.
Laser vision correction
Wearing glasses or contacts is quickly becoming a thing of the past thanks to new developments in eye surgery. Almost a million people each year are electing to have some form of laser vision correction to eliminate nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
LASIK, "Flap and Zap," and the excimer laser
Laser assisted in keratomileusis (care-uh-toe-mih-LEW-sis), more commonly known as LASIK (LAY-sick), is the most popular laser eye surgery. This type of surgery became possible because of the development of the excimer (X-ih-mer) laser, a precision instrument capable of sculpting microscopic layers in the eye.
Lens implants
When you have cataract surgery, the natural lens of your eye is completely removed, and you nearly always receive a permanent, artificial lens at the same time.
Ophthalmic surgeon qualifications
All ophthalmic (off-THAL-mick), or eye, surgeons are ophthalmologists (off-thul-MAHL-uh-jists), meaning they're trained as medical doctors, so they're qualified to deal with all pathologies of the eye, as well as refractive errors.
Potential risks with LASIK
As with any surgical procedure, there are a few potential risks associated with LASIK (LAY-sick) eye surgery. It's important to be aware of these risks so you can make informed decisions about the procedure, especially if your career depends on your vision.
Potential risks with PRK surgery
Just about everyone who undergoes photorefractive surgery will experience some visual side effects. These effects are usually very minimal and don't last long.
Potential risks with radial keratotomy
As with any other surgical procedure, RK (R-K) can pose a risk for complications. RK involves the traditional method of scalpel surgery, and is very dependent on the skill of the surgeon.
Radial keratotomy
Radial keratotomy (care-uh-TAW-tuh-mee), or RK, is a surgical operation designed to improve nearsightedness by changing the curve of the cornea over the pupil.
Recovery from LASIK
If you're thinking of having LASIK (LAY-sick) eye surgery, you should be aware of some procedures involved in recovery. The recovery period is an important part of the overall process, and plays a large part in your final vision.
Recovery from PRK
PRK (P-R-K) eye surgery is relatively quick and painless, but recovery from the procedure can vary between patients, depending on the extent of vision correction and condition of your eyes.
Refractive surgery
Many people rely on glasses and contacts to correct their vision, but some find these methods inconvenient, uncomfortable, or unattractive. Refractive surgery is a general term for surgical procedures that can improve or correct your eye's focus by permanently changing the shape of the cornea.
Secondary implants after prior cataract surgery
Intraocular (in-truh-OCK-yoo-ler) lens implants are small eye lenses made of plastic-like material or silicon. These implants are inserted into the eye after a cataract has been removed.
Secondary membranes and the YAG laser
When a cataract is removed, it's common practice to keep intact within the eye a membrane called the posterior capsule. This membrane serves to support the lens implant that's placed in the eye during surgery.
Surgical procedures
As doctors find more and better ways to correct visual disorders, new surgical procedures will gradually come into common use. RK (R-K), considered revolutionary when first introduced, is now just one of several methods to correct refractive errors; it's joined by PRK (P-R-K), which reshapes the cornea with a laser, and ALK, or automated lamellar (LAM-uh-ler) keratectomy, in treating diabetic retinopathy (ret-in-OP-uh-thee), surgeons may use an argon laser to slow or stop abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina.
The sutureless technique
During cataract surgery, after the cataract is removed from the eye, an incision is made to insert the artificial, intraocular (in-truh-OCK-you-lur) implant lens, known as the IOL (I-O-L).
Types of surgery
There are many different types of surgery that can involve the eyes. You may undergo surgery to repair or remove various parts of your eye, such the cornea, eyelids, retina, and lens.
What is cataract surgery?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye, which doesn't allow a clear image to be formed on the retina, leading to a reduction in vision. In the early stages of cataract development, vision can usually be improved by changing the prescription of your glasses.
What is PRK?
Photo-refractive keratectomy (fow-tow-ree-FRAKT-ive care-uh-TECK-tuh-mee), or PRK (P-R-K), is an outpatient surgical procedure that uses laser technology to reshape the cornea gently, thus improving eyesight.
What is the Intrastromal Corneal Ring (ICR)?
If you're looking for an alternative to eyeglasses, contacts, or surgical procedures that cut or remove tissue from the eye, ask your doctor about corneal ring implants.
Wrinkles, furrows, collagen, and laser resurfacing
Collagen (KAWL-uh-gin) implants and laser resurfacing are two techniques used to correct unwanted wrinkles, furrows, and drooping in the skin around the eyes.
FOX16 Family Health
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