As most of us well know, relatively high-end procedures such as LASIK eye correction surgery are generally not covered by insurance, or any form of health benefits scheme. So, it was interesting to see Metropolitan Business Council (MBC)’s new free, prescription drug discount card offer discounts on LASIK (and of course, a wide range of prescription drugs).

The discounts provided by the card even apply for drugs and procedures that are partially covered by insurance, and is accepted at over 50,000 pharmacies across the country, whether chains or independent centers. And the cost: Less than $500 per year for a household.

However, MBC’s discount card is aimed at small businesses or associations, with gtoups of more than 100 people being the general target group. So, while the card will be a boon to those who go without medical insurance, it will not be available to individuals without access to any participating associations or SMEs.

[News via eMediaWire]

Ever wondered what your eye doctor is talking about when he or she tries to sell you “customized” LASIK eye correction surgery (as opposed to standard LASIK)? Well, The Economic Times recently published a rather detailed write-up on the virtues of Custom LASIK.

Custom LASIK is touted of being able to handle the higher-order aberrations that Standard LASIK cannot as these higher-order aberrations tend to be irregularities that differ greatly from person to person. And how is this feat possible? According to the article, this is where wavefront LASIK (using devices such as the Aberrometer) comes into the picture.

Wavefront LASIK involves the mapping of the wavefront of your eye, in order to create a suitable eye correction plan. This will allow doctors to ensure a far higher degree of vision correction compared to off-the-shelf standard LASIK procedures. Of course, if you add in the iris registration technology Lasik World reported earlier, vision correction should climb yet another notch upwards.

But while you might learn quite a bit about customized LASIK from the article, there is no substitute for first hand knowledge from your prospective LASIK surgeon. Besides the additional knowledge you might gain, you’ll get confirmation of whether he or she really knows what LASIK is all about.

In a news article where an insurance company describes how health insurance has become increasingly expensive and unaffordable, a conjecture that the lack of insurance coverage for LASIK caused LASIK prices to fall is present.

The Chief Marketing Officer of PCI Insurance Inc. argues that insurance coverage of medical treatments removes the “…consumer choice and the pressure…” that the market exerts on such treatments. He continues by saying that “…only after consumers are given a choice… will the quality of care improve and costs fall.”

Based on the evidence presented to us so far, I’ll have to agree with his assessment. From the exorbitant $3,000 people used to pay for LASIK eye correction surgery, it now costs less than $1,000. And it’s now safer too, with iris registration technology, for example, backing LASIK up.

Imagine if LASIK surgery was covered by insurance. Even if there were alternatives such as Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICL), no one would bother with anything other than LASIK since LASIK would be covered by health insurance policies. LASIK costs would decline only slowly, or perhaps even increase, as LASIK surgeons face no credible competition.

So, for once, perhaps we should be thankful that LASIK surgery was never covered by insurance policies. However, I believe it is high time that it was. After all, prices are already rock bottom.

There are always successes and failures when it comes to everything, and LASIK eye correction surgery is no exception. We had both a success story and failure story recently. So, I would have liked to bring more good news to break the balance, but a failure story is all I have today.

Well, it’s not a failure story per se, but a news release regarding Kathy Griffin - the star behind reality TV show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Somewhere around the end of the article, we have Kathy Griffin talking about how she has “…lost 30 to 35 percent of my vision in my right eye…” after undergoing LASIK eye correction surgery. That’s a failure alright.

That’s not all though as she has now had a total of five surgeries on her right eye - which is very, very bad. And now, her doctors are recommending a cornea transplant - which apparently only has a 50% chance of success.

Overall, it’s clear that Kathy Griffin’s LASIK experience has been nothing but bad. It is these kind of experiences that make up the 1% of failures that LASIK surgeons say will occur. But hopefully, newer and better technology will allow LASIK to reach 100% success rates, or at least, a level where failures are very negligible, in the near future.

[News via The Daily Progress]

There’s always a market for LASIK alternatives due to the many reasons why someone wouldn’t want to undergo LASIK eye correction surgery. Some might not want to choose such a permanent procedure such as LASIK, or some might not qualify for LASIK due to dry eyes, thin corneas or over-bad eyesight.

In either case, LASIK alternatives such as Visian Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) come into the picture. Recently, Visian ICL was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now being performed in select eye centers in the United States.

Visian ICL has the advantages of not requiring removal of corneal tissue (which LASIK requires) and being reversible. This is because it is based on a “…unique, foldable design…” which “…allows the lens to be implanted with a 3mm incision and does not require stitches.” Apparently, competing technology such as LASIK requires an incision twice that size.

But if you’re looking for a non-surgical procedure, you’ll have to look elsewhere - perhaps to adaptive optics or Corneal Refractive Therapy. Furthermore, Visian ICL isn’t exactly cheap - though I do not have actual figures to quote at the moment.

In any case, ICL seems to be a tried and tested procedure - implanted in over 40,000 eyes worldwide so far. So, if you do not like LASIK, or do not qualify for it, you have Visian ICL as an alternative.

[News via Carolina Newswire]

Have you ever considered having vision beter than 20/20? What if you wouldn’t need surgery to achieve that super vision? Well, welcome to the 21st century as adaptive optics come into the picture, and at the forefront of this technology is PixelOptics - a company that has recently won a US Department of Defense (DOD) grant to perfect its "supervision" technology.

Wired News reports that PixelOptics’ chairman, Mr. Ron Blum, claims that his company’s technology "…could double the quality of a person’s eyesight." This technology is based on tiny electronically-controlled pixels inserted into conventional lenses - which can adapt to aberrations present in eyeballs. In fact, these pixels could possibly even adjust to certain environmental conditions that negatively affect eyesight. Wow.

But while PixelOptics’ hopes to produce a working prototype within a year, that prototype will most probably be military-only technology. I wonder how long it will take before such technology is available to us general folk - at a reasonable cost that is. For now, I think LASIK eye correction surgery or Ophthonix’s adaptive optics lenses seem to be safe, and rather affordable bets.

[News via Wired News]

Myopia - better known as nearsightedness - is a common eye-vision problem faced by people all over the world. From glasses to LASIK, a variety of approaches have been created to tackle myopia, but even now, there is no one method that is universally used as each method as its own pros and cons.

Over at WHOI, Jen Christensen writes an article on the various means available to treat myopia - from the relatively well-established LASIK eye correction procedure to the ultra-new Paragon Corneal Refractive Theraphy (CRT) system. But most of the article features the Paragon® CRT program.

Paragon CRT is fundamentally nothing more than a high tech contact lens system, where "…lenses are placed in the eyes at night and removed in the morning." But unlike LASIK or refractive surgery alternatives, CRT is not permanent, or even almost-permanent (like LASIK). CRT patients attain significant correction levels, but the contact lenses must be worn every night to retain the eye correction.

If not, your vision will return to its original state within a few days. Given that the Paragon CRT costs around $1,500, this temporary fix might seem a bit expensive, especially since the lenses will have to be replaced sooner or later. But in my opinion, CRT programs are useful for those who are unwilling to make the commitment towards full-blown eye surgery. I suppose there is far less to be worried about when you know that nothing sharp or dangerous will be going near your eye.

Generally, I prefer permanent or semi-permanent solutions like LASIK since I’m not the type that can tolerate wearing contacts every night. To me, there isn’t a difference at all between wearing contacts at night (Paragon CRT) or contacts in the morning (conventional contact lenses).

[News via WHOI] 

The Gaylord Herald Times reports the story of Tammy Cosby, 29, and her success with LASIK surgery. Her vision was actually corrected to better than 20/20 - a significant correction indeed.

The news report also includes Miss Cosby’s recommendation for LASIK eye correction surgery:

“The people I know had awesome outcomes. I’m glad I had it done,” Cosby said “It was simple and easy and I would recommend it to anyone,”

Of course, let’s not forget that the article is also a plug for the LASIK surgeon that operated on Miss Cosby, Dr. Jeffrey Chaulk of Gaylord Alpine Eye Care.

[News via Gaylord Herald Times]

In the same vein as the recently reported Vision-X Optical and Ophthalmic Exhibition and Conference is Antar Drishti-2006 - the 64th Annual All-India Opthalmological Conference. The main difference between the two is that Antar Drishti-2006 is extremely doctor-centric - severely limiting its audience.

Apparently, “…about 3,500 doctors from the US, the UK, Bangladesh, France, Singapore, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Afghanistan and India would participate in the conference…”, which will feature expert discussions and seminars on the various developments in the industry.

Of course, an up-to-date LASIK machine will be among the displays at the conference.

[News via WebIndia123]

What relation can you see between LASIK eye correction surgery and the 2006 Grammy(R) Celebration Party? Normally, you would see none, but this year, free Lasik surgery from Dr. Kerry Assil will be included in "…the traditional "gifting" of party guests…" at the Grammy Celebration.

Only one thing out of this whole "gifting" of party guests segment of the Celebration irks me. And that is the announcment that these gifts are actually meant to allow guests "to preview luxury products". I feel that by now, LASIK eye correction surgery should no longer be treated as a luxury product, in order to ensure that they are provided to as many people as possible. Idealistic yes, but even ideals can be realised if enough effort is put in.

[News via Business Wire]