Newly FDA-Approved Laser Expands Treatment Options for Nearsightedness

On September 13th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved use of the new VisuMax Femtosecond Laser for the Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) procedure, to reduce or even eliminate nearsightedness in patients 22 years of age or older. Lance Kugler, M.D. (lasikomaha.com), local refractive surgeon and expert in the field, has been working closely with the manufacturer, Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc. of Dublin, California, to launch this technology in the United States.

Myopia, or nearsightedness, has reached epidemic levels in America, with upwards of 40 percent of American adults dependent on artificial means such as glasses or contacts to function in their daily lives. The VisuMax Femtosecond Laser removes a small amount of tissue from the eye, permanently altering the shape of the cornea. This reshaping of the eye’s surface corrects nearsightedness by altering the way light enters the eye and enabling that light to be sharply focused on the retina. The safety and effectiveness of the new device has found that the SMILE procedure resulted in stable and effective vision correction at six months post-surgery.

Dr. Kugler’s practice, Kugler Vision (lasikomaha.com), is a world-class refractive surgery center located in the middle of the country, making Omaha a destination for incredible vision correction outcomes.