100 lives changed in 100 minutes:

Cataract-lens implants
Ryan Burgess is joined by Dr. Allen Zieker from the Albany Regional Eye Surgery Center in Latham to tell us more on how the procedure works.

LATHAM, NY - "No, no pain at all. Nothing. I didn't feel a thing," said eye surgery patient Rita Montgomery.

Well, the saying no pain, no gain does not apply here. She didn't feel a thing during during her eye surgery, but in 20 minutes, the lens in her eye was replaced and her vision went from blurry to new found clarity.

"In this particular case, she had some astigmatism, so I made some incisions with a diamond knife to alleviate the astigmatism," said Ophthalmologist Dr. Allen Zieker.

And he's not the only one performing the procedure. One-hundred eye doctors across the country simultaneously changed the lives, of 100 low-income patients in 100 minutes -- all for free.

"Patients can actually see much better when they're done. Depending on the degree of vision loss, it's miraculous in terms coming from not seeing at all, sometimes not even a hand in front of their face, to seeing their grandchildren for the first time in years," said Zieker. It may seem like a miracle, but having the chance to see makes sitting down for surgery worthwhile.

"The patients who are receiving the lens today might not otherwise have access to this technology or be able to afford it. So this is a great opportunity for us as a company to provide a high quality of vision to those patients," said Bausch & Lomb Sales Representative Paul Connell.

Doctors said that in terms of patient recovery, it's not out of the realm of possibility to be driving within one day of the surgery. That's something this patient is especially excited about.

"I drive a lot at night. I drive my daughter to her games and back and forth at night, and I just want to make sure that I can see the best that I can" said Montgomery.

Without the free surgery, this would not have happened.

"It means a lot when you're a working parent. It means a lot," said Montgomery.

For Rita Montgomery, the gift of better vision is priceless. It changed her vision, it changed her life.

Article by: http://capitalnews9.com
Updated: 04/09/2008 04:32 PM
By: Ryan Burgess

IntraLase/US Navy:

We are thrilled to announce our participation in a groundbreaking event in U.S. Naval medicine and refractive surgery.   In early November, the first of four Navy aviators chosen to undergo LASIK surgery with the IntraLase method was treated.  This is a milestone event as LASIK is not currently approved in the U.S. military aviation community.

In the past, concern about the harsh aviation environment has prevented its use.  High altitude, dry air, and wind blast are just some of the extreme conditions that these pilots encounter, but years of LASIK trials on non-aviation personnel encouraged the Bureau of Naval Medicine.  The first LASIK procedure was performed on Marine Capt. Michael Oginsky at the Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Refractive Surgery Center.  Within just four hours of his surgery, Capt. Oginsky’s vision was 20/20 and it had continued to improve at the 24 hour mark. 

According to Capt. Steve Schallhorn, Navy Program manager for Refractive Surgery, “While LASIK has been around for many years and is a common elective procedure; this is a significant first in the aeromedical field.  Wavefront guided LASIK using the IntraLase Method represents the best-of-the-best and is a truly exciting advancement for critical Navy personnel whose sight is of utmost importance in their military duties.”