Extract
Ophthalmic Lasers
38453851INDUSTRY SNAPSHOTBy the middle of the twenty-first century's first decade, refractive surgery was a $2.8 billion segment of the larger $40 billion eye care industry, according to North American eye care services company TLCVision. As defined by Webster's Dictionary and several Web sites, refractive surgery is surgery that is performed to correct visual acuity or the focusing power of the eye by altering the shape of its cornea, most commonly with the use of lasers, to change the angle at which an image is projected onto the eye's retina. Refractive surgical procedures include keratotomy, PRK, LASIK, and corneal implants. As defined by Webster's Dictionary, a laser is a device that produces an intense, usually narrow and monochromatic beam of light produced from radiation, which is achieved by boosting electrons in atoms to a high energy level, then dropping the energy level back down.In 2006, more than five million Americans had undergone laser surgical procedures in the United States to correct nearsightedness, astigmatism (distorted images from irregularities in the cornea or lens of the eye), and farsightedness. LASIK, which reshapes the cornea to correct focusing power, dominated optical laser surgeries in the United States. The procedure was performed by approximately 3,600 surgeons and accounted for more than 90 percent of all refractive surgeries, according to technology research firm Gartner, Inc.'s annual report, Market Scope.The universe of prospective eye surgery candidates remained sizable heading into the late years of the first decade of the 2000s, with roughly 55 million prospective candidates suitable for the procedures. This figure is not surprising, given both the squeamishness many people feel about putting their eyes in the path of a laser beam and the relatively high cost, depend...See the full content of this document
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