Laser Eye Surgery
in Nashville, Tennessee
"Innovative Laser Eye Surgery Performed Locally", by Mariam Nabizad
Channel 4 News, January 20, 2005
A Gallatin man underwent corneal eye surgery that is the first of its kind. Doctors have never before tried to repair transplanted tissue while it was still in the eye until now.
One in every 500 Americans develop a genetic corneal disease named Keratoconus. The patient usually will need a corneal transplant. But if the transplanted cornea also became diseased, there was not much doctors could do. Now an innovative new surgery is giving hope for those with the disease.
The goal for patient Deric Watson was a normal shaped cornea. Genetic corneal disease caused his to protrude outward. Then his transplanted cornea also became diseased and irregular.
Dr. Ming Wang of Nashville's Wang Vision Institute says another cornea transplant comes with an extremely high risk of rejection. So instead of replacing it, Dr. Wang decided to repair it.
Dr. Wang delicately inserted a plastic ring. A supersensitive laser worked to attach the ring to the cornea wall. The hope is that the ring will provide tension to the existing transplanted cornea, working to remove it's sagging and restore a normal shape.
"They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, to me this is gorgeous. The cornea is now perfect," says Dr. Wang. The never before attempted in Nashville, laser eye surgery, was deemed a complete success.
"I'm happy because (Dr. Wang) put a contact lens in and it fit. That hasn't happened in years," says Deric. Not only was the cornea's shape fixed, within minutes of the procedure his vision was almost 75 percent restored.
"I'm anxious to see how things go in the next few weeks but I'm happy so far," said Deric.
He's happy because he's also a soon-to-be father. His dreams of capturing every sight of his newborn will now come true. No doctor had ever attempted the procedure. There have been repairs performed on corneas, but not ever on a transplanted one already in the eye.
Dr. Wang has received hundred of e-mails from people worldwide wanting to learn more about the historic procedure.
Contact us
Wang Vision
615-321-8881
1801 W. End Ave., 11th Floor
Nashville, TN 37203
The Wang Vision Institute provides laser eye surgery to patients in Nashville. Laser eye surgery requires that the patient is well informed about their medical options. This site is for informational purposes only and it is not intended to be medical advice. If you would like professional medical advice about any laser eye surgery procedure, schedule an appointment with us today.
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