Cathy Smith got her first pair of glasses in the 10^th grade. She graduated to hard contact lenses at 20, then moved to soft lenses two years later. She went through soft daily wear, extended wear, toric lenses for astigmatism, disposable lenses and back to daily wear. But the 39-year-old director of international resort marketing never felt contact lenses were appropiate for her active lifestyle.

On airplanes, her eyes would dry out . When scuba diving, she worried about losing a lens in the ocean. She has always loved jet skiing and wave-running , but the sting of the salt water in her contact lenses was painfully intolerable. Because of her astigmatism, she had poor distance vision and often lost sight of airborne balls while playing golf.

Ultimately she developed allergies to her contact lenses and had to settle for glasses. Two months ago Smith decided to abandon her visual crutches and undergo LASIK vision correction surgery. During a 20- minute procedure, her corneas were reshaped by the ultraviolet light of an excimer laser.

The result: 20/20 vision in both eyes.

"Laser vision correction has changed my life," she says. "I literally view the world differently now. I’m thrilled with the results and positive changes LASIK has brought to my life."

For Smith and roughly 1 million others, laser vision correction has been like a dream come true: a quick, safe alternative to eyewear.

In October 1995, the FDA approved the excimer laser for nearsightedness . Since then, eye surgeons also have been authorized to treat astigmatism and are awaiting approval to treat farsightedness.

Depending on the doctor, patients will be offered either PRK or LASIK vision correction surgery. With PRK, the surgeon scrapes off a thin layer of the cornea and uses a computer-guided laser to vaporize tissue to correct the patient’s refractive error which is causing their vision problems.

With PRK, it takes up to three days for the top layer to heal, and several weeks for the vision to fully improve. During the first three days there is discomfort ranging from a mild irritation to significant eye pain. Eye surgeons who are on the cutting edge are now giving up PRK for LASIK.

With LASIK, instead of scraping off the top layer, a motor-powered blade called a microkeratome is used to create a thin flap of corneal tissue. The flap is lifted and laser is used to resculpt the corneal tissue underneath.

After the laser reshapens, the flap is replaced and the cornea heals within hours. As a result, the discomfort is limited and optimum vision is usually achieved within days instead of weeks as with PRK. An additional benefit is that higher levels of nearsightedness can be more safely treated with LASIK because of less risk of corneal scarring.

Recently, there have been technological advances to make LASIK even safer and more effective. With the new Down-up LASIK technique the thin flap of corneal tissue is cut in a vertical direction, as compared to the original LASIK in which the cut was horizontal.

Down-up LASIK creates a hinge that is located at the top of the cornea, allowing for the flap to be returned to its original position with the help of gravity and the up and down movement of the eyelids. With Down-up LASIK, the procedure is safer, the patient is more comfortable and healing is even better.

With improved technology and safer surgical techniques more and more patients are taking advantage of laser vision correction. The benefits lasts a lifetime. Scuba divers no longer worry about being underwater and losing a contact lens. Surfers and other water enthusiasts no longer have to worry about the irritation of saltwater under there contact lenses.

Allergy suffers who can’t wear contact lenses can once again rid themselves of cumbersome glasses. Flight attendants, travelers and computer users no longer need to suffer from dried out eyes irritated by contact lenses. Snowboarders and skiers need not worry about a cold rush of air finding its way underneath their goggles and freezing a lens. Golfers no longer need to tolerate their glasses fogging up on misty mornings, making golf all the more difficult.

Peripheral and night vision also are improved following the surgery.

Numerous health care problems also can be overcome with laser vision correction. Contact lenses may cause corneal damage from infections, ulcers, swelling due to lens overwear and a chronic allergic reaction known as G.P.C. These potentially sight-threatening health risks are eliminated following successful laser vision correction.

Cathy Smith is one of the many who have undergone LASIK’s life-changing procedure. "It’s the first time I have been able to snow ski without having glasses fog up my vision," she says. "It’s amazing. I only wish I’d had it done sooner."