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In the News

San Diego Eye & Laser Center News:

Bladeless Cataract Surgery Comes to San Diego Soon!
San Diego Ophthalmology - June 2011

New revolutionary technology, initially pioneered in the LASIK eye surgery procedure known as femtosecond laser technology will now be available for use during cataract surgery. These new lasers could potentially hit the market by 2012 and Dr. Richard Leung might be on of San Diego's first ophthalmologists to receive this device.

Phacoemulsification cataract surgery has been around for many years and is an excellent standard of care for many cataract patients. This was initially invented by Charles Kelman, MD in 1967. This technology was microsurgery and enabled ophthalmologists to perform surgery through a tiny incision where the cataract could be vacuumed out and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens implant. Although phacoemulsification is considered to be the current state of the art cataract removal technique, many steps in the cataract procedure are still performed manually with either a surgical blade, a bent needle or forceps. The proposed blameless laser cataract surgery with the femtosecond laser can now perform these steps adding a greater amount of precision, safety and improved visual outcome to the entire cataract procedure. There are several manufacturing companies producing these machines in clinical work performed by US ophthalmologists.

Meat eaters might have higher RISK of developing cataracts
Source Web MD - June 2011

People who eat meat may be at increased risk of developing cataracts compared to vegetarians, a new study shows. Researchers at the University of Oxford in England say vegetarians and vegans are 30% to 40% less likely to develop cataracts than people who eat a lot of meat.

Researchers studied data on 27,670 people participating in the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition study. The participants in the study, all older than 40, were asked to fill out dietary surveys between 1993 and 1999. They were checked on between 2008 and 2009 to see if they had developed cataracts; about 1,500 had developed cataracts.

The participants were divided into groups according to the amount of meat they ate:

• Highest meat consumption: 3.5 ounces or more a day.
• Mid-range meat consumption: 1.7 to 3.4 ounces a day.
• Low-meat consumption: less than 1.7 ounces a day.
• Fish eaters: Those who ate fish but not meat.
• Vegetarians: Those who did not eat meat or fish but did eat dairy products and/or eggs.
• Vegans: Those who did not eat meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs.

Compared with those who ate the most meat, the risks for developing cataracts were lower for all other groups. Mid-range meat eaters had a decreased cataract risk of 4%, low-meat eaters 15%, fish eaters 21%, vegetarians 30%, and vegans 40%.

DR. LEUNG OF SAN DIEGO EYE & LASER CENTER APPOINTED CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR AT UCSD - June 8, 1998

SAN DIEGO — Dr. Richard Leung, head of the San Diego Eye & Laser Center, has been honored with an appointment as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.

Responsibilities associated with the title include the involvement in the education of medical students and postgraduate trainees at the UCSD School of Medicine. Appointees are encouraged to make important and significant contributions to the teaching programs at the university.

"I’m honored to be appointed a Clinical Instructor at UCSD’s Department of Ophthalmology," Leung stated. "I’m eager to begin my association with the school’s highly regarded Shiley Eye Center, and make a positive impact on residents studying to be tomorrow’s ophthalmologists."

Dr. Leung was nominated for the title by the UCSD Department of Ophthalmology Chairman, Dr. Stuart Brown. The appointment will be effective until Dec. 31, 1999, and is subject to annual review.

Dr. Leung has been a practicing ophthalmologist in San Diego for more than a decade, and has successfully performed more than 1,000 laser procedures to correct astigmatism and nearsightedness using the highest levels of technology and personal care.

He was the first surgeon in San Diego County to perform Down-up LASIK, a laser eye surgery that affords clients greater safety and faster visual recovery than any other vision correction procedure.

As an expert, he has been featured on several local television stations demonstrating Down-up LASIK. His techniques also have been highlighted in more than 10 major U.S. markets and Canada.

DR. PETERSON OF SAN DIEGO EYE & LASER CENTER ENHANCES CHILDREN’S LIVES THROUGH IMPROVED EYESIGHT

SAN DIEGO — For children, poor eyesight often means more than just blurred vision – it often translates into poor reading ability, developmental delays, perceptual problems and low standardized test scores.

"Children should to be tested before they enter into the first grade," explained Dr. Kristin Peterson, an optometrist at the San Diego Eye & Laser Center. "They don’t really know what they’re supposed to see, and don’t necessarily understand when there’s a problem. So much of their future depends on their eyesight today. By correcting refractive errors early, we can eliminate the need to play ‘developmental catch up’ later."

Because eyesight is somewhat hereditary, parents without the need for corrective lenses often are unable to identify initial warning signs that their child is having visual difficulties. It is often not until grades suddenly decline or there’s a loss of sports-related hand-eye coordination that the problem is discovered.

Of children entering into grade school:

• 2 to 4 percent have Hyperopia (farsightedness)
• 2 to 4 percent have astigmatism
• 2 percent have Myopia (nearsightedness)
• 2 percent have eye alignment disorders
• 8 percent (of males) have color vision abnormality

Myopia increases significantly during school years, afflicting approximately 20 percent of children by age 15.

According to published studies and P.A.V.E. (Parents Active For Vision Education), nearly 80 percent of what a child perceives, comprehends and remembers depends on the efficiency of the visual system. However, in the past decade, games that encourage the development of good vision skills have been replaced by passive visual activities such as watching television or playing computer games.

"Kids between the ages of 6 and 10 are at a very vulnerable state of learning and development," Peterson explained. "Small things can go without anyone doing anything. They may not be able to verbalize why they are having reading problems, and therefore struggle and become frustrated with school. This can be prevented by watching for the warning signs and ensuring children receive quality, routine eye care."

Once children have distanced themselves from school and sports due to poor eyesight, behavior difficulties may follow. Current studies show that approximately one out of eight children and seven out of 10 juvenile delinquents have vision problems that interfere with their ability to attain scholastic and social accomplishments.

"As a child, how we see the world greatly shapes our perceptions," Peterson said. "By giving children the gift of correct eyesight we give them so much more than clear vision. We give them an ability to learn and grow to achieve their potential."