Timeline of Vision Correction

Laser surgery traces its origins to Japan's swiftly building war effort prior to World War II. Over the following decades, the developments in this field were far flung, with breakthrough discoveries made in Russia, Colombia, the United States and Italy.

Chronology

Circa 1000

Swiss physician A. Eugen Fick originates the term "contact lens" and publishes results of his experiments.

Japanese military initiative begins to enhance the vision of pilots. Dr. Tutomu Sato creates a secret weapon -- a surgical treatment that weakens the cornea, allowing it to flatten and compensate for the elongation of the eyeball. Dr. Sato's experiments are halted after his patients begin to lose their vision after several years.

Colombian ophthalmologist Jose Barraquer, considered the father of refractive surgery, performs lamellar surgery, working within the layers of the cornea (lamellae). Dr. Barraquer invents a microkeratome that shaves layers from the cornea, allowing him to shape the layer on a lathe, creating a contact lens from the patient's corneal tissue.

Lasers are first used in surgery.

Russian ophthalmologist Svyatoslav Fyodorov establishes The Moscow Eye Microsurgery Centre. Dr. Fyodorov announces a surgical cure for myopia -- the radial keratotomy ("RK"). The procedure involves reshaping the eye through cuts around the periphery of the cornea, which results in its flattening. At its peak, Dr. Fyodorov's clinics turn out a surgically corrected eye every 19 seconds through a special assembly line process.

IBM develops heatless laser etching with the excimer laser.

The National Eye Institute issues a public warning about RK, calling it "experimental."

The U.S. military conducts studies into improving the vision of military troops through RK. Ultimately, the Department of Defense bans RK as a procedure.

Dr. Stephen Trokel, an ophthalmologist and physicist, publishes landmark article following years of experiments using the excimer laser on corneal tissue. Article marks the beginning of the laser refractive surgery era.

Ophthalmologist Marguerite McDonald performs the first photorefractive keratectomy ("PRK") in a human patient.

Lucio Buratto of Milan, Italy, uses the excimer laser to remove tissue from the underside of a cap cut from the cornea. American ophthalmologists Stephen Slade and Steve Brint travel to Italy to observe Buratto's technique.

Drs. Brint and Slade perform the first laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis ("LASIK") in the U.S.

1.35 million LASIK procedures performed, a 40 percent increase over the previous year.

U.S. Department of Defense actively promotes laser eye surgery for military combat personnel.