History of LASIK

History of LASIK

LASIK, an acronym for Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, has revolutionized the vision correction industry. Although the idea that vision improvement could be made possible by flattening the cornea was proposed a century ago, it wasn’t until the 1930s that doctors tried cutting the cornea to change its shape.

Radial Keratotamy – the Predecessor to LASIK

At times, medical discoveries come about in the oddest of ways. A young physician leaves out a Petri dish while studying bacteria and voilà – Penicillin is born. Clinical trials on the drug Sildenafil don’t produce anticipated results for use on angina and hypertension, but when the male trial subjects are reluctant to return the unused pills that leads to the discovery of Viagra – an oral drug for male impotence. The story behind Radial Keratotamy is no less amazing.

A Russian doctor had been treating a young lad with cuts in his eyes from broken spectacles during a fall. The boy sustained only minor eye damage when the broken glass shaved a layer off the eye’s outer surface. When the previously near-sighted boy showed vision improvement, Dr. Svyatoslav Fyodorov became intrigued, eventually going on to publish his discoveries. American doctors later expanded upon Dr. Fyodorov’s discovery after obtaining research funding for the procedure.

A Brief LASIK Timeline in America

  • 1978 – American doctors realize the potential for coupling the Radial Keratotamy surgery with an Excimer laser
  • 1980 – the Excimer laser is first used by a doctor on other biological tissue
  • 1983 – a landmark paper is published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, outlining the potential for the Excimer laser use in refractive surgeries
  • 1989 – first patent for LASIK granted
  • 1992 – ten surgeons test the Visx laser at ten U.S. centers
  • 2000 – an estimated one million people undergo vision correction with LASIK

Please contact us if you’d like to consider LASIK. Katzen Eye Group in Baltimore and Lutherville, Maryland can answer your questions and evaluate your eyes for the procedure.


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Our locations

1209 York Road,
Lutherville, MD, 21093
410-821-9490
Hours
Monday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Tuesday-Thursday: 8:00am-6:30pm
Friday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-1:30pm

301 Saint Paul Place
Professional Office Building
Suites 514 & 902
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-727-8380
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Mon-Fri: 8am-4pm

Ridge Road Professional Center
7106 Ridge Road
Rosedale, MD 21237
(410) 866-2022
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Thursday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Friday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-1:30pm

3401 Box Hill Corporate Center Drive
Suite 202
Abingdon, MD 21009
410-569-0707
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Monday: 8am-4pm
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Wednesday: 8am-5pm
Thursday: 8am-5pm
Friday: 8am-4pm
Saturday: Starting August 24th, we are open every other Saturday between 8:00 am-12:30pm


111 Mt Carmel Rd #600
Parkton, MD 21120
410-329-6700
Hours
Hours:
Monday 8:30am - 6:00pm
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Wednesday 8:00am - 4:30pm
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Optical Opens at 9:00am each day.

**Now open the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month effective July 10, 2024**

310 Main Street
Reisterstown, MD 21136
410-833-5515
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Mon: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tues: 8:00 am - 6:30 pm
Weds: Now open the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month effective 7/10/24
Thurs: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fri: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sat (First and Third Saturday of the month): 8:00am - 1:00pm

21 Crossroads Drive
Suite 425
Owings Mills, MD 21117
443-738-4270
Hours
Tues & Thur: 8:00am-5:00pm
Effective 10/1/24, Dr. Nelson will be relocating to Lutherville every Tuesday.

901 Dulaney Valley Road
Suite 200
Towson, MD 21204
410-583-1000
Hours
Mon-Fri: 8am-4pm