Rush to Perfection Risks Young People’s Vision

​Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Highlights Importance of Proper Screening Before Treatment

Young people in search of ‘perfect’ vision may be putting their eyesight at risk if they do not undergo proper screening before corrective surgery, warn physicians at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part Mubadala’s network of healthcare providers. 

Refractive surgery procedures such as LASIK can have a hugely positive benefit for people who need glasses, allowing them to experience normal vision without wearing glasses. Proper and detailed evaluation of patients is necessary to get the maximum benefit from corrective surgery with the least risk. It is critical to ensure patients’ eyes are fully developed, their need for glasses is stable, and that they do not have any underlying conditions that could cause surgical complications. A person’s visual system can continue to develop well into adulthood, and doctors usually determine that a patient’s vision is fully developed once a person’s glasses prescription has remain unchanged for around a year. 

However, young people are increasingly turning to eye surgery to improve their vision before it has stabilized, in the hope of no longer needing glasses. In such cases, a lack of proper screening can lead to the benefit of surgery not lasting and the need for further corrective surgery. 

“In my practice I see many young people under the age of 18, who want to have corrective surgery. However, refractive surgery is like permanently sculpting the best possible pair of glasses for your current prescription into your eyes. It doesn’t stop your eyes from changing or stabilize the vision. I explain to many of these patients that they need to wait until their eyes stop changing, or they’ll find themselves needing glasses again very soon,” says Dr. David Gritz, an ophthalmologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Doctors at the hospital recently saw a young patient who had undergone corrective surgery at another hospital without detailed screening. Following the surgery, his eyes continued to develop causing him to need glasses again just four months later. Ineligible for follow-up surgery, his vision continued to worsen over the next year to the point that he now requires much stronger glasses.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi performs comprehensive screenings on all patients looking to surgery to improve their vision. This screening ensures the patient is given the best advice on whether they are good candidates for surgery and have minimal chance for side effects. Patients deemed eligible for surgery can benefit from custom laser vision correction, giving them the best chance for excellent vision without glasses. 

The enthusiasm for corrective surgery has led to a number of people seeking the treatment at facilities that do not perform proper screening, particularly abroad. This has led to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Eye Institute seeing multiple patients who need advice regarding complications or failed vision correction surgery done elsewhere. 

“There’s a common misconception that that you can have as much refractive surgery as you want. However, too much surgery can cause lasting damage and vision loss. We see patients who come to us after their pursuit for perfection and multiple surgeries has left them visually impaired, sometimes even blind. With the proper screening, these complications can be prevented, giving people the gift of clear vision in a single, safe procedure,” says Dr. Gritz.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Eye Institute offers patients state-of-the-art digital imaging, surgical and laser procedures. The Institute provides medical and surgical treatments ranging from laser vision correction (including LASIK and SMILE) to procedures for more serious ophthalmic conditions including uveitis and diabetic eye disorders, in both adults and children.

For more information or to book an appointment at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, call 800 8 CCAD (2223), visit www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae or download the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi app.