Effect of refractive surgery on strabismus and binocular vision

Abstract

In 1948, Jose Barraquer pioneered the field of altering corneal shape and curvature to correct refractive errors. He developed surgical techniques to remove portions of the cornea, freeze and reshape them, and then resuture them back to the cornea. His work was the driving force behind the development of modern-day refractive procedures. In the 1960s, Svyatoslav Fyodorov introduced radial keratotomy in Russia. However, the many complications associated with this procedure made it an unfavorable refractive procedure among ophthalmologists. The introduction of excimer laser technology in the 1970s revolutionized the world of ophthalmology. Patients who had been confined to spectacle or contact lens correction could now achieve "corrected" vision from their waking moments to the time they retired at night. Millions of patients benefited from a transformation in their vision and their quality of life. Ophthalmologists and patients alike embraced refractive surgery and all the advances in this field with open arms, as it allowed patients to gain independence from corrective lenses and significantly improved their quality of life. Due to the relative ease of the procedures and the improvement in the quality of life, refractive surgery has become one of the leading elective ophthalmic procedures since its introduction in the 1990s.