Radial keratotomy
A radial keratotomy is a surgical procedure
on the cornea
of the eye.
This is implied by the term "radial keratotomy" because
the part "kerato-" refers to the cornea, as
is also true of other terms in this section (listed on the left), and
the part "-otomy" usually indicates "cutting",
"dividing", or "separating" the specified body-part,
component, or type of tissue.
A radial keratotomy, is a surgical operation to treat short-sightedness (myopia). During this procedure, deep cuts called "incisions" are made into the tissue of the cornea of the eye. These cuts are made radially around the outer two-thirds of the cornea of the eye in order to flatten the curvature of the central part of the cornea. This procedure has been used for milder, rather than more severe cases of myopia. In many cases it is now being replaced by excimer laser treatment.
Patients can generally obtain information about this, and other procedures, from their ophthalmologist (ophthalmic surgeon).
More about Ophthalmology:
This section includes short definitions
of many diseases, disorders, and conditions of the eyes and visual system.
For definitions of other terms in this category, choose from the list
to the left (but note that this is not a complete/exhaustive list).
Other related pages include
- A diagram of the eye
- Definitions and descriptions of the parts of the eye
- A concise description of the human retina
- Definitions of parts of the retina
- Diseases and disorders of the human eye and the human visual system
For further information see also our pages of books about ophthalmology.
The following books may also be of interest:
