SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The pandemic has given new meaning to the phrase 2020 vision.
Doctors say more screen time during the past year has put a greater strain on eyes, while many have complained about mask-wearing s propensity to fog up glasses and to dry out contact wearers eyes more quickly.
Those factors have led more people to look for an alternative to glasses and contacts.
The American Refractive Surgery Council reports a 16.3 percent jump in LASIK eye procedures nationwide during the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
Dr. Kirsten Wagner has been doing LASIK procedures for years. In January, she began doing LASIK at Sansum Clinic s Laser Eye Care Center at Elings Eye Center in Santa Barbara after receiving the proper equipment.
Doctors are calling it MADE, which stands for mask-associated dry eye. Author: Jasmine Monroe Updated: 6:45 AM EDT April 9, 2021
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio The use of face masks is our new norm and now considered essential for the prevention and spread of COVID-19, but doctors say they are starting to see a problem on the horizon known as mask-associated dry eye, which is also being called MADE.
The American Refractive Surgery Council, which helps consumers make informed choices about their vision, reported an uptick in LASIK procedures – 16.3 percent year-over-year – in the last quarter of 2020, according to a press release.
“Contact lenses are great, but they are a risk of infection or bacterial infections can get into the contact and into the eyes. Same thing with viruses, says Dr. William Wiley with Clear Choice Custom LASIK in Brecksville. So the coronavirus could be transmitted that way, so a lot of patients decided this is the time to in