Physicians Perform Pediatric Laser Eye Surgery

LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 31 -- An ophthalmic laser technique approved for adults by the Food and Drug Administration just last November has been used for the first time to treat a child.
The patient, 12-year-old Kiley Bedwell, had 20/20 vision in his right eye but was legally blind in his left. Although the FDA's guidelines for the procedure limit its use to an adult population -- as do those of the manufacturer of the equipment used, VISX Excimer Laser Systems -- the doctors thought Kiley was an excellent candidate for the surgery. Doctors say Kiley's vision in his left eye is now corrected to 20/60 without glasses, and his stereoscopic vision -- the ability of his eyes to work together -- has actually improved.