Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 0-8247-0797-4

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Headquarters

Marcel Dekker, Inc.

270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 tel: 212-696-9000; fax: 212-685-4540

Eastern Hemisphere Distribution

Marcel Dekker AG

Hutgasse 4, Postfach 812, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland tel: 41-61-260-6300; fax: 41-61-260-6333

World Wide Web

http://www.dekker.com

The publisher offers discounts on this book when ordered in bulk quantities. For more information, write to Special Sales/Professional Marketing at the headquarters address above.

Copyright © 2003 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Current printing (last digit): 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

This book is the first in a series dedicated to Refractive Surgery by Marcel Dekker, Inc. It will most certainly be judged by many as just another LASIK book. While there is abundant coverage of the topic in other books, this volume has several unique features. Its coverage of LASIK is relatively comprehensive, in that it is not limited to LASIK history, surgical techniques, complications, and their management. New aspects of lasers, optics, refraction, diagnostics, and instrumentation are combined with the science and general principles of LASIK, and indications for its use. Although not meant to be encyclopedic, key references abound. They are intended to serve as a guide to the literature on the topic. Thus, this book is not so much a chronicle of LASIK, as an attempt to serve as a source of information relevant to clinical practice.

We are indebted to the students, residents, and colleagues who have made valuable contributions to this book. Several have included original work and analysis in their chapters. It is evident that the authors have attended diligently to their assignments. We are grateful for their effort in integrating the sometimes limited information in peer-reviewed literature with the knowledge derived from their clinical experiences and interactions with colleagues. We hope that this has resulted in a text that is both clinically relevant and as ev- idence-based as possible.

We thank Dr. Geoffrey Greenwood and Elizabeth Curione of Marcel Dekker, Inc., for their commitment to this project and Drs. Tsubota, Boxer Wachler, Hoang-Xuan, Ang, and Gatinel for their assistance in future books in this series. Special thanks go to Leona Greenhill, for her editorial assistance, and to Rhonda Harris, who managed this project with care and precision. Her attention to detail and her dedication have enabled us to work coherently in the face of adversity.

We take the opportunity to acknowledge the pioneering surgeons and researchers in the field of refractive surgery. Their work and vision have provided the basis not only for current refractive developments that we can offer to our patients, but also for future advances to be made by the next generation of thoughtful contributors to this important field.

Dimitri T. Azar

Douglas D. Koch