LASIK | St Louis
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham has struggled in recent years to keep his eye on the ball—but not because he isn’t a top-notch player. In 2008, life threw Pham a curveball when he was diagnosed with a condition called keratoconus. When someone has keratoconus, their cornea, located on the front of the eye, weakens and thins. Much like a tire bubble in a sidewall, the cornea forms a dome-like bulge, warping their vision. In severe cases, a corneal transplant is the only option for treatment.
For Major Leaguers, keratoconus could be—and even should be—a career-ending problem. Pham isn’t just any baseball player, though. Known for his mental game as much as his skill, he has managed to deal with keratoconus remarkably well.
Now, thanks to a relatively new treatment called cross-linking, which uses ultraviolet light and a vitamin solution to strengthen the collagen bonds within the affected eye, Pham’s keratoconus has been stabilized. He now uses specially crafted contact lenses to help him see the ball, and to have a new view on life. On behalf of all of us in St. Louis, we’re hoping this hometown Card will shine even brighter this year!
Tommy Pham is one of thousands of people living with keratoconus. In fact, this year alone, our office has diagnosed dozens of cases, some of which were misdiagnosed at routine eye exams, or even during LASIK consultations elsewhere. That’s because Brinton Vision invests in the time, training and state-of-the-art proven technology to allow us to see the entire eye—front, back, and everything in between.
Are you ready to take the next step in your visual freedom?
Pham’s case is a good reminder that, thanks to constant advances in medical technology, there is now treatment available. And, better yet, once keratoconus has been stabilized, patients’ vision can often still be corrected through refractive surgery. The key is early diagnosis and treatment.
At Brinton Vision, your clear, natural vision is our Number 1 priority. Our goal is to get people out of contacts and glasses, but we go beyond that goal and ensure that our patients truly are good candidates for our refractive procedures. Sometimes we do find problems like keratoconus that require more care. In those cases, we feel extremely fulfilled knowing we helped to save someone’s vision.
It’s all part of hitting it out of the ballpark when it comes to providing the priceless gift of sight!