According to a 2012 World Health Organization fact sheet, 285 million worldwide are visually impaired; 246 million suffer from low vision, while 39 million are blind. All hope isn't lost, though, as the same document stresses that 80% of all visual impairment cases can be prevented or cured. Often, treatment would involve control of diet for diabetics, medications for glaucoma victims, and prescribing graded glasses.
The same procedures can't be used to permanently treat those suffering of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. These conditions have something to do with the imperfection of the patient's eye, and they'll have to be surgically operated on to resolve. While traditional eye surgery exists, the procedure can be intimidating to most.
Those who feel queasy about having their eye dissected might want to undergo LASIK instead. LASIK, which means Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis, is a process in which a laser or microkeratome is used to correct the shape of a patient's cornea, which should correct their vision. It is relatively painless, and the results of the laser surgery can be enjoyed after a few weeks. Thanks to LASIK, hundreds of people have been cured of their vision problems; it's a promising technology that hopes to cure visual impairment.
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