User:Kcroes/sandbox

The Alpins Method of astigmatism analysis: Revision for Doc James review
The Alpins Method, developed by Australian ophthalmologist Noel Alpins, is a system to plan and analyze the results of refractive surgical procedures, such as laser in-situ keratomileus (LASIK). The Alpins Method is also use to plan cataract/intraocular lens (IOL) surgical procedures.

Introduced in 1993, has been used in some research studies of LASIK. In 2006 the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published guidelines based on the Alpins Method, designed to help manufacturers demonstrate the efficacy of refractive surgical lasers.

The Alpins Method, using vector mathematics, to determine a goal for astigmatism correction and analyze factors involved if treatment fails to reach that goal. The method also can be used to refine surgical techniques or correct laser settings in future procedures. The Alpins Method is one of the “more sophisticated” approaches in analyzing surgical results.


 * Doc James--The text above is basically what I sent you in a Word document. I added the following two sections to this sandbox version, as I believe they objectively expand on this important topic. I'm open to all comments, changes, etc. Thank you for considering this information to reestablish a Wikipedia entry for the Alpins Method.Kcroes (talk) 22:52, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Background
In the early 1990s, Alpins first began to examine astigmatism analysis and treatment as they applied to laser modalities. It became apparent to him that the approach to astigmatism at that time was inconsistent and confusing. He noted that many approaches simply compared pre- and postoperative astigmatism magnitude values with no consideration of the axis of astigmatism or the amount of attempted change. Other approaches calculated a mean of the axes. None of the methods assessed the success of the results nor the extent to which surgical goals had been achieved.

The seminal publication for the method was in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in 1993. Since its introduction, the method has been further advanced by Alpins, and has been used or cited by many other investigators involved in analyzing the results of refractive, cornea], and cataract/IOL surgical procedures.