Jessyka Sweeney-Flowers

Dr. Oberlin

Genre Analysis

25 October 2011

The Perspectives of Lasik Eye Surgery

            Lasik eye surgery is a procedure that is newer to the medical world as well as society itself. The procedure is used to correct some of the common “refractive errors,” these are astigmatism, myopia and hyperopia. With every new invention or finding comes controversy, whether it is positive or negative. In order to really understand the controversy of certain subjects that are newly explore and older, one must research and develop their own perspective of the matter. In this case the perspectives that were researched were the popular (media) perspective and from the professional perspective, that was taken from journals and articles. For the Lasik eye surgery controversy there were popular perspective articles from internet site that were used; these articles were “Dry Eyes After Lasik,” which was written by someone who had done their own research about the procedure and the other article was “Lasik Eye Surgery Controversy Rises,” which was written by the Lasik Staff and published by their website. There are both similar and different themes that the two genres have when it comes to informing their audience about Lasik eye surgery. Both the professional and the popular perspectives propose that there are pros and cons that occur due to the procedure. The difference between the two genres is that the professional perspective is in a way trying to defend their stand on the surgery, whereas the popular perspective is informing others of the possible side effects, that most people do not thin can happen to them and how they can have long term effects.

            The intended audience for the popular genre of the topic is obviously people who have or are considering getting the surgery done. The popular genre is in a sense trying to warn their audience of some of the possible side effects that most people do not think can happen. On the other hand, the professional genre is using their perspective to persuade their audience to get the procedure done, and to also give them an overview of what the procedure consist of. The professional genre does also inform their audience if the side effects, but kind of brushes them off like it’s a rare occasion that they would happen in. The audience that is intended for this genre is also people who have a desire to get the procedure done and people who want to know where the best place is to get the procedure done. The audience would need to fully research both of the genres in order to fully get the information they need. As a conclusion, the two genres have similar purposes for their audience, the purposes are to persuade and inform the audience about the procedure.

            The professional genre uses their knowledge to establish their right or credibility when it comes to talking about the subject at hand; whereas the popular genre doesn’t really have much to help them establish their credibility, but they do have their negative encounters with the procedure and their researched information they use from government linked sites. The popular genre uses a dramatic appeal in order to draw people to their perspective on the surgery; on the other hand the professional genre does not really have any emotion to appeal to their audience. The popular genre uses cases in which a patient has had a negative experience with the surgery, in order to appeal in an emotional way to their audience. Their purpose is to inform them of the side effects that have happened to many patients who have gone through with the procedure. The professional genre just uses information and their credibility with research and doctors,  to persuade and inform their audience.

            The structure that each of the genres take on is important to get their perspective noticed by their audience.  The professional genre constructs their article so that all the important information is at the top, which draws the reader in, and the less important information is towards the bottom. This is done so that the audience will see the information about Lasik surgery first and the side effects at the bottom. If people saw the side effects first then they would not want to know any more about the procedure. The popular genre constructs their articles so that the most important information is also at the top and less important is at the bottom of the page. In this case, the popular sites used the cons of getting the surgery done at the beginning of the article because it is the most important and they put the information about Lasik eye surgery at the bottom. Although the information is important for the popular genre too, in this case the side effects are the most important information because they are trying to inform their audience.

            Although both genres use their knowledge and information to persuade and inform their audience, that their perspective is right. Both of the genres propose that their pros and cons to Lasik eye surgery and the aftermath of the procedure, but it’s the way the information is presented that determines how their audience will take to it. Like stated in the introduction  the difference between the two genres is that the professional perspective is in a way trying to defend their stand on the surgery, whereas the popular perspective is informing others of the possible side effects, that most people do not thin can happen to them and how they can have long term effects. As a conclusion, the genres should both be used when researching and trying to determine one’s own stand on certain controversies.

           

Professional Perceptives

The topic of Lasik eye surgery is just now becoming controversial, as people begin to explore the pros and cons of the surgery. There are many pros that are taken into account such as the fact that the patient would not longer need to wear contact lenses or glasses. Just like there are pros, there are cons such as what the side affects are. All the pros and cons are weighed out by patients who take interest in the surgery and the seriousness that can come with it. Although it can completely correct ones vision it can also cause serious complications that the patient will have to live with. The two journals I explored both explained how and why Lasik eye surgery is a controversial subject.




Pendick D. Is LASIK for you?. Astronomy [serial online]. November 2007;35(11):74-75. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 21, 2011.

Hot Topics: Popular Perspectives

Lasik eye surgery is a new form of technology that has recently been put out into society. I feel it's a controversial topic because some people don't think its worth getting, considering all the possible side effects and  also the price. However there are many people who feel its a great choice and have fully taken advantage of the surgery. According to the FDA, Lasik eye surgery is a procedure used to eliminate ones dependence on contact lenses or eyeglasses. Since the procedure there is some speculation as to whether it is fully reliable. According to a source of patients reporting their stories and disaster regarding the procedure, many patients have been left with severe dry eyes, due to cornea nerve damage that could have been done during surgery. These experiences told by the patients can put negative thoughts about the procedure into other people's heads. Also in another source, it reports that there has been a recent rise in controversy after a member of the FDA underwent the procedure and has been having vision problems ever since. As a conclusion there are many pros as well as cons to the lasik procedure and I am looking forward to exploring the new controversy. 


Works Cited:
1. FDA. Surgery and Life Support Devices: Lasik. February 2011.
2. Dry Eyes After Lasik. August 2008.
3. Lasik Staff. Lasik Eye Surgery Controversy Rises. October 2010.

Hot Topic Choice

Both of the topics I was deciding on choosing were great topics, with that being said I have decided to go with lasik eye surgery. Lasik eye surgey is something new to society although there are many positives to getting this vision conrrecting surgery done, there are also many cons to getting the surgery. I will be exploring both sides of the topic of Lasik eye surgery (the prons and cons) I think that it will inform my readers about the negative side affects as well as the positive side affects. I believe this will be a great topic for my readers, especially those who are thinking about getting the vision surgery.

Hot Topics

Evolution vs. Religion- this controversy was the first one that came to my head when thing about "hot topics" or controversies that are within my discipline. The topic is always bother people because some want to believe that we evolved from certain species of animals or such, whereas other people want to believe that we were created my man '(God) The cause of it being a big deal would be the fact that the certain religions wants everyone to think their right and that evolution is not something we should be supporting. I think its interesting because I can see both sides of the controversy and all sides have a truth.

Lasik surgery- this is a controversy because some people think that it isn't worth it, however the people who benefit have really seen a difference. I think it's interesting because the optometry field has created a way to correct one's vision to perfect 20/20 vision. Its quite remarkable to me and maks me more and more interested on how they accomplish this.

Formatting Reference

I had a hard time deciding which formatting would work for me. I came up with the conclusion that I would use the American Medical Association (AMA)

Manifesto

Jessyka Sweeney-Flowers

Dr. Oberlin

Intermediate Comp.

6 October 2011

Pre-Biology/Optometry Manifesto

            The discipline Pre-Biology is basically another gateway to enter any medical or science lab profession. I choose this discipline because all of its components made all of the requirements to enter optometry school. Attending optometry is a goal of mine to further complete my medical profession aspirations. My grandmother has been diagnosed with diabetes as far as I can remember and we all know that diabetes can lead to many other medical conditions. Not too long after I took my interest in Optometric practices, she became diagnosed with Diabetic Retinopathy. Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the many eye and vision problems that require immediate care from this profession. This condition causes the retina of the eye to become progressively damaged and causes the lining located at the back of the eye to become sensitive to light (AOA). Since her last optometrist visit it has been brought to our attention that she is encountering bleeding behind her eyeballs. This personal experience is one reason that has made my decision to join this profession that much easier. On the other hand, my other grandmother has had cataracts for a while and has recently undergone surgery to remove this eye disease. A cataract is a disease in which a cloudy substance covers the clear lens of the eye. This disease usually occurs in people over 55, but can occur in children and infants (AOA). Having these eye and vision conditions in my family medical history only solidifies the importance this profession has for me in a professional and in a personal aspect. Becoming a part of the optometric profession is something that I look forward to in order to help educate my family of the common diseases that are in our family, but also to help other patients who need optometric care. Like myself there are many people that are drawn to this discipline in the hopes of providing patients with quality and effective care (AOA).

            There are many philosophies that guide one into their preferred practice. Four important factors that guides an optometrist into their practice are to put the patients need above your own as a health profession, providing patients with the right diagnosis and care, staying on top of new and older diseases that affect patients health, by researching and keeping up on current changes in optometric profession, and lastly to. Putting the patient’s needs and interest above your own, I feel is the most important principle of all. In order to be in a practice a health professional needs to realize that we are in our profession to restore the patient’s health back to normal, with providing them with the best care possible. Being in the health care profession requires the doctor to keep the best interest of the patient in mind and provide them with “accurate care”. This is an important principle to have and base ones professional work style off of.

 Many health care professionals such as doctors and nurses are successful because they put their code of ethics before themselves; ex: to always leave your patients better than how you met them; to always be able to give your patient(s) the right diagnosis, and give them the correct methods to maintain and keep their disease or illnesses in check, or be able to send them in the right direction.

            Optometry requires such precision and correct diagnosis, that there is no room for error in this field. An optometrist is trusted with one of the most sensitive organs on the human body, the right diagnosis and treatment is critical in maintaining “eye balls”. Given the wrong treatment and one could lose one of the most precious senses known to man, so being accurate is vital to ones future eye sight.

            In order to give the right diagnosis, the optometrist should research family and patient history and have records of health issues to be able to give the right diagnosis. Being able to warn the patient of certain risks is critical. Some things may not be seen by just one visit, so frequent conversation with a patient is important to have as an optometrist. Building relationships helps one to build your practice and clientele.

Works Cited

"Optometrists." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 17 Dec. 2009. Mon. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos073.htm>.

What Is a Doctor of Optometry? | American Optometric Association." American Optometric Association - Serving Doctors of Optometry & Their Patients. AOA Board of Trustees, 21 June 2005. Mon. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://www.aoa.org/x4891.xml>.

* kinda got stuck, comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)