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Lasik & Cataract Surgery Center Serving CITY 1, CITY 2, CITY 3, And CITY 4

What Is LASIK Surgery?

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a type of laser refractive surgery — the best known and most commonly performed—used to meticulously change the shape of your cornea to improve your vision.

What Vision Is Corrected Through LASIK?

In the normal eye, images are clearly focused onto the retina at the back of your eye because the light rays are bent properly to contact the retinal surface. However, those with refractive errors and other vision problems experience the light rays bending incorrectly, resulting in blurred vision. While glasses or contact lenses are used to correct the refractive error, reshaping the cornea itself provides a more lasting solution.

    • For people with nearsightedness (myopia), LASIK is used to flatten a cornea that is too steep.
    • Farsightedness (hyperopia) would require the LASIK procedure to achieve a steeper cornea.
    • For astigmatism, LASIK corrects it by shaping the irregular cornea into a normal rounder shape.

We Are Laser Visionaries! Here's Why:

The Innovative Technology

To all of us at Lasik & Cataract Surgery Center, your vision and comfort is paramount. Your eyes deserve a tech-savvy, meticulous and personalized approach. Our experienced laser vision staff will provide you with the best vision in the most non-invasive way possible. Our procedure involves an innovative technology that creates a map specific to your visual pathway, which the LASIK surgeon uses to create a highly accurate, customized procedure to correct your vision to perfection.

We learn all about your individual lifestyle and medical history so that we can provide you with the ideal outcome. Our goal is to make your visit pleasant, provide you with a gentle, anxiety-free experience and ensure that you leave our office glasses and contact lens free.

The Digital Corneal Map

Our eyes are unique, just like our fingerprints, and we each have a unique “map.”

We begin by creating a 3-D analysis of your eyes’ imperfections by using a corneal topographer with Wavefront-guided technology. The system is twenty five times more precise than the conventional measurements used for contact lenses and eyeglasses. It can measure and correct errors that were not otherwise detected. The eye doctor then evaluates your prescription stability, corneal health, shape, thickness, tear layer, pupil size, and the severity of existing eye conditions.

The Preparations

You’re almost ready to commence treatment. To ensure optimal success of the procedure, we use an ultra-fast  Femtosecond Laser, built from a legacy of innovative technologies. A thin flap is created using the Femtosecond Laser which is customized to your unique eye shape. The cornea is now ready for treatment.

The Treatment

Armed with the digital data from your personalized eye map, our doctors will begin the procedure by gently reshaping the cornea to the desired curvature, using an ultra-precise STAR S4 IR® Excimer Laser. Following the procedure, the flap is put back into place — and you’re done!

Amazingly, the entire process takes only about 20 minutes. You will be provided with medication to help you relax, and will receive numbing eye drops to help you remain comfortable throughout the procedure. You’ll feel some pressure on your eye for less than a minute. Moments later, you'll be ready to go home.

The New Life!

Within 24 hours, you’ll feel reborn! For the first time in a while, you’ll go about your day without wearing your glasses or contact lenses. Most people will resume normal and non-strenuous activity the following day. In fact, it takes only one day out of your schedule to experience a lifetime of clear vision.

You’ll be back to your normal daily routine before you know it, feeling better, happier, and hassle-free. 

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Request a Comprehensive Eye Exam

Woman enjoying good eyesight after lasik

Is LASIK Right For You?

To be qualified for the LASIK procedure,

  • You must be at least 18 years of age, as the vision of those who are younger is still developing.
  • You should not be pregnant or nursing.
  • There are certain prescription drugs that may disqualify candidacy, such as Accutane or oral prednisone.
  • Your eyes must be healthy and your prescription stable. Your prescription must be stable for at least 12 months to ensure the greatest accuracy. Myopia often continues to increase in patients until their mid to late 20s. Coordinate routine eye exams with Ophthalmologist Name to gauge the health and stability of your eyesight.
  • Your general health must be stable. LASIK is not recommended for patients with certain eye or general health conditions.
  • If you have a history of Dry Eyes, or If your dry eye problems stem from wearing contact lenses, taking certain medications, or for any other reason, we should know as it could impact your LASIK experience. Dry eye screening is important before you embark on LASIK or any other refractive procedure.

How The LASIK Procedure Works

LASIK is performed in an outpatient suite, in a laser centre, where you will be comfortably reclined under a pain free laser. You can resume most of your activities the following day. Please note that it usually takes three to six months following the LASIK procedure for the vision to fully stabilize.

Step 1

First, the eye is numbed with a few drops of topical anesthetic. An eyelid holder is placed between the eyelids to keep them open and prevent the patient from blinking. The other eye is immobilized. A suction ring is then placed on the eye which lifts and flattens the cornea and helps keep the eye from moving. You may feel pressure from the eyelid holder and suction ring, just like you would if a finger is pressed firmly on your eyelid.

Step 2

Vision will appear dim or go black as the suction ring is placed on the eye and will return when it is removed a minute or less later. Once the cornea is flattened, a hinged flap of corneal tissue is created using a painless, blade free automated laser. This corneal flap is gently lifted and folded back. Then the pre-programmed excimer laser with your unique eye measurements is centered above the eye.

Step 3

The laser is positioned correctly while you look at a special pinpoint light called a fixation and tracking light. The excimer laser then sculpts the corneal tissue to your prescription. Then the flap is replaced into the exact previous position. The corneal flap sticks to the underlying corneal tissue within two to five minutes, and stitches are not needed.

Step 4

You should make arrangements for someone to drive you home after the procedure and then take a nap or just relax. Often times you may need to wear a shield to protect the eyes when sleeping. The surgeon will also provide eye drops to help the eye heal quickly and relieve dryness.

Call 555-555-5555

Request a Comprehensive Eye Exam

eye care technology illustration, Man's Eye, LASIK
What To Expect Before, During, And After Surgery

A complete eye examination will be required by Ophthalmologist Name. You will be required to bring your most recent eye prescription and/or your eyeglasses with you to the initial exam. Make sure you stop wearing contact lenses a week or more before your final pre-operative evaluation. At this visit, Ophthalmologist Name will dilate your pupils to fine-tune your prescription and examine your eyes to ensure that they’re healthy. This will include testing you for glaucoma, dry eye, and performing a retinal exam.

The curvature of your cornea and your pupils will also be measured, alongside a corneal topography —to ensure that you do not have any conditions that may disqualify your candidacy. The thickness of your cornea will also be evaluated to confirm that you have enough tissue to safely perform the procedure.

You will be asked to sign an informed consent form after a thorough discussion regarding the risks, benefits, options, and possible complications arising from LASIK.

LASIK is an outpatient procedure performed in CITY 1. The surgeon will begin by applying an eye drop that numbs the surface of the eye— which takes about 10 minutes for each eye.

The Procedure

The eye is moistened. A specialized device is positioned to keep the eye from moving, placing the central cornea in the correct position. Then a special laser, called a femtosecond laser, creates a hinged flap of thin corneal tissue, at which time the flap is lifted. A special second laser, called the excimer laser, gently reshapes the underlying corneal tissue, and then the corneal flap is precisely repositioned and quickly adheres to the eye.

The healing process is relatively quick. You can resume most normal activities the next day. However, you may wish to take a few days off from work and other activities. 

Be aware that you may experience a mild burning sensation for a few hours after the procedure.

The day of procedure is a day of no expectation, and experiencing blurry vision is perfectly normal.

You can expect a considerable improvement by the next day as you return for your follow-up evaluation.

Impact sports or similar activities may have to be put on hold for as long as four weeks.

Do not drive until your vision has improved comfortably.

Avoid swimming, hot tubs, and whirlpools for at least two weeks after the procedure.

Report any unusual or aggravating side effects immediately.

For any concerns after surgery, Ophthalmologist Name and the team at Lasik & Cataract Surgery Center are available for all questions and concerns. 

LASIK Risks And Side Effects

Woman enjoying good eyesight after LASIK surgery

Are There Risks Or Side Effects?

LASIK, like any procedure, has potential risks and complications that should be carefully considered. Ever since its FDA approval in 1996, LASIK has become a very popular treatment in the United States, and the overall complications have been very low. 

For regular LASIK, side effects may include hazy or blurry vision; difficulty with night vision and/or driving at night; scratchiness, dryness and other "dry eye" symptoms; glare, light sensitivity; halos or starbursts around lights; discomfort or pain; or small pink or red patches on the white of the eye. Our advanced laser vision technology has an excellent track record in minimizing or eliminating reported side effects or complications.

In rare cases, a second procedure, called a retreatment or enhancement, may be required in order to achieve the desired visual outcome. This is for those who have extreme cases of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism prior to undergoing LASIK — people whose vision originally required more intensive correction.

pretty young woman thinking of LASIK surgery

Have There Been Changes In Safety & Performance?

At the May 2016 annual meeting of the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery – the medical organization of surgeons specializing in vision correction and cataract surgeries – updates of several high-profile research studies of LASIK safety and performance, including the FDA PROWL study, were presented. They showed impressive and consistent high marks for safety, outcomes, as well as patient satisfaction.

Ultimately, these studies support the overwhelming body of clinical evidence proving LASIK is a safe and effective vision correction option for those who qualify. Remarkably, these studies report the procedure is more likely to help symptoms of dry eye, glare, halo, starbursts and ghosting than it is to cause symptoms. Especially, noteworthy for those who previously wore contact lenses.

Two results of two studies in particular, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-sponsored “Patient Reported Outcomes with LASIK (PROWL)” and an evaluation of the available scientific literature worldwide on advanced LASIK entitled, “Modern LASIK Outcomes: A Review,” conducted by ASCRS president Kerry D. Solomon, M.D., have been much anticipated by vision correction surgeons.

“Although each take a different investigative approach, these studies provide some of the best data and insights into LASIK, particularly from the patient’s perspective,” said Daniel S. Durrie, M.D. and one of the clinical investigators for the FDA PROWL study. “One of the key findings, from both studies, is with modern equipment, modern techniques and well-selected patients; good surgeons can deliver terrific results with a high degree of safety. LASIK is a great procedure.”

The FDA PROWL research was conducted as prospective, post-market, observational studies designed to evaluate a patient post-LASIK questionnaire. Approximately 574 subjects (262 active duty military personnel, 312 civilians from 5 investigational sites) were enrolled and asked to fill out an online questionnaire before LASIK and 3-months after LASIK.

The “Modern LASIK Outcomes: A Review” updated the work from the “LASIK World Literature Review: Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction", published in 2009, by analyzing the impact of advanced treatment profiles in LASIK. In the current work, nearly 4500 clinical study papers on the topic of LASIK were evaluated for relevancy and authority. The final data set included 97 high-quality studies that represented 67,893 procedures.

These studies made inquiries into the basics of LASIK: Is it safe? Does the procedure improve vision? What is the potential for side effects? The findings from these studies affirmed the consensus of previous research into LASIK performance:

  • Patient satisfaction rate of up to 98 percent.
  • Nearly 100 percent of patients achieving at least 20/40 vision, with more than 90 percent achieving 20/20 vision.
  • Less than 1 percent of patients lost two or more lines (on the eye chart) of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

There was particularly good news out of the FDA PROWL study about the potential for side effects, including dry eye and other visual symptoms such as glare, starbursts, ghosting and halos. For dry eye, more than half of patients (59%) with dry eye symptoms before surgery reported having no symptoms of dry eye 3-months after LASIK. For those reporting residual dry eye symptoms, there were statistically significant decreases in the severity of symptoms at 3 months post LASIK

For those patients with no symptoms of dry eye prior to surgery, approximately 30 percent reported experiencing symptoms at 3 months after LASIK. The typical clinical experience with dry eye post LASIK is a gradual improvement of symptoms throughout the healing process, up to one year after surgery.

LASIK also benefited those with visual symptoms (glare, starbursts, ghosting and halos) before surgery. More than twice the number of patients reported their pre-operative visual symptoms were gone at 3-months than those who reported an increase in symptoms at 3-months.

While a small percentage of patients may experience symptoms during the healing process, by working closely with your surgeon, your symptoms can be managed and treated to help you achieve your vision goal.

The results of these studies are consistent with the clinical experience of LASIK and underscore the commitment of surgeons and researchers to continually investigate the potential of this valuable option in vision correction. Through efforts such as these, clinicians are able to find ways to improve the technology, technique and overall patient experience with LASIK, making an already good procedure even better.

Culled from American Refractive Surgery Council https://americanrefractivesurgerycouncil.org/new-research-lasik-safety-performance-continue-to-impress/

REFERENCES

American Academy of Ophthalmology https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/lasik

Federal Trade Commission consumer information https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0062-basics-lasik-eye-surgery

American Refractive Surgery Council https://americanrefractivesurgerycouncil.org/new-research-lasik-safety-performance-continue-to-impress/

US National Library of Medicine https://medlineplus.gov/lasereyesurgery.html

Our CITY 1 Eye Care Patients Tell It How It Is!

Meet Our LASIK & Cataract Optometrist

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Dr. Scleral

...
Optician. Smiling Optician In The Optical Salon.

Dr. Therapy

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Dr. Myopia

Dr. Myopia

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Dr. Dryeye

Dr. Dryeye

Legimus vituperata in qui, iusto eripuit ei vix. Sea ut clita omittam scribentur, dicat malorum ut pro. Cetero percipitur usu an. Nam mucius alterum electram at, et unum impedit mei, eu his prompta disputando. Ut augue suscipit eloquentiam mea....

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