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LASIK

One of the safest and most commonly performed surgical procedures in the world, LASIK has allowed millions of people to reduce or eliminate their dependence on glasses and contact lenses. LASIK, or Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, is a quick, virtually painless procedure in which a laser is used to reshape the cornea, the transparent top layer of the eye. Because the cornea is a powerful part of the eye’s focusing mechanism, flaws in its shape result in such common vision disorders as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. By restoring the cornea to its proper, spherical shape, our surgeon is able to improve the eye’s focusing power and restore vision, often to 20/20 or better.

LASIK Details

Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is an FDA-approved surgical procedure intended to reduce dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses. It is performed on nearly 1 million patients each year to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism by permanently altering the shape of the cornea, the eye's thin, transparent covering. This reshaping of the cornea increases the eye’s focusing power and improves vision.

During LASIK surgery, a thin incision is made to form a flap in the surface of the cornea. The flap is folded back to reveal the cornea’s midsection, called the stroma. Next, an excimer laser is used to remove a thin layer of the stroma. Lastly, the flap is repositioned. As with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved with LASIK. Side effects may include excessively dry eyes, corneal scarring, corneal edema, persistent eye pain or discomfort, glare and halos in the line of vision, and a decreased ability to see well at night or in fog. However, most of these subside as healing progresses after surgery.

According to the Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC), more than 90 percent of patients who undergo LASIK experience vision improved to 20/40—the minimum vision standard for driving an automobile or playing sports without corrective eyewear. Fifty-six percent of patients report post-surgery 20/20 vision. LASIK does not prevent age-related eye conditions or diseases. Results are permanent, and most patients return to their normal daily activities the day after surgery.

LASIK to Treat Hyperopia

Hyperopia occurs when light rays focus behind the retina rather than on it. This condition, which allows one to see distant objects much more clearly than objects that are close, is generally caused by a “short eye” or a cornea that is too flat. In the latter case, hyperopia can usually be treated with LASIK, which will increase the curvature of the cornea in order to allow light rays to focus properly.

To find out if your hyperopia can be treated with LASIK, please contact us today.

LASIK to Treat Astigmatism

In a normal, healthy eye, the cornea is round. In an astigmatic eye, it is closer to the shape of a football, which prevents the eye from focusing light in just one place on the cornea; instead, light rays focus at several points, blurring near, middle, and distant vision.

LASIK can correct irregular curvature and improve the eye’s focusing ability. It can ultimately improve near, middle, and distant vision.

To find out if your astigmatism can be corrected with LASIK, please contact us today.

LASIK to Treat Presbyopia

As we age, the lens of the eye loses its flexibility, impairing the eye’s ability to focus and eventually affecting near vision. This naturally occurring condition is called presbyopia, and it often affects the reading vision of people over the age of 40.

Unfortunately, LASIK cannot be used to treat presbyopia. In fact, LASIK can actually worsen close-up vision in presbyopic patients, making them even more dependent on reading glasses than before.

LADARVision CustomCornea®

LADARVision CustomCornea® is one of several advanced new laser vision correction technologies. Using LADARVision CustomCornea®, your refractive surgeon can customize the procedure to your eyes’ needs by correcting for higher order aberrations. For this reason, LADARVision CustomCornea® is considered superior to conventional laser correction.

The CustomCornea® procedure is performed in three steps. First, your eyes’ unique aberrations are captured and mapped using a device called LADARWave wavefront. Next, each eye’s wavefront map is fed into a computer to guide the laser during the vision correction process. During the procedure, a device known as the LADARtracker™ tracks your eye movements 4,000 times a second. This dramatically reduces the risk of poor results. Finally, each cornea is reshaped by the LADARVision 4000® excimer laser.

Your vision is corrected more precisely and accurately using CustomCornea® technology. Because the wavefront map is a direct reflection of your eyes’ needs, the results are superior to other vision correction techniques. Using LADARVision CustomCornea technology during laser vision correction translates into fewer problems with glare and halos after the procedure. For more information about this exciting new technology, please contact us today.