Some patients who have had vision correction procedures such as RK or LASIK in the past may find that there vision or vision needs have changed. Even cataract patients may wish to gain more independence from glasses. A not uncommon situation is a patient who seeks us out after having cataract surgery, corneal transplant, RK or LASIK in the past with a desire to improve their vision. Thankfully, in the great majority of cases we can offer something to improve their situation. Often patients can have their LASIK or PRK procedures repeated or fine-tuned. It is also usually possible to combine vision correction procedures. We have performed LASIK and PRK many times for patients who have had past RK procedures or cataract surgery. So if you have had past eye surgery and are not totally satisfied with your vision, why not come in for a complimentary consultation and find out what we can do for you?
A Second Chance at Better Vision
September 27th, 2009There is a Difference Between LASIK Technologies
August 16th, 2009Patients are often confused about the different technologies available. Information available on the web and by LASIK providers can be tainted by commercial bias. The US military is in the unique position to evaluate the different LASIK technologies that are commercially available and their flight surgeons are completely free of monetary incentives. Military flight surgeons are salaried and in choosing LASIK platforms, price is no object. See why NASA and the military chose IntraLase LASIK with CustomVue as their preferred technology: the exact same technology employed by Laser Eye Center of Carolina. http://www.amo-ilasik.com/500-video-center.aspx
What Happens if My Eye Moves during LASIK?
August 9th, 2009A common question asked is “what happens if my eye moves during LASIK?” Obviously, the best results can occur if the treatment is precisely centered on the eye. Iris registration and tracking is a technology in which the LASIK treatment is precisely centered using color markings on the iris to guard against the effects of eye movement and rotation. Previously, lasers followed the patient’s eye moving up, down, left or right. Therefore as long as you move your eye left or right or up or down the laser beam could track the movement of the eye. However, there are other ways in which you can move your eye. For example, you can move your eye closer to the laser or away from it.
Iris registration can track such movements and relay them to the laser so that the operation becomes more accurate. The same is true with you eye rotating. You can rotate you eye clockwise or anti-clockwise, which previous lasers wouldn’t have tracked. But Iris registration doesn’t fail here either. This is truly a remarkable progress in the field of vision correction.
Iris registration and tracking is one component of CustomVue LASIK that makes this type of LASIK superior to other LASIK procedures and is to triangle area patients at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina.
Crystalens for Cataract Surgery
July 19th, 2009Many Raleigh NC area patients consult us for LASIK in an effort to reduce their dependence on glasses. Occassionally a patient will consult us for LASIK after discovering that their vision is worsening and we discover that they have cataracts. For them, they can still achieve their goal of eyeglass independence but instead of LASIK the answer is cataract surgery with a presbyopia correcting lens such as Crystalens.
During cataract surgery the cloudy cataractous lens is replaced with a clear artificial lens (implant). Many patients with cataracts are candidates for a flexible implant that can focus both at distance and near to reduce or eliminate the need for reading glasses.
Patients who are good candidates for standard monofocal IOLs are typically good candidates for Crystalens. If a patient has healthy eyes, has not had previous cataract surgery, and does not suffer from any major health problems, then he or she is likely to be a good candidate.
More than twice the number of patients implanted with Crystalens could see well at all distances compared to a standard IOL.
Most Crystalens patients have reduced their dependence on glasses and are able to read the newspaper or a phone book without glasses.
Most Crystalens patients are able to see their computers, dashboards and anything else at arm’s length without glasses.
Most Crystalens patients are able to see 20/40 or better after surgery, so the clock across the room and the TV in the corner are clearly within sight.
Many of our Raleigh NC area Crystalens patients can see well enough to do away with their reading glasses, bifocals, or contact lenses. The Crystalens procedure is highly successful and most people regain very good distance vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.
At the Laser Eye Center of Carolina we are pleased to offer more than just LASIK. The Crystalens is an important new innovation that, like LASIK, can reduce dependence on glasses.
Not All Custom LASIK is CustomVue
July 12th, 2009Raleigh area LASIK candidates can be confused by advertisements for “custom LASIK”. Patients considering LASIK and who understand that the results of custom LASIK are in general, better than conventional LASIK, may mistakenly believe that all providers who offer custom LASIK are offering the same service.
Unfortunately, some providers of wavefront optimized LASIK advertise their procedure as “custom”. This is a distortion of the original meaning of custom LASIK which refers to wavefront guided LASIK.
Although a thorough understanding of the difference would take much more room than can be spent on this blog, needless to say, the visual performance of wavefront guided LASIK tends to be better than wavefront optimized. This has been born out by numerous studies and is the reason that NASA and the Department of Defense prefers wavefront guided LASIK.
Vision problems can be categorized into lower order ones (nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism) and higher order aberrations: the type that cause visual distortions, night time halos and starbursts. Wavefront optimized LASIK simply means there is an effort made not to induce new aberrations. Wavefront guided LASIK means that there is an effort to correct any preexisting distortions /aberrations and is the reason some LASIK patients will note that there vision is actually better after LASIK than it was before with their best glasses or contact lenses.
Raleigh area LASIK candidates may want to investigate data submitted to the FDA on LASIK. They will discover that the LASIK technology with the highest ever rate of 20/20 results was accomplished by CustomVue on a VISX Star laser and is the same technology employed here at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina.
Warfighter Refractive Surgery Program
July 5th, 2009Contact lenses are impracticle on the battlefield. Eyeglasses can be scratched, lost or fog up. Believing that freedom from glasses or contact lenses improves combat readiness, the Department of Defense has established the Warfighter Refractive Surgery Program. LASIK and PRK surgery featuring CustomVue, the exact same technology we utilize at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina, is being offered to correct the vision of soldiers, sailors and aviators. The response has been overwhelming and military surgeons can’t keep up with the demand. The Laser Eye Center of Carolina is proud to support our military and has offered a discount to enlisted military for several years. Numerous enlisted personnel have taken us up on our offer and the emails we receive from overseas thanking us couldn’t be more gratifying.
Vision Stable to 14 Years After Laser Vision Correction
July 2nd, 2009How long will my LASIK last?
This is a common question I am asked by patients. For most patients, the benefits of LASIK may last a lifetime. Notice that I didn’t say that you will be 20/20 or have perfect vision for a lifetime. LASIK or PRK does not prevent normal aging changes from occurring. Thus if you were destined to develop increasing astigmatism as you age or the need for reading glasses in your later years, this will still happen. However, in most instances, patients will maintain excellent distance vision for many years. A majority of patients will continue to pass their driver’s license exam without restriction. This is not just my observation but is confirmed by recent study performed 14 years after laser vision correction. The results showed that the majority of patients were still satisfied with their vision and that acuity remained remarkably stable. For more information on this study, click on the link www.osnsupersite.com/view.aspx. If you are ready to explore the possibilities and visual freedom that LASIK can offer you, come in for a no-obligation consultation.
LASIK: Corrective or Cosmetic?
June 26th, 2009Not a week goes by that a patient doesn’t ask me if LASIK vision correction is covered by their medical insurance. Medical plans that pay for refractive surgery are the exception to the rule and there are several plans such as Blue Cross & Blue Shield and VSP that offer significant savings to their participants but all too often, patients bear the entire cost of the procedure. That is because the insurance industry has taken the stance that LASIK is cosmetic. The truth, however, is that while many patients may look better out of their glasses, the real benefit is that they function better.
Refractive Errors are a Defect
It is an enigma to me how our myopic ancestors functioned or even survived before the correction of refractive errors were possible. Nearsighted individuals clearly were at a competitive disadvantage. I would not want to be a poorly seeing mid-evil warrior!
Marco Polo brought the concept of eyeglasses back to Europe from the Orient. But eyeglasses and contact lenses are prosthetic devices just as are hearing aids and ankle braces. For many years, man has strived to permanently correct their vision with drugs, eye exercises or surgery. As it turns out, surgery has proven to be the only, permanently successful solution. Over the past 50 years strives have been made to make vision correction more precise and safer. The fact that a much higher percentage of ophthalmologists have had LASIK than the general population is testament to the perceived success of these goals.
Drew Carey had LASIK
Scores of professional athletes including football players, baseball players and members of the National Basketball Association have had LASIK. Over 80 professional golfers have had LASIK; Tiger Woods being the most well known. Many athletes feel that being free of glasses or contact lenses improves their game and are not having the procedure performed to improve their appearance. The U.S. Military has seen the advantage of laser vision correction and now provides it for many of their enlisted personnel. Likewise, many active patients find glasses or contact lenses impractical for many activities of daily living.
A growing number of models and entertainers have had LASIK. This might, at first glance, support the concept that laser eye surgery is cosmetic. Obviously appearance is important in this line of work. But if LASIK was being performed as a cosmetic procedure, how do you explain the fact that Drew Carey and Elton John do not really need their trademark eyeglasses; both having had LASIK sometime back? Clearly they feel that reducing dependence on glasses has benefits other than changing the way they look.
Not Just for the Rich and Famous
In recent years, the cost of traditional LASIK has come down. But the educated consumer should not just search out the lowest price. Doing so means that that the individual may not be benefiting from the improved success rates and safety of such advances as wider treatment zones, smoother treatment surfaces, pupil trackers and wavefront technology. Be sure that you are dealing with an experienced refractive surgeon who makes use of the latest technological advances, that the laser room is environmentally controlled and that strict infection prevention controls are in place.
Don’t despair if your medical insurance does not cover your laser eye surgery. Flexible medical spending accounts and insurance discounts offer real savings. Low or no-interest financing options can help fit LASIK vision correction into most people’s budget. Vision correction is a recognized income tax deduction. Many patients who have had their vision corrected feel that it was one of the best investments they have ever made. More patients are candidates for vision correction today and success rates are higher than ever. LASIK eye surgery is not just cosmetic and there has never been a better time to have your vision corrected than right now.
Patients in the Raleigh NC area can take advantage of our complimentary LASIK consults to discuss whether LASIK is right for you.
Sorting Through Conflicting LASIK Data
June 19th, 2009Patients researching LASIK often get bogged down by conflicting data on the success rates or complication rates of the LASIK procedure. I’ll often see success rates published that vary anywhere from 80% to 98%. Likewise the incidence of night driving difficulties after LASIK has been listed to be “as high as 16 percent”. Why the conflicting data? Well, there can be several reasons.
1. Different “yardsticks”. For instance, what do we call success? Does success mean the patient no longer wears glasses? Or, that they are 20/20? How about lowering the bar to 20/40 (the level of vision necessary to have an unrestricted driver’s license in most states)? Success means different things to different people.
2. Advances in technology. LASIK has been around 18 years. As with all medical procedures, newer equipment and evolutions in technique tend to increase “success” rates and decrease complication rates. Often when I see printed data that describes a higher than expected complication rate for LASIK, I find that the author has obtained their information from studies submitted years ago. Unless your surgeon is using outdated lasers and techniques, this older data would not apply.
3. Differences in equipment/lasers used. Certainly you can talk about the fastest speed a car can travel but there is a difference in the maximum speed attainable by a Maserati vs. a Smart car. Likewise there are many different lasers that can be used to perform a LASIK procedure. The VISX Star S4 remains the gold standard for laser vision correction. This laser has the highest reported rate of 20/20 vision in an FDA trial ever reported. When the US military and NASA approved LASIK, it was the VISX laser that was used in their trials. It is also the laser currently being used by military surgeons to perform vision correction on our enlisted personnel.
Patients interested in vision correction are wise to become informed. Skepticism can be a helpful trait and the prudent investigator takes the time to ask: Is the data presented current? Is the information reliable i.e. from an FDA trial vs. unreviewed conclusions provided by a manufacturer or provider with a vested interest in the outcome? Does the data pertain to me? Reviewing conclusions about LASIK done mainly on nearsighted individuals may not have relevance if you are farsighted.
You can maximize your chance of success by insuring your procedure is done with the best available equipment and performed by a reputable, experienced surgeon.