There is no such thing as any medical procedure that is completely risk free. If you are considering vision correction, obviously your number one concern is safety. But how do you make sure you have done everything possible to minimize the risk of LASIK? And why do some patients suffer from complications?
The first thing to understand is that the risks of LASIK are not the same for every patient. Some patients may inherently have a higher risk of certain complications such as infection, flap complications, healing problems, dry eye and night time driving difficulties. It is important that you have a preoperative evaluation by a qualified physician experienced with the LASIK procedure to insure that pre-existing conditions that increase the risk of a LASIK procedure be identified. For some patients, the risks can be minimized with preoperative measures such as initiating Restasis therapy before the procedure. For other patients, the risks associated with the procedure may just be too great. There are several alternative procedures, such as implantable lenses or refractive lens exchange that may be a better fit.
The other thing to know is that not all LASIK surgeons and LASIK technology are equal. Optimizing your chance of success requires choosing an experienced surgeon and choosing the technology associated with the lowest risk. There are two steps to the LASIK procedure and there now exists technology designed to improve the safety of both steps. The IntraLase laser to make the LASIK flap is the safest way to achieve this step. The IntraLase laser decreases the risk associated with flap creation and in addition decreases the risks after flap creation (such as flap displacement and dry eye). CustomVue technology by AMO is the cornea reshaping technology designed to maximize vision quality and decrease the risk of night time glare and halos. When IntraLase is combined with CustomVue, the resulting LASIK procedure is termed “iLASIK”. Potential LASIK patients can therefore minimize the risks associated with a LASIK procedure by 1. Insuring they are evaluated by an experienced surgeon who performs alternative procedures to LASIK and 2. Looking for a surgeon who performs “iLASIK”. Looking for someone in the Raleigh area that meets these requirements? See Dr. Dean Dornic at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina. iLASIK Procedure on YouTube
Posts Tagged ‘ilasik’
Maximizing Safety in LASIK
Sunday, May 1st, 2011Night Vision and LASIK
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
CustomVue technology actually increases patient night vision satisfaction.
- Night glare and starbursts are a potential side-effect of any eye surgery.
Many people who have never had eye surgery, if they are careful observers, can notice some starburst, halo, glare, or shadows in their vision under low light conditions, especially if they need to wear glasses or contact lenses. It is common to notice one or more of these after LASIK eye surgery, especially during the early postoperative period. These side effects generally diminish with time but some patients will notice one or more of these even with excellent correction, sometimes for a long time or even indefinitely. Of those patients who do notice these side effects, most will find them annoying and it is possible that some patients may feel they cause mild to serious visual impediments.
The LASIK procedure creates a change in curvature in the central part of the cornea. If changing the corneal curvature also results in distortion of the cornea then aberrations in vision quality may result. These aberrations in vision may be most noticeable at night, when the pupil opens wide. This can result in seeing a halo type effect or perhaps just a decreased contrast or sharpness of vision. Regardless of how it is described, there are some patients who feel that their night or reduced light vision is poor even when their uncorrected vision is good or excellent in normal lighting. This may be a significant issue for some patient for night driving, playing tennis or baseball at night or other similar activities, even before refractive surgery is performed. A technology developed by AMO/VISX termed CustomVue and utilized in the iLASIK procedure was developed in an effort to improve night vision. The CustomVue technique makes use of a wavefront analyzer to measure and correct visual aberrations. Clinical studies show that more patients are actually satisfied with their night vision after LASIK when this technique is used. The wavefont guided CustomVue technique should not be confused with the wavefront optimized technique utilized by the Wavelight/Allegretto laser. Only the CustomVue technology associated with iLASIK results in better night vision.
Are You Guilty of LASIK Stereotyping?
Monday, January 3rd, 2011LASIK refers to a group of diverse procedures that involves reshaping the cornea under a flap. Over the years, LASIK has evolved with the introduction of many advances in instrumentation and techniques that have made vision correction safer and more successful. Now we can offer conventional LASIK but also Z-LASIK, CustomVue wavefront-guided LASIK , and IntraLase LASIK. All too often, however, I hear patients and even investigative or consumer reporters attempt to generalize, inappropriately, on the merits and/or risks of the LASIK procedure. I will hear statistics quoted on side-effects, for instance, that may be from studies performed years ago using old, and now outdated, technology.
Two of the more important factors that effect risk of a LASIK procedure are the exact technologies involved in performing the procedure and the particular characteristics of the patient themselves. For instance, the risk of a patient with high myopia and astigmatism needing an enhancement (or “touch-up”) procedure might be double that of a patient with low myopia and no astigmatism. The risk of a flap complication is 6 times lower with IntraLase versus Z-LASIK. The risk of night time vision problems is up to 20 times lower with CustomVue technology compared to other technologies. The statistical spread is so wide, that discussions about the ‘risk of LASIK’ can be virtually meaningless without knowledge of the patient and the exact technique utilized.
Patients can be severely misled about the side-effect profile of LASIK if they rely on old data or make the mistake in assuming that all LASIK procedures are equivalent. Raleigh area patients should be aware that in our area there are several different providers offering different LASIK technologies. Patients can minimize their risk by insuring that they use the safest available technology (iLASIK) and, when individual risk rises to an unacceptable level, choosing an alternative vision correction procedure such as implantable contacts or PRK that may yield a higher chance of success.
What Matters is Results
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010The prospective LASIK patient may be confused about what to ask about before choosing a Refractive surgeon. Most commonly, they make the assumption that LASIK is LASIK, that all technology and providers are more or less equivalent . They then set about choosing their LASIK provider by calling various offices asking about price.
Often the unwary patient may be swayed by claims such as “newest” “most advanced” or “most precise” LASIK technology. But such claims should be taken only for what they are: subjective opinion with little true meaning.
Over the years, LASIK technology has changed and evolved and several large medical corporations manufacture the various lasers and other equipment. Each of these corporations have found their niche. Some appeal to the LASIK surgeon because of their improved safety, higher success rate, ease of use or reduced cost. Obviously if there was a laser manufacturer that offered LASIK equipment that was the lowest price to purchase and operate and also offered the best result and safety profile, that manufacturer would soon dominate the industry and every LASIK surgeon would gravitate toward that manufacturer.
In the Raleigh market area, there are two main competing LASIK technologies: IntraLase LASIK and Z-LASIK. There also exists a few older and still effective technologies. The main advantage of the Z-LASIK technology is cost and ease of use. The advantage of IntraLase LASIK is superior safety and outcomes.
So there you have it. If you are looking for the cheapest LASIK, Z-LASIK is a possible choice. If you are mainly concerned with safety and want to maximize your chance of achieving 20/20 vision with excellent night vision you will choose IntraLase or iLASIK. Raleigh area patients looking for true value choose iLASIK and when looking for a provider with the longest history of using IntraLase technology, they choose Dr. Dean Dornic of the Laser Eye Center of Carolina.
Facts are a Difficult Thing to Explain Away
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010Competitors may make assertions that are opinions eg “we have the best or most precise technology etc.” Our claims are fact-based with clinical studies to back them up. There are less expensive ways to perform LASIK using similar technology but clinical studies prove:
1. The IntraLase laser is the safest way to make the flap (See our article on the Ziemer laser)
2. CustomVue technology with AMO’s VISX Star S4 offers the highest incidence of 20/20 vision ever reported to the FDA in clinical trials and it has the potential to actually improve patient satisfaction with night vision (see our articles comparing CustomVue technology with wavefront-optimized procedures)
There does not currently exist a LASIK technology that yields superior results to iLASIK. iLASIK has the lowest risk of flap complication. iLASIK technology yields the highest level of 20/20 results and has the potential to result in better quality of vision including improved night vision.
Our view is that the ¬only advantage that Z-LASIK offers the LASIK consumer is reduced cost. We can offer similar technology at the same price as the LASIK discounters but for the discerning patient we can also offer superior technology for a minimal upcharge.
Does the Type of “Blade-Free” LASIK Really Matter?
Sunday, August 8th, 2010In the United States there are two main manufacurers of lasers to create LASIK flaps. Consumers may recognize the terms “iLASIK” and “Z-LASIK” as descriptors of a blade-free LASIK procedure and wonder what the difference is. Both lasers boast improvements in flap thickness precision but only the IntraLase has certain safety features that prevent certain flap complications.
Some of the safety features that the i-LASIK procedure has that the Z-LASIK procedure does not have include:
1. True customization of flap parameters
2. Ability to adjust the diameter and centration of the flap on a presurgical treatment planning screen before the flap is made.
3. Ability to create a “manhole” configuration to the flap to enable a snugger fit and less likelihood of flap displacement.
4. Visualization of the flap as it is being created to allow for surgeon intervention.
5. Ability to resume or restart the procedure if there is an interruption for any reason.
The manufacturers of the laser that is used in the Z-LASIK procedure tout their laser as the “most advanced” laser: presumably a reference to the fact that it is more portable. Of course, the patient doesn’t really care that the laser is easily moved from room to room, they are more interested in safety. The iLASIK procedure, for the reasons stated above, is the LASIK procedure most likely to result in a complication free procedure and achieve an excellent level of vision.
LASIK consumers are advised to do their homework before choosing a particular technology and understand what is really behind the “catch phrases” used in advertising. For the safest LASIK procedure, iLASIK is indisputably superior. For LASIK patients in the Raleigh area, the Laser Eye Center of Carolina should be your destination for genuine iLASIK.
You Can Get a Cheaper LASIK, but You Can’t Get a Better LASIK than iLASIK
Sunday, July 18th, 2010Over the years, the LASIK procedure has evolved to become better and safer. The LASIK procedure still consists of two main steps: 1. creating a flap and 2. reshaping the cornea under the flap. The ultimate in safety and results in LASIK is iLASIK which is the culmination of improvements in both steps.
In the first step, flap creation, a metal blade is replaced with a laser. In the second step, a technology termed “wavefront-guided” treatment is used to insure the final shape is free of aberrations in order to achieve the best quality of vision. The resulting advance in LASIK technology is termed “iLASIK”. Because new instruments and user fees set by the laser manufacturers are added to this premium LASIK procedure, patients can expect to pay more for iLASIK than conventional LASIK.
Recently other technology has been developed to reduce the cost and still achieve some of the advantages of iLASIK. Z-LASIK offers the advantage of a more precise flap thickness over the bladed microkeratome but it does not match the safety or visual results of iLASIK.
Patients may want to believe that the newer, cheaper Z-LASIK technology is just as good as iLASIK, but just as with many other things in life, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t”. The iLASIK procedure has proven itself to be the best technology available for LASIK vision correction. After extensive investigation, the U.S. military has chosen iLASIK exclusively for performing vision correction on our troops because of it’s stellar history.
Medical Director, Dean Dornic, MD is the first Raleigh ophthalmologist to perform iLASIK and has extensive experience in all-laser LASIK procedures. If you believe, as we do, that the few extra dollars to receive a better LASIK procedure is worth it, why not come in for an evaluation?
So to book you free LASIK Raleigh consultation call today at (919) 467-9955, spots are filling up quickly..
LASIK for Military Pilots
Monday, April 12th, 2010Within the Department of Defense a total of 25 warfighter refractive surgery centers (Army: 12, Navy: 7, Air Force: 6) completed more than 312,000 refractive surgery procedures over the past 10 years. Laser vision correction has been allowed for all aspects of military service, including aviation, special operations, and support personnel. It is also approved for NASA astronauts.
The Navy is currently undertaking a study on US Naval aviators at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and Portsmouth. To date, more than 200 aviators are in the study. Refractive errors up to -7.50 diopters are represented and the results have been outstanding. All procedures were performed with IntraLase and 90% were wavefront-guided; the exact same technology featured at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina for our LASIK patients.
All aviators were able to return to flight status within two weeks after myopic LASIK and within four weeks after hyperopic LASIK. Patient satisfaction was excellent three months after LASIK. One hundred percent were able to achieve 20/20 levels of vision. There were no complaints of significant glare, halos, haze or sharpness of vision. Ninety-eight percent felt that LASIK helped their effectiveness as a naval aviator and ninety-nine percent indicated that they would definitely recommend LASIK to their fellow aviators.
The US armed forces have embraced LASIK as a way to make troops “combat ready”. Over the years vision correction technology has evolved such that LASIK has proven to be a safe and effective procedure. But not all LASIK is equivalent. In order to achieve the phenomenal success illustrated in this latest study, IntraLase and wavefont-guided (Custom-Vue) LASIK is necessary. This premium LASIK comes at an increased cost and the wary consumer should not be lulled into the false notion that inferior, “imposter All-Laser” LASIK can achieve this level of success. Time and time again, large scale, commercially unbiased studies such as those conducted by the US armed forces have demonstrated the superiority of genuine iLASIK over other LASIK technologies.
Maybe you don’t need the type of vision needed to land a plane on an aircraft carrier, but couldn’t you benefit from the superior vision offered by genuine iLASIK in your activities of daily living? Raleigh area LASIK candidates can avail themselves of this “fighter pilot” grade vision at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina. Of course, all medical procedures carry with them some risks and to make sure you are a good candidate for iLASIK you are invited to come in for a free consultation with Dr. Dornic. Dr. Dornic will describe all your options and taylor a treatment plan that is personalized just for you.
iLASIK vs zLASIK: Which is Better?
Sunday, October 4th, 2009The first all-laser LASIK procedure made use of the IntraLase laser to make the flap rather than a blade. When the IntraLase laser is combined with AMO VISX’s proprietary CustomVue wavefront-guided treatment, the resulting procedure is termed “iLASIK”. The IntraLase laser has gone through several upgrades since it was first developed to improve it’s safety and precision. Because the IntraLase flaps can be made to fit like a “manhole” they tend to be more secure than those cut by a blade. Also, if something interrupts the creation of the flap, treatment can be restarted without any ill consequences. Since the introduction of IntraLase, Ziemer, a Swiss company, has introduced a laser to make LASIK flaps. Dr. Dornic has used both of these lasers to perform LASIK. The Ziemer laser is less expensive but it is not as well refined as the IntraLase laser. While the IntraLase laser can make flaps of varied thicknesses and architecture, the Ziemer laser can only make flaps of 3 different thicknesses and 3 diameters. The Ziemer can also only make flaps that are cut in much the same shape as a blade. They are therefore not as secure as an IntraLase flap. Another limitation of the Ziemer laser flap is that unlike the IntraLase laser, your surgeon cannot see the flap being made. Therefore, the surgeon cannot intercede to correct a problem such as misalignment or loss of suction occurring during the creation of the flap. What this means to the patient is that iLASIK is safer (more customizable flaps, lower risk of small, misshapen, decentered or slipped flaps) and the overall results are better with iLASIK than with zLASIK. If you want the safest, most precise LASIK, choose iLASIK.
There is a Difference Between LASIK Technologies
Sunday, 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