Posts Tagged ‘wavefront-guided’

Does Pupil Size Matter in LASIK?

Saturday, November 3rd, 2012

 

Two potential side-effects of LASIK eye surgery are “starbursts” and “halos”.

The short answer is yes. The more precise answer is “It doesn’t have to matter.” The pupil acts as the apperature in a camera constricting in bright sunlight to protect and dilating under dim illumination situations to allow maximum light for visual function at night. Many pupils can be as small as 2 mm in bright light and enlarge to as much as 7 mm or more in the dark. The side-effect of halos and starbursting around lights at night is well known in LASIK and various other eye surgeries and is easy to understand if you consider that LASIK, as originally performed, treated only the central 5.5 to 6 mm of the cornea. The admonition against LASIK in patients with large pupils was easy to understand and was logical when all LASIK was conventional, as performed over 10 years ago. Today, however, we have the ability to treat with much larger treatment zones and with a technology known as “custom” or wavefront-guided LASIK. Several large studies found that pupil size had no relation to night vision problems when wavefront technology was utilized to perform the LASIK procedure. Data from studies utilizing a VISX laser with wavefront guided LASIK treatments found that night vision problems were reduced 20-fold compared to conventional LASIK. Patient satisfaction with their night-vision actually had a tendency to increase compared to night-vision satisfaction with glasses or contacts when wavefront-guided LASIK was performed.

So, as long as your LASIK surgeon is using the latest technology, you can ignore the out-dated advice warning against LASIK in large pupils. Of course, before undergoing LASIK or any other type of surgery, you should discuss all risks and concerns and be sure you understand and are comfortable with these before proceeding. Improvements in LASIK technology continue to improve success rates and reduce the risk of side-effects. To maximize your chances for success, don’t settle for just LASIK: insist on wavefront-guided LASIK.

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Posted in lasik, LASIK Complications, wavefront | No Comments »

LASIK for Pilots (and Astronauts)

Sunday, September 23rd, 2012

Thanks to advanced LASIK, many more now are pilot candidates.

Used to be if you weren’t blessed with naturally good vision, you were disqualified from becoming an airforce pilot or astronaut. Thanks to LASIK eye surgery and some of the newer innovations in vision correction surgery, all of that has changed. After years of study, the Air Force has decided to change their long-standing policy which disqualified applicants who have had LASIK surgery from flight training and navigator training. Prior to the change, officers who had had the surgery, prior to flight school could not become Air Force aviators. Under the old policy, a select-few pilots and navigators who had already graduated from flight training could apply to have the surgery and become part of an on-going study group. The change also removes the altitude and high-performance aircraft restrictions for people who have had LASIK.

The results of the study are in, and the Air Force found that there was little to no effect on LASIK-treated eyes when subjected to high G-forces of combat fighter aircraft, the wind blast experienced during aircraft ejection, or exposure to high altitude.

Due to stresses placed on the eyes during flight combined with the active lifestyle of military members, the recommended refractive surgeries are Wave Front Guided Photorefractive Keratectomy, or WFG-PRK, and Wave Front Guided Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis, know as WFG-LASIK, using the femtosecond laser (IntraLase). The eyes are more trauma resistant after surgery using one of these methods compared to other forms of refractive surgeries.

Shortly after the Airforce and Navy removed the LASIK restriction for fighter pilots, NASA followed suit in allowing LASIK for astronauts. Prior to the removal of these restrictions, poor vision was one of the most common causes for disqualification of aviator candidates. Now thanks to LASIK eye surgery, the future is looking a lot brighter for those who want to reach for the stars. Of course, as with any surgery, there are no guarantees and individuals interested in an aviation career must still meet the vision standards dictated by the armed forces.

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Posted in Intralase, lasik, wavefront | No Comments »

Why Does AMO CustomVue LASIK Cost More?

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

The LASIK procedure involves using a laser to reshape the cornea. Conventional LASIK requires the surgeon to manually type the patient’s eyeglass prescription into the laser. The laser then “imprints” this prescription onto the cornea. While this procedure technically can rid the patient of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, the final shape of the cornea may not be optically desirable. Some patients may suffer from quality of vision issues, often manifested by night-time driving difficulties. Wavefront-guided (CustomVue) LASIK was developed to remedy the situation. In CustomVue LASIK, an extra step is added. Patients are asked to look into a wavefront analyzer that takes a series of sophistacated measurements. The treatment is then planned, not just to eliminate refractive error, but to achieve an optically sound eye; free of aberrations and therefore, night-time driving difficulties.
Because a CustomVue LASIK can eliminate aberrations that glasses and contact lenses cannot, many patients will remark that they actually see better after LASIK than they ever did before. A CustomVue LASIK requires the purchase of additional equipment (the wavefront analyzer). Also because it requires additional measurements, it will take more time. The additional time taken to measure and plan a wavefont guided LASIK is not attractive to high volume, low cost LASIK centers because they cannot do as many procedures.   Also, each CustomVue LASIK requires a special debit treatment card that costs more per procedure than conventional LASIK. The cost of the additional treatment card, the cost of the analyzer and the additional time required are all factored in to the final cost.
So is the increased cost worth it? The Department of Defense thinks so. Over 90% of LASIK procedures done by the military today are CustomVue. Study after study confirm that the visual results of CustomVue LASIK are better than conventional or wavefront-optimized (Allegretto) procedures.
You can’t get CustomVue LASIK at a cut-rate, high volume laser center but you can get it right here in Raleigh at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina.
To find out if CustomVue is right for you, why don’t you call in today for a complimentary evaluation?

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LASIK for Military Pilots

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Within 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.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »