LASIK Laser Eye Surgery Blog

After PRK: What to Expect

2008-08-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

The doctor's orders after surgery are very important to your well being and healing process. If there are complications you must immediately contact your doctor.

When the procedure is done you should rest for a few hours. The doctor will allow you to rest a bit immediately following the procedure but you must have someone else drive you home.

Although you will be able to go to work the next day, most doctors will suggest a few days of rest and refraining from any strenuous physical activities as this can aggravate the healing process.

At all costs avoid rubbing the eye. Your doctor will most likely provide you with special medical drops, eye guards and other materials to help with the recovery like a special contact lens and antibiotic eye drops.

Although most people achieve 20/20 or better vision, many also only achieve 20/40. However, people with initially poor eyesight achieving 20/40 is a lot better than their previous vision and there are some that still need to wear contacts or glasses following the procedure but at a much lower prescription.

Possible post operative complications include glares, halos or starbursts around lights at night. This is a common condition and side effect as a result of PRK or any refractive surgery.

LASIK Videos

2008-08-27T15:43:00.001-07:00

If you're searching for videos on LASIK, you've come to the right place. Eye Surgery USA has a full library of LASIK videos to choose from. Some of these videos include video testimonials from famous celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Drew Carey and William Shatner.

To visit our LASIK video page, click here

To help you in your search for LASIK videos, you may want to try using our search feature, which is located at the top of the page. Simply enter a term into the search field and hit GO!

Dr. William L. Gonzalez of Capital Eye Physicians & Surgeons

2008-08-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Many people who are tired of wearing glasses or contact lenses seek the help of refractive surgeons. Refractive surgery improves vision by correcting refractive errors such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. A high percentage of patients enjoy 20/20 vision or better after their procedure.

Capital Eye Physicians & Surgeons, L.L.C. is a comprehensive ophthalmology practice. For over 25 years, we've provided routine eye care such as contact lenses and eyeglasses, while specializing in refractive surgery (RK, PRK, LASIK), cataract treatment and surgery, retinal diseases, glaucoma, laser surgery, as well as most other diseases and treatments associated with the eye.

Eye Anatomy and Refractive Errors

2008-08-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Recent advances in refractive surgery are designed to permanently reduce or eliminate the need for corrective eyewear to see objects clearly. Today, more than 3 million corneal refractive procedures are performed worldwide each year. Presently, more than 100 million patients wear contact lenses for correction of their refractive errors.

To better understand refractive surgeries, one should understand how a perfectly normal eye (20/20) focuses light and what are different types of refractive errors? Let us first understand the main components of eye.

read more

Boston Laser Eye Surgeon, Dr. Kornmehl, is no stranger to media

2008-08-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Boston, Wellesley and Brookline, MA, Laser Eye Surgeon Dr. Ernest W. Kornmehl has just updated his Eye Surgery USA site.

It's important to point out that Dr. Kornmehl has been selected as a "top" LASIK Surgeon by Boston Magazine's "Top Doctors" issue, as one of the Best Doctors in America and as one of America's Top Doctors by Castle and Connolly.

Dr. Kornmehl has also been featured all over the media as an expert in refractive surgery, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN News, CBS Evening News, USA Today, The Today Show, World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and many others.

Visit Dr. Kornmehl on Eye Surgery USA today and be sure to set up your appointment or consultation with him. With high praises from the community and the media, you know you're in good hands.

LASIK Glossary

2008-08-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

We at Eye Surgery USA understand how some of the LASIK jargon can be quite confusing or difficult to understand, which is why we provide a free glossary of LASIK terms. Learn meanings to terms like PRK, Inflammation, Myopia and much more.

Click here to visit our LASIK Glossary today!

How Does Wavefront LASIK Work?

2008-08-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Wavefront laser safely emits a light into the eye where it maps out a visual pattern of your lower and higher-order aberrations. This pattern is displayed as a three dimensional map, known as a Wavefront map. This map allows the surgeon to customize the LASIK procedure to the unique pattern that is associated with your eye, giving you a customized procedure.

Answer provided by Elizabeth Miller, MD of Savannah, GA

Laser Eye Surgery Procedures

2008-08-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

There are many procedures available for correcting poor vision. The procedure that is best for you can best be determined by your surgeon. Some of the more popular procedures include LASIK, LASEK / E-LASIK, Epi-LASIK, Wavefront LASIK, IntraLase and PRK Laser Surgery.

With Corrective Eye Surgery, you can enjoy such benefits as:

Freeing yourself from the need to carry and wear eyeglasses.
Eliminating the need for purchasing expensive lens care solutions and contact lenses.
Being able to enjoy excellent vision while swimming or participating in sporting events - as always, check with your surgeon to see how long you should allow to heal before undertaking any such activities.

How is presby LASIK performed?

2008-08-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

With presby LASIK, laser energy reshapes your eye's clear surface into different zones. The laser light is bent or refracted differently in each zone so that both near and distance vision can be achieved simultaneously. Since presby LASIK is still in its investigational phases, different approaches are being studied to figure out how the eye should be shaped to attain the best possible vision correction for presbyopes.

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Seattle Eye Surgeon, Mark Walker, M.D.

2008-08-14T14:11:00.001-07:00

If you're located in or around the Seattle area and are considering Laser Eye Surgery, we invite you to check out the Eye Surgery USA profile of Dr. Mark Walker.

Dr. Mark Walker integrates the most technologically advanced equipment, unparalleled expertise and outstanding customer service to make each patient's experience comfortable, convenient, rewarding, and most importantly, safe.

Click here to visit his profile page on Eye Surgery USA

Zooming in on vision correction

2008-08-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

Consumers looking for the right medical and financial fit for vision correction surgery can go cross-eyed considering all the options.

Lasik is by far the most popular procedure that surgically corrects most kinds of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, with both traditional and "custom" Lasik accounting for 90 percent of vision-correction surgery.

But it isn't cheap, is rarely covered by insurance and patients with certain visual characteristics aren't candidates for the procedure.

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IntraLase Method vs Microkeratome Method

2008-08-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

The microkeratome is a hand-held instrument, which contains a steel blade that moves back and forth and creates a cut as it travels across the cornea. A microkeratome is only capable of making a single, one-dimensional cut across the cornea. As it cuts, the blade oscillates back and forth, which can leave an irregular surface after the flap is lifted. This can affect the quality of your postoperative vision.

Because of the unique way in which the IntraLase Method creates a precisely positioned layer of bubbles just beneath the surface of your eye, it creates a smooth even surface after your flap is lifted. With the IntraLase Method, a blade never touches your eye.

How Advanced Surface Ablation Works

2008-08-11T15:46:00.001-07:00

Advanced Surface Ablation is a relatively new laser vision procedure that has additional safety features over LASIK making it an ideal alternative for some patients. Instead of cutting a flap on the front of the cornea, the surface skin cells (epithelium) are loosened with a diluted alcohol solution and removed. The corneal surface is then treated with the laser and covered with a bandage contact lens.

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Is LASIK safe?

2008-08-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recognizes LASIK as a safe and effective treatment. The procedure is performed with a cool, highly accurate beam of laser light. There are many important safeguards in place to reduce the risk of surgical errors. As with any surgical procedure, adverse side effects are possible.

Answer provided by Dr. Paul J. Dougherty

What results can I expect from LASIK?

2008-08-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

The goal of any refractive surgical procedure is to reduce or eliminate your dependence on corrective lenses-so that you may freely enjoy activities without the encumbrance of glasses or contacts. Our commitment to you is that we will not perform laser vision correction on you or anyone we feel does not have a good possibility of achieving independence from glasses and contacts.

There are three main variables that will influence vision results: a thorough pre-operative evaluation to determine whether you are a good candidate for LASIK, the experience of your LASIK surgeon/team, and the equipment utilized. To ensure the best outcomes, it is critical that you select your surgical team wisely. Honest evaluation, surgical experience, and state-of-the-art technology are crucial to the end result.

LASIK Los Angeles - Paul J. Dougherty, MD

2008-08-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Dougherty Laser Vision serves an expansive three county area, with offices in Los Angeles (Larchmont Village), Camarillo, Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks. We are one of the few LASIK providers in the nation to offer three cutting edge laser technologies including Visx Customview and Alcon Ladarwave wavefront-guided LASIK and Nidek Scanning-Slit LASIK. And while many vision correction practices offer just one or two treatment options, we offer a full range, from customized LASIK to intraocular lens (IOL) implants, including the Crystalens fully-accomodating implantable lens.

This wealth of treatment options helps to ensure that our patients receive the most appropriate customized treatment and the best possible outcomes.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Paul J. Dougherty

LASIK Woodland Hills - Dr. Mitchell Shultz

2008-08-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Drs. Shultz is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. In addition to providing state-of-the-art surgical eye care, his office also provides comprehensive medical eye exams to evaluate and treat: Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Diabetes, Diseases of the Cornea and Retina, Nearsightedness, Farsightedness, Astigmatism, Glasses and Contact Lenses.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Shultz

Ask an Expert

2008-08-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have a question about LASIK, PRK or other Corrective Eye Surgery Procedure that you've never remembered to ask?

Maybe a question that you'd rather ask on the web than in person?

Screened and Qualified Vision Correction Specialists are available to answer YOUR questions, whatever they may be.

Click here to Ask an Expert on Eye Surgery USA

Retinal Diseases

2008-08-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

The retina is a thin sheet of nerve tissue in the back of the eye where light rays are focused and transmitted to the brain. The vitreous is a gel-like substance that fills the eye and is connected to the retina, optic nerve and many blood vessels. Problems with the retina and vitreous -- including retinal tear and detachment, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, infection and trauma -- can lead to vision loss and blindness. Early detection and treatment are critical in correcting problems before vision is lost or preventing further deterioration from occurring.

Learn more about Retinal Diseases on Dr. Gonzalez's Eye Surgery USA FAQ page

What is refractive surgery?

2008-08-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

Refractive surgery is an outpatient procedure that corrects vision problems such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism The surgery restores the eye's normal curvature and its ability to bring images into focus.

Answer provided by Ernest W. Kornmehl, MD, FACS of Wellesley, MA
Click here to send an email to Ernest W. Kornmehl, MD, FACS

How is presby LASIK performed?

2008-07-31T16:00:00.001-07:00

What Are The Benefits of Wavefront-Guided Custom LASIK?

2008-07-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Many of the concerns surrounding LASIK are the post LASIK complications that may occur, such as glare, halos and difficulty seeing at night, which is why Wavefront technology is cutting-edge. It not only has the potential to improve your vision based on the standard 20/20 chart, but has the potential to improve the fine details and better contrast.

Lower-order aberrations or small defects such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism can determine how much you can see. These defects can be treated with traditional LASIK.

Higher-order aberrations or a measure of visual distortions more severe than normal vision problems that cause decreased vision at night, glare, shadows and halos cannot be treated with traditional LASIK and are sometimes a side effect of traditional LASIK. Thus the amount of higher-order aberrations determines how well you see. Wavefront LASIK can address these higher-order aberrations.

Wavefront LASIK has the advantage of offering a higher quality of vision and not just a measure of how much you can see. On top of being able to achieve 20/20 or better vision, there is a reduced chance of losing visual quality such as contrast sensitivity, vision at night and distorted vision effects such as halos and glares.

Wavefront LASIK is also ideal for those who have had vision correction procedures done already and have since lost the corrected vision, from previous LASIK, PRK and RK procedures.

Answer provided by Elizabeth Miller, MD of Savannah, GA

What is an excimer laser and how does it work?

2008-07-29T15:40:00.001-07:00

The excimer laser produces a high-energy, cold, ultraviolet light beam in pulses and delivers the pulses to a surface of the eye's cornea. These pulses break the bond between molecules and tissue cells so that a controlled amount of tissue can literally be vaporized away to reshape the cornea -- one microscopic layer at a time. The excimer laser is computer controlled and programmed to custom treat each individual eye with a high degree of precision. For most cases, the thickness of the layer removed by the laser is less than the thickness of a human hair.

LASIK Glossary

2008-07-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

We at Eye Surgery USA understand how some of the LASIK jargon can be quite confusing or difficult to understand, which is why we provide a free glossary of LASIK terms. Learn meanings to terms like PRK, Inflammation, Myopia and much more.

Click here to visit our LASIK Glossary today!

Eye Anatomy and Refractive Errors

2008-07-25T11:36:00.001-07:00