LASER VISION CORRECTION:
Can you remember a time when you were not dependent on contacts or glasses?
A time when the daily rituals of contact lens maintenance did not exist or when you did not worry about where to put your glasses before jumping into the pool?
Imagine a procedure that could help change your entire lifestyle by diminishing your need for contacts or glasses.
All-laser LASIK at Piedmont Better Vision (www.piedmontbettervision.com) is now turning dreams of clear vision into reality. In only minutes you can reduce or eliminate your current reliance on glasses and contact lenses.
- The LASIK Difference
- How LASIK Corrects Vision
- The Results
- Advantages of LASIK
- The Complications
- Possible Side Effects of LASIK
- LASIK, am I a candidate?
- Special Refractive Surgery Considerations
The LASIK Difference
For over 25 years, doctors placed incisions in the cornea to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. In the early 1980s, they began looking at lasers to improve the precision and predictability of altering the shape of the cornea. Researchers found that the Excimer laser could remove tissue with up to 0.25 microns of accuracy. Now, in its second decade of use, the technologically advanced Excimer laser has added a tremendous amount of precision, control and safety to the surgical correction of vision errors. Using this remarkable technology, the cornea is reshaped to conform to your glasses or contact lens prescription, thereby reducing or even eliminating a lifetime of dependence on corrective lenses for hundreds of thousands of Americans every year.
How LASIK corrects vision
Myopia (Nearsightedness)
Myopia or nearsightedness occurs when light rays are in front of the retina instead of directly on the retina.
To treat nearsightedness, the cornea must be made flatter. This is accomplished by thinning the center of the cornea with correction of distance vision.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
Hyperopia or farsightedness occurs when light rays are not bent enough to focus the on the retina.
To treat farsightedness, the central cornea must be made steeper. This is accomplished by thinning the peripheral cornea, which in turn steepens the central cornea and improves vision.Astigmatism
Regular astigmatism occurs when light rays are focused at more than one point on the retina.
To treat astigmatism, the cornea must be made more spherical. By changing the pattern of the beam, tissue is removed in one direction more than the other.
The LASIK Results
At Piedmont Better Vision, state-of-the-art FDA-approved technology is implemented for superior vision correction results. For low and moderate myopia (up to about 10 diopters), approximately 95% of eyes typically achieve 20/40 or better vision while 85% of eyes achieve 20/25 or better vision. About 1% of eyes cannot see as well with glasses after surgery as they could with glasses before surgery. For high myopia (over 10 diopters), the results are not quite so good. In these cases we place an implantable contact lens (Staar Visian ICL) for permanent distance vision correction, which provide superior vision results as compared to LASIK in this patient group. Up to about 5% of eyes after LASIK or ICL surgery may require small adjustments (enhancements) to improve vision in the future.
Advantages of Lasik
- Rapid Recovery -- Most patients can return to work one or two days after surgery. There is typically little or no pain, and functional vision usually returns within 24 hours.
- Correction of a Full Range of myopia (Up to 10 Diopters of myopia)
- Repeatability – Fine tuning of vision (enhancements) can be performed at any time in the future
- Long-term Stability -- Most studies show stability is reached between three and six months. Although long-term data are not yet available, there is minimal disruption of the normal corneal architecture and minimal wound healing. Therefore, many ophthalmologists feel this procedure will be stable over the long term.
- Structural Integrity -- The flap is secure enough after the first day so that it cannot be dislodged by blinking or rubbing the eye.
- Lack of Scarring -- There is little or no scarring in the central cornea, as can occur with PRK.
- No Need for Long-term Post-operative Eye Drops -- There is no need to suppress wound healing with the use of steroids as there is with PRK. LASIK patients do not need drops after one week.
Complications
As with any surgical procedure, complications can occur with LASIK. These include undercorrections, overcorrections, and loss of best-corrected vision. Problems can occur during preparation of the flap. These can include failure to prepare a flap of the correct diameter, thickness, or shape and slippage or dislocation of the flap after surgery. Flap problems have been reduced by all laser LASIK using the Intralase laser flap device. The risk of infection has been estimated to be approximately 1/5000.
Possible Side Effects
Even though the refractive error may be corrected and the visual acuity may be good after LASIK, some patients experience one or more of the following side effects of the procedure:
Optical Aberrations: Cause halos, ghost images, shadows, and slight distortions for the first months after surgery. In unusual circumstances, these optical aberrations may interfere with normal visual activities. Wavefront technology used at Piedmont Better Vision reduces these aberrations with laser vision correction.
- Night myopia: Myopic patients typically have increased axial eye lengths which create reduced night vision. Even though LASIK improves distance vision, it does not correct the length of the eye, thus night vision problems can remain.
- Dry Eye: During the healing process, your eye may feel dry, and you may need to use artificial tear replacement for comfort temporarily.
- Discomfort: Most of the discomfort following LASIK occurs within the first 24 hours and can easily be controlled with Tylenol or similar mild pain relievers. The eyes may be transiently more sensitive to sunlight following surgery or feel more dry after surgery. A number of treatments can be utilized to improve dry eyes with the vast majority improving on their own over time.
LASIK, am I a candidate?
Your refractive error, occupation, leisure activities, age and personal expectations all help to determine whether you are a good candidate for vision correction surgery. You must have REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS and understand that vision correction procedures are NOT ALWAYS PERFECT. It is impossible to guarantee 20/20 vision with every vision correction procedure, but technology today with all-laser wavefront-guided LASIK significantly improves outcomes.
Guidelines
To be eligible for vision correction surgery, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Have stable vision for at least one year before surgery
- Have healthy eyes that are free of disease, scars, retinal problems, and corneal malformations
- Have realistic expectations and objectives for surgery
Special Refractive Surgery Considerations
Refractive surgery DOES NOT PREVENT the age-related loss of the eye's ability to vary its focusing power. If you are over 40 and have both of your eyes fully corrected for distance vision, you will need reading glasses for near distance work. As an alternative to reading glasses, you may elect to leave one eye slightly nearsighted, an outcome called monovision.
Please visit www.piedmontbettervision.com for more details on laser vision correction and other alternatives for vision correction surgery such as PRELEX and ICL vision implants.