Why Should I have LASIK?

Because the Gift of Sight is PRICELESS!

If you're stuck in glasses or contacts, imagine what it would be like to wake each morning and see clearly throughout the day - no matter what activities or hobbies you are enjoying. Imagine your life without the frustration! Your new vision will allow you to focus on the more important things in your life.

Think of Your World Without Glasses and Contacts

Laser eye treatment is now one of America's most frequently performed elective surgeries. With recent advances in technology, more and more people are becoming prime candidates for laser eye treatment. Laser vision correction offers a permanent improvement for your vision, and it does not necessitate years of expense and hassles; and of course, eye surgery does not deprive the cornea of oxygen, cause allergies, or cause red-itchy eyes!

Common Vision Problems

What is Your Vision Problem?

LASIK can typically correct Nearsightedness, Farsightedness, and Astigmatism.

Nearsighted, Myopia:

People can typically see things up close, but things far away may appear blurred. People who are nearsighted may find a negative number in the sphere column of their prescription.

Farsightedness, Hyperopia:

Farsighted people can usually see things that are far away better than things that are close. A farsighted prescription will have a positive number under the sphere column.

Astigmatism:

An astigmatism causes a distortion of vision, where a person may experience an overall blurriness. Information regarding an astigmatism is found in the cylinder column Many people with myopia or hyperopia have some degree of astigmatism

Presbyopia:

Laser eye surgery cannot correct this age-related vision problem; it occurs in most individuals starting in the early 40s and progresses with age. Muscles inside the eye lose flexibility and reading can become difficult.

People may have presbyopia in combination with another vision problem like nearsightedness. The nearsightedness would be correctable, but the presbyopia would not; however, we may be able to find a adjustment to compensate for both.

Understanding Your Prescription

Vision impairments such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia are measured in units called diopters. A diopter is one whole number, and a diopter represents the amount of correction you need to normalize your vision. The more nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatic you are, the higher your prescription will be represented in diopters, or rather the farther away from zero your prescription will be.

Typical Prescription -4.00 -1.50 X 90 +2.0

-4.00 The sphere column identifies the severity of nearsightedness or farsightedness. The sign identifies whether you are nearsighted (-) or farsighted (+). -1.50 The cylinder column identifies degree of astigmatism. The sign can be either (+) or (-). 90 The axis column identifies where the astigmatism is positioned. This astigmatism is located at ninety degrees, or in the vertical axis. +2.0 The add column identifies the severity of presbyopia. The sign is always (+). Your Prescription Numbers ...

... are used to help determine the appropriate treatment plan for you, as an individual. These numbers provide information to your LASIK team to help prescribe the best laser and how much and in what pattern the laser evaporates corneal tissue during the LASIK eye surgery.

It is not necessary for you to bring a prescription with you to your LASIK exam; we will measure these aspects of your vision when you get here.

Are You a Candidate for LASIK?

If you're over the age of 18 and have nearsightedness, farsightedness, or an astigmatism, you may be a good candidate for LASIK surgery.

In General, Good Laser Vision Correction Candidates Must:

Be at Least 18 Years Old Be in Good General Health Have No Health Issues Affecting the Eyes Have No Active Eye Conditions Which May Affect Healing Have a Stable Vision Prescription for at Least One Year The Only Certain Way ...

... to find out if you're a candidate for LASIK is to have a vision exam.

Smart LASIK is Safe LASIK

How is LASIK Safer Now?

FDA approval of lasik surgery equipment in the U.S. came in 1995, after ten years of clinical trials.

Complications affecting vision after laser eye surgery are now reported at a rate of less than one percent. In fact, LASIK carries less risk of infection than wearing contacts.

How Safe is LASIK Really?

Corrective eye surgery is extremely safe when performed by qualified doctors. Like any surgical procedure, there can be complications, but the complication rate is extremely low.

Results of clinical studies indicate the chances of having a vision-reducing complication are less than 1%. There have been no reported cases of blindness resulting from laser eye treatment in the United States.

Concerns About LASIK

At Midtown Eye & Laser, we want our patients to be comfortable addressing our medical staff with questions and concerns. Here are some concerns that have been brought to our attention from past patients:

Concerns From Past Patients

Bladeless Procedures - We offer PRK at Midtown Eye & Laser as a "bladeless" procedure option. There are bladeless LASIK procedures that use a laser to create the epithelial flap this is done by what is called an Intralase. This is another option our doctors and staff are more than happy to discuss with you at the time of your consult.

Conductive Keratoplasty - CK is performed using a probe about the size of a human strand of hair, which release radiofrequency (RF) energy, shrinking the tissue to increase the curvature of the cornea.

Dry Eyes After LASIK - Some patients may experience dry eyes after LASIK and PRK. Often it is a temporary side effect during the healing process. If a patient is prone to dry eyes, our medical teams may discuss options with the patient, or discuss non-candidacy if the patient's eyes are too dry to have laser vision correction.

LASEK - Or epi-LASIK, may be an option for patients with thinner corneal epithelia. A solution is used to raise the epithelium. A "bubble" forms through the center of the microkeratome, making it safe to create a flap. After the laser application, the flap is repositioned on the cornea and held in place by a soft, non-prescription contact lens.

FAQs about LASIK

WILL MY PROCEDURE BE PAINFUL?

Patients experience virtually no discomfort during the LASIK procedure. Eye drop anesthesia is used to numb the eye prior to the procedure, so no injections are necessary. Immediately after treatment, some patients have reported minor discomfort, like having an eyelash or a dry contact lens in their eye.

WHEN I HAVE LASIK SURGERY, WILL I BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE RESULTS RIGHT AWAY?

Most of our patients say this is an extremely memorable moment in their lives. You will have improved vision immediately after your laser vision correction. The majority of our patients are able to go to work the next day. Your vision will continue to improve as your eyes heal and adjust to their new shape.

WILL MY IMPROVED VISION BE PERMANENT?

LASIK is designed to be a permanent correction for your vision. Studies to date show excellent vision stability for more than a decade following treatment. Midtown Eye & Laser also offers an opportunity to participate in a Acuity plan. Because the FDA does not allow guarantees on a medical procedure, we wanted to offer patients some kind of peace of mind. A Lifetime Acuity plan allows patients to have laser vision correction again, at no cost. Of course this only covers vision degradation related to corneal problems: nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The details and restrictions will be covered by the medical team.

HOW LONG WILL MY LASIK PROCEDURE TAKE?

The LASIK procedure time is between five and fifteen minutes. We ask our patients to plan to be with us for approximately two hours on the day of their treatment. This gives our medical team adequate time for your procedure preparation, additional paperwork, final examination, and give you an opportunity to ask questions after your vision correction.

WILL I EXPERIENCE LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS AFTER MY VISION CORRECTION? No long-term side effects of the LASIK procedure have been discovered. The technique is based on keratomileusis. Keratomileusis simply means a surgical improvement of the focusing power of the eye performed by lifting the front surface of the eye, the corneal epithelium. By forming a thin hinged flap, the shape of the cornea can be changed by using a cool laser. A microkeratome is usually used to create the flap, this form of laser vision correction has been around over 30 years.