Patient Info

It is a surgical procedure that changes the shape of the cornea–the surface of the eye — to improve vision. LASIK and PRK are two types of laser vision correction.

They both use a cool beam of light (laser), controlled by a computer, to gently reshape the cornea to enable images to focus more clearly onto the retina to achieve better vision. The laser is approved by the FDA as a proven, safe and effective device to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

You may be a good candidate for laser vision correction if you have the following characteristics:

• You have nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
• You are unhappy wearing glasses or contact lenses and have a strong desire to eliminate or reduce your need for them.
• You are over 21 years of age. If you are under 21 years of age, your nearsightedness is probably still increasing.
• Your refraction is stable and has not changed in 2 years or more. Refractions often continue to change through the teenage years into the early twenties. You should not have had a significant change in your prescription in the past 2 years or more. (A significant change is one-half diopter or more.)
• You understand or will take the time and effort to understand the risks associated with laser vision correction. Someone who insists upon a perfect correction might not be a good candidate due to having unrealistic expectations. A perfect correction is possible but cannot be guaranteed.
• If you are a woman, you are not experiencing hormonal changes due to pregnancy or breast-feeding. Hormonal changes will often cause temporary changes in your nearsightedness.

Your suitability for refractive surgery, and the best technique for your individual case, can best be determined through a personal consultation and examination of your eyes. We provide an extensive Pre-LASIK Consultation to determine if you are a good candidate for refractive surgery, and to discuss the option suitable for you.

Over 99% of patients have 20/40 or better vision without glasses or contacts after LASIK (which is good enough to pass the driver’s license test) and 96% have 20/20 or better vision without glasses or contacts.

Astigmatism occurs when the eye is shaped with some irregularity, like an egg. Astigmatism blurs the vision at both distance and near. Most people who have nearsightedness or farsightedness also have astigmatism, and laser vision correction is routinely used to correct astigmatism as well as the other problems.

LASIK alters the shape of the cornea, which is the clear tissue in the very front of the eye. The need for reading glasses that comes as we get older (known as presbyopia) is a result of the aging of the lens deep inside the eye, behind the colored part of the eye. So LASIK does not correct presbyopia directly. However, if you have been diagnosed with cataracts or believe you may have cataracts, you may be a candidate for cataract surgery. During cataract surgery, your clouded lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens implanted in the eye. Currently, if you are undergoing cataract surgery, you have the option of choosing advanced technology intraocular lenses (multifocal IOLs) that are designed to achieve clear vision at far, near and intermediate distances, often with little or no need for glasses. These lenses address and correct nearsightedness, farsigthtedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. A consultation and examination will help us determine the best options for correcting your vision.

Cataracts is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. This condition most often occurs naturally as people age.

When cataracts first develop, common symptoms of blurry vision or glare or halos from bright lights may appear. You may be able to use stronger glasses or contacts, magnifying glass, or better lighting to see better for a while.

Surgery is indicated when cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life. Cataract surgery is a routine and safe procedure to restore your vision.

During cataract surgery, the surgeon removes the clouded lens and replaces it with a clear, synethic intraocular lens, commonly referred to as an IOL.

Many patients now have the option of choosing a standard IOL or an advanced technology IOL. A standard IOL corrects either the patient’s far or near vision but not both. For instance, a standard IOL enables the patient to see well far away but the patient will still need to wear glasses for close-up tasks such as reading.

An advanced technology IOL can potentially achieve a better visual outcome for a patient, depending on the patient’s needs. Two common types of advanced technology IOLs are multifocal IOLs and astigmatism-correcting IOLs. The ACRYSOFT IQ RESTOR© multifocal IOL is designed restore a full range of vision by addressing, in addition to the cataract, nearsightedness, farsightedness and presbyopia at the same time. The ACRYSOFT IQ TORIC© IOL is designed to correct a patient’s astigmatism, in addition to the cataract, to bring about sharper and clearer distance vision for a patient, but does not address presbyopia.

The goal of cataract surgery is to restore the vision loss caused by the cataract. Depending on the patient’s need for correction and whether other eye conditions are present, a patient may have choices in the IOL used to achieve an optimal visual outcome for the patient. A complete eye exam will determine the best course of treatment and the options available for each patient’s particular case.

The bottom line is, whereas many people believe poor vision is an inevitable part of aging; but cataract surgery is a routine, safe to regain good vision.