LASIK

The typical LASIK procedure takes five to ten minutes.  Each step will be explained to you by your doctor as it is performed.

The eye that is not being treated will be patched.  Likely, the doctor will put more drops in your eye just before the procedure begins.

First, an eyelid holder will be placed between the eyelids.  The holder prevents you from blinking.  Next the doctor will place a ring on your cornea that keeps your eye steady and guides the microkeratome while the flap is being created.  Some doctors may drape your eyelashes to keep them out of the way.  When the ring is on you eye, you will feel a little pressure, but no discomfort as the anesthetic drops will have taken effect.

During most of the procedure you will be able to see what is happening; however, when the flap is created you will experience a few seconds of darkness.  This is perfectly normal.  Shortly, you will be able to see the fixation light again.

Once created, the hinged flap will be folded back and the laser will be applied to the cornea beneath the flap.  The laser portion takes less than a minute.

Next the flap is folded back into place.  You will remain in a reclining position for 3 to 5 minutes while they eye's natural adhesion process works to secure the flap.  Because the eye naturally creates a vacuum which adheres the flap to the cornea you will not have to wear a contact bandage lens after the procedure as do PRK patients.

If you are having both eyes treated, the same routine will be followed for the second eye.

Your eye has a clear lens through which light passes allowing you to see.  When the lens loses its transparency, the cloudy tissue that develops is known as a cataract. 

Cataracts cause progressive, painless loss of vision.  The lens clouds naturally as we age, so people over the age of 65 usually see a gradual reduction of vision.  No one is exactly sure what causes cataracts.  In younger people they can result from an injury, certain medications, or illnesses such as diabetes.  Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light may also play a role in the formation of cataracts.  Studies have also shown that people who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of developing cataracts than non-smokers.

Although cataracts usually develop without apparent pain, some indications that a cataract may be forming are as follows:

• Blurred or hazy vision
• Double vision
• Poor vision in bright light
• Seeing halos around lights
• Yellowish tinged vision
• Night vision difficulty

If visual impairment interferes with your ability to read, work, or do the things you enjoy, then you will want to consider cataract surgery.  Surgery is the only proven means of effectively treating cataracts.  Cataract surgery is a relatively painless and is one of the most frequently performed procedures.  It has a very high success rate and more than 90 percent of cataract surgery patients regain useful vision.

Glaucoma is the term for when the pressure inside the eye rises high enough to damage the optic nerve. The condition often develops over many years without causing pain - so you may not experience vision loss until the disease has progressed. Glaucoma cannot be prevented, and vision lost to it cannot be restored. Left untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness. For these reasons, regular eye exams and early detection are critical.

The high eye pressure associated with glaucoma is caused by blockages in the eye's fluid drains. No one knows yet why the blockages form.

Symptoms are occasionally present and should be taken as warning signs that glaucoma may be developing; these include blurred vision, loss of peripheral vision, halo effects around lights and painful or reddened eyes. People at the greatest risk include those who are over the age of 40, diabetic, near-sighted, African-American, or who have a family history of glaucoma.

General Opthalmology

Regular eye exams are an invaluable tool in maintaining your eyes' health by detecting and preventing disease. Some diseases, such as glaucoma, often develop gradually without causing pain or vision loss - so you may not notice anything wrong until significant and irreversible damage has been done.

Early detection of any problems can allow for a choice of treatment options and a reduced risk of further harm.

Signs & Symptoms of Potential Eye Problems

You should have your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist if you have any of these conditions: 

• Decreased vision, even if temporary 
• New floater (black "strings" or specks in the vision) 
• Flashes of light 
• Curtain or veil blocking vision 
• Haloes (colored circles around lights) 
• Eye pain 
• Redness of the eye or skin around the eye 
• Eye discharge or tearing 
• Bulging of one or both eyes 
• Crossed eyes 
• Double vision 
• Diabetes
• Family history of eye disease
  

Refractive Disorders

Many people have been told they have a refractive problem by their eye care professional and may not have clearly understood what this meant.  The word refraction is used to describe the way light is bent or altered as it is focused by your eyes.  Refraction depends on three elements of the eye; the curvature of the eye, the power of Normal Vision and the lens and the length of the eye.  If your eyes are structured properly, then light will focus properly on the retina.  If these elements are not structured correctly then light will focus either in front of, or behind the retina.  These irregularities are often due to the front surface of the eye being too flat, too steep or uneven causing the common refractive problems nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

Myopia (Nearsightedness)
When an eye is myopic it has too much focusing power because the surface of the eye, the cornea, is too steep. Too much focusing power, or myopia, causes images to form in the front of the retina which cannot be transformed to the brain clearly for processing. Those with myopia see objects blurry at a distance while objects up close remain quite clear.

Hyperopia (Farsightedsness) 
A hyperopic eye does not have enough focusing power because the surface of the eye, the cornea, is too flat. When the eye is too flat object come into focus behind the retina and are able to see objects in the distance while things up close are blurry.

Astigmatism
When an eye is astigmatic, it lacks a uniform surface which results in the inability to have one focal point. The surface of the eye, the cornea, is curved on one place more so than it is on other places. For people to understand this more clearly consider a normal eye to be the shape of a tennis ball (round) while the shape of a person's eye with astigmatism is more shaped like a football (toric).