LaserCare Eye Center

Lasik | Complete Medical Eye Exams | Restor | Glasses/Contacts
Cataract Surgery | Laser Surgeries

LASIK

LASIK is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. the name is short for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis." Why is it so popular? LASIK has advantages over other procedures, including a relative lack of pain afterward and the fact that good vision is usually achieved almost immediately or at least by the very next day.

An instrument called a microkeratome is used in LASIK eye surgery to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. The surgeon folds the flap back out of the way, then removes some corneal tissue underneath using an excimer laser. The laser uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the cornea to reshape it. When the cornea is reshaped in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. The flap is then laid back in place, covering the area where the corneal tissue was removed.

In order to decide whether you're a good candidate for LASIK, your eye doctor will examine your eyes to determine their health, what kind of vision correction you need, and how much laser ablation is required. Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from the LASIK procedure. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Also, excimer lasers can correct astigmatism, by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

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Complete Medical Eye Exams

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, many sight-threatening diseases, if detected early, can be cured or treated to prevent, or slow, the progression of any vision loss. The most important preventive step is receiving routine examinations by a qualified eye care professional.

On your first visit and periodically thereafter, the doctors at LaserCare Eye Center will perform a Comprehensive eye exam. This includes Refraction (determination of the need for glasses (if needed)), focused exam of the tissues surrounding the eye, examination of the Anterior segment (front part of the eye) and Dilated fundus examination (we will dilate your pupils with special eyedrops to examine the Retina and other tissues in the back of the eye). This is a very detailed exam of your eye and can take as long as 2 hours.

Depending on you general and ocular health, you and your doctor will be able to determine an appropriate schedule for Comprehensive Eye exams. We strongly recommend that all patients have regular Comprehensive exams.

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ReSTOR

Finally, the opportunity for freedom from reading glasses and bifocals!

Until recently, life without reading glasses or bifocals was not an option for most cataract patients. You now have an option. The AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL is a unique technological innovation that can provide you with quality vision throughout the entire visual spectrum – near through distance – with increased independence from reading glasses or bifocals!

How does the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL work? As we perform daily activities such as reading, watching television or working at the computer, our eyes are constantly focusing on objects at varying distances – up close, far away and everything in-between. The ability to quickly change focus throughout this range of vision is called accommodation. Unfortunately, this ability diminishes as we grow older1, causing us to become dependent on bifocals or reading glasses.

However, the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL was designed to provide quality near to distance vision by combining the strengths of apodized diffractive and refractive technologies. Similar technology has been used for years in microscopes and telescopes to improve image quality, and has now been patented for use in intraocular lenses by Alcon.

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Glasses/Contacts

There are two types of lenses prescribed for correcting or improving vision. These include:

• eyeglasses (also called spectacles)
  Eyeglasses, the most common form of eyewear used to correct or improve many types of vision problems, are a frame that holds two pieces of glass or plastic, which have been ground into lenses to correct refractive errors. Refractive errors can include nearsightedness or myopia (difficulty seeing far away), farsightedness or hyperopia (difficulty seeing close up), and astigmatism (blurring due to an irregularly shaped cornea). Eyeglasses perform this function by adding or subtracting focusing power to the eye's cornea and lens.

• contact lenses
  Contact lenses are worn directly on the cornea of the eye. Like eyeglasses, contact lenses help to correct refractive errors and perform this function by adding or subtracting focusing power to the eye's cornea and lens.

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Cataract Surgery

A cataract is a progressive clouding of the natural lens in your eye. People with advanced cataracts often say they feel as if they're looking through a light fog or a piece of waxed paper.

No medication, laser treatment or exercise regimen can make a cataract disappear. The only way to eliminate a cataract is through cataract surgery, a 10-minute microsurgical procedure in which the old clouded lens is removed through a tiny surgical incision and replaced with a synthetic intraocular lens (IOL). The exact power of the new, implanted lens is determined ahead of time by a precise measurement of the eye.

The procedure begins with a single tiny incision, one so small it needs no suture to heal. (This “no-stitch” technique is used because sutures can sometimes alter the shape of the cornea, causing delayed recovery and/or astigmatism.) Through the incision, an ultrasonic microsurgical instrument is inserted that breaks the cloudy lens into pieces. These tiny pieces are then vacuumed out of the eye and the new lens is then implanted.

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Laser Surgeries

Lasers are an important treatment option for the eye. They allow Ophthalmologists to treat structures in the eye safely using light energy. The recovery from Laser Surgery tends to be much quicker than conventional surgery. Most patients associate lasers with LASIK, which is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in the U.S. In reality, Lasers are used many different eye procedures. At LaserCare Eye Center, Dr. Gicheru specializes in LASIK and other Laser procedures including:

LASIK: Conventional LASIK and Intra-LASIK.
Glaucoma: Lasers can be used to treat Primary Open Angle Glaucoma and Narrow Angle Glaucoma.
Diabetic Retinopathy: Patients with significant Diabetic retinopathy can undergo laser treatments to treat this vision threatening complication of Diabetes.
Age Related Macular Degeneration: Some patients with Macular Degeneration can be treated with a laser.
After-Cataracts: Some patients will develop a membrane behind their artificial lens following Cataract surgery. This can be treated with a procedure called a YAG laser Posterior Capsulotomy.

Please call our office to find out how Laser surgery can help.

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