What to Expect During LASIK Eye Surgery?

What to expect before, during, and after surgery will vary from doctor to doctor and patient to patient. The US FDA provides a compilation of patient information developed by manufacturers and healthcare professionals, but cannot replace the dialogue you should have with your Beverly Hills Lasik surgeon. Read this information carefully and with the checklist, discuss your expectations with your doctor.

The surgery itself should take less than 30 minutes. You will lie on your back in a reclining chair in an exam room containing the laser system. The laser system includes a large machine with a microscope attached to it and a computer screen.

A numbing drop will be placed in your eye by a skilled Lasik surgeon Los Angeles laser eye surgery experts tell us, the area around your eye will be cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will be used to hold your eyelids open.

Your doctor may use a mechanical microkeratome (a blade device) to cut a flap in the cornea. If a mechanical microkeratome is used, a ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of the procedure. The microkeratome, a cutting instrument, is attached to the suction ring. Your doctor will use the blade of the microkeratome to cut a flap in your cornea. Microkeratome blades are meant to be used only once and then thrown out. The microkeratome and the suction ring are then removed.

According to a top Lasik doctor Los Angeles laser eye specialists may use a laser keratome (a laser device), instead of a mechanical microkeratome, to cut a flap on the cornea. If a laser keratome is used, the cornea is flattened with a clear plastic plate. Your vision will dim and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of the procedure. Laser energy is focused inside the cornea tissue, creating thousands of small bubbles of gas and water that expand and connect to separate the tissue underneath the cornea surface, creating a flap. The plate is then removed.

You will be able to see, but you will experience fluctuating degrees of blurred vision during the rest of the procedure. The doctor will then lift the flap and fold it back on its hinge, and dry the exposed tissue. The laser will be positioned over your eye and you will be asked to stare at a light. This is not the laser used to remove tissue from the cornea. This light is to help you keep your eye fixed on one spot once the laser comes on.

When your eye is in the correct position, your doctor will start the laser. At this point in the surgery, you may become aware of new sounds and smells. The pulse of the laser makes a ticking sound. As the laser removes corneal tissue, some people have reported a smell similar to burning hair. A computer controls the amount of laser energy delivered to your eye. Before the start of surgery, your Beverly Hills Lasik eye doctor will have programmed the computer to vaporize a particular amount of tissue based on the measurements taken at your initial evaluation. After the pulses of laser energy vaporize the corneal tissue, the flap is put back into position.

A shield should be placed over your eye at the end of the procedure as protection, since no stitches are used to hold the flap in place. It is important for you to wear this shield to prevent you from rubbing your eye and putting pressure on your eye while you sleep, and to protect your eye from accidentally being hit or poked until the flap has healed.

Significant Advantages Of Allegretto Wave® Over Other Laser Eye Surgery Options

Large Optical Zones
The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® is capable of producing some of the largest available optical zones. The optical zone refers to the portion of the cornea that has been corrected by the laser. A larger optical zone is especially important for night vision and for patients with very large pupils. According to a top Lasik doctor Los Angeles patients may have pupils that are larger than the optical zone, and may experience poor peripheral vision, poor night vision, and a higher than normal incidence of "halos" and glare as a result. In the past, this has been one of the biggest drawbacks to conventional laser correction surgery. Wavefront Optimized™ technology built into the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® addresses this limitation.

Better Night Vision and Glare Control
Los Angeles Lasik Dr. Andrew Caster informs us that at night and in dark conditions, the pupil becomes larger to permit the maximum amount of light to enter the eye. Laser eye correction needs to take this fact into account. If the optical zone is smaller than the size of the pupil at its largest, there is a good chance that the patient will experience poor night vision or problems with glare and halos around bright objects such as oncoming headlights. ALLEGRETTO WAVE® is able to produce a larger optical zone, virtually eliminating glare and night vision problems associated with older generation lasers.

Clinical Results
When it was approved in 2003 as the first new laser in five years, the FDA granted the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® the widest approval range ever initially given to a new laser for both myopic and hyperopic vision correction. Since then, Beverly Hills Lasik surgeons have consistently seen astoundingly positive results.

• At one year after treatment, more than 93% of patients said they saw at least as well as or better than they had with glasses or contacts before treatment.

• Following Lasik eye surgery Beverly Hills patients (more than 98%) achieved 20/40 vision one year after treatment; 20/40 is the level of visual acuity required to pass most driving tests.

• Nearly 60% of near-sighted patients achieved 20/16 vision after one year of treatment.

• Both near- and far-sighted patients reported an improvement in their reaction to bright lights and night driving glare after ALLEGRETTO WAVE® treatments. In addition, near-sighted patients reported an improvement in sensitivity to light.

• Predictable results are the norm for the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® . More than 90% of patients achieve refraction within 1 diopter of their target correction.

Laser Eye Surgery Gets Better

Twenty-year-old Samantha Smith has been wearing glasses since she was five and contacts since she was 13. Her prescription: so strong she says she was legally blind.But it wasn't until recently, when her vision got in the way of a job that she decided it was time to make a change. "I had to get my corrected vision tested and my uncorrected vision tested and for that job I was basically too blind to do it," said Samantha Smith. Fox 40 reports that for many patients living in large cities like New York and Los Angeles Lasik eye correction offers the hope of better vision.

Smith was told that her vision must be retested for her to be cleared for training as a mounted border patrol officer. So she went in to her local laser eye surgery center, and the day after her surgery she says life is completely different. "When I woke this morning, it really was amazing. It was a miracle that I could see," said Smith.

Smith's speedy results were achieved with the use of a new and safer procedure made possible with new technology. Beverly Hills Lasik surgeons use a tiny little beam, less than a millimeter that flies around in a special pattern. It is actually applied 400 times per second and the time that the person is under the laser turns out to be just a matter of seconds. This cutting edge technology is not only safer, but also quicker, cutting procedure and recovery time in half, and according to Beverly Hills Lasik specialists, on average 8 to 12 minutes is what a patient would expect to spend under the laser from start to finish of the procedure.

Many Lasik surgeons find patients who come in for their day-after check ups usually have very positive feedback to report. They report that almost every patient is 20/20 in at least one eye, with the worse being 20/25 in some cases. For many, this is a life changing surgery that's improved their quality of life. For individuals seeking an experienced Lasik surgeon Los Angeles residents are encouraged to visit their local eye correction specialists.

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.

Choosing The Best Lasik Eye Surgery Equipment

After researching different laser eye centers and looking for the best Lasik doctor Los Angeles readers say it seems all of them have different machines, each claiming that their machine is the best. Why aren't all lasers the same?

Though all excimer lasers that are used in the United States must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are of varying quality. A top Beverly Hills Lasik surgeon explains that excimer lasers are machines and that they range with regards to quality and safety for the same reason that all TVs are not the same, or all cars are not the same. He tells us that that the top quality lasers are the WaveLight Allegretto, Visx Star S4, and Alcon Ladarvision.

His Beverly Hills Lasik practice has used each of these lasers, but by far the most accurate results he has seen are obtained with the WaveLight Allegretto laser. Lower quality lasers (like the Nidek or Summit Apex) do not produce the same level of accuracy of results. These budget lasers cost less money to purchase and maintain and are often used by discount centers. With a wide array of laser eye surgery equipment to choose from, it is important to make sure the Los Angeles eye surgeon you go to will use the best one for your eyes.

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.

LASIK EYE SURGERY AND OTHER REFRACTIVE SURGERIES: AN UPDATED GUIDE

An updated guide by WebMD traces back the origins and development of Lasik noting that refractive surgery, commonly thought to be fairly new, actually goes back as far as approximately 100 years. Today’s state of-the-art refractive surgery procedures, however, are of more recent development; these newer techniques were first performed in the U.S. in 1978. Among various refractive surgery services widely available in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills Lasik, (short for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is the most common type of refractive surgery which is intended to eliminate the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses in people with nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism (unevenly curved cornea), and/or presbyopia (age-related loss of sharp close-up focusing) by changing the eyes' focus.

Technically speaking, Lasik is an excimer laser procedure. The excimer laser used in Lasik is computer-controlled; it gives Los Angeles eye surgeons the ability to remove precise amounts of tissue from the surface of the eye. This provides a high degree of safety and precision for laser-assisted procedures like Lasik. The steps involved in Lasik eye surgery are as follows:
Eye numbing drops are given before surgery to prevent pain.

1. The eye surgeon creates a flap in the cornea.
2. The excimer laser vaporizes part of the stroma.
3. The corneal flap is put back in place, which reattaches within a few minutes without sutures.
4. Eye drops or ointment is applied to aid healing.

Recovery from LASIK surgery is usually fast and painless. A renowned Beverly Hills Lasik surgeon tells us in a recent interview that patients may notice improved vision by the next day or sooner.

Concerning refractive surgery costs, most types of health insurance will not pay for procedures of this kind. Only about 3% of LASIK surgery procedures cost less than $1000 per eye. The good news is that the cost seems to be coming down. On average nationally in mid-2006, the cost of having LASIK surgery done on both eyes was $1950. Using wavefront technology or the "laser microkeratome" costs more. Price also varies slightly by region. For additional cost information regarding Lasik eye surgery Beverly Hills and Los Angeles patients should consult their local eye surgeon who can make clear what is and is not included in the price they are quoted. It is also strongly recommended to ask if there are additional costs if follow-up visits or treatment for complications are needed down the line.

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.

THE RIGHT FIT: ALLEGRETTO WAVE

Vision-Accuracy, Total ControlTaking human sight beyond 20/20 is possible. Dr. Andrew Caster MD and his team of specialists have developed ALLEGRETTO WAVE® which effectively customizes every treatment to the patient's individual prescription and cornea while aiming to improve what nature originally designed.

Is ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Right for Me?

Dr. Andrew Caster’s ALLEGRETTO WAVE® expands the boundaries of candidacy for LASIK. However, there are certain people who are less than ideal candidates for LASIK and ALLEGRETTO WAVE® treatment. The offices of Dr. Andrew Caster encourage you to speak with your doctors to find the best vision correction alternative if:

You are under 21. In this case, your growth phase may not have been fully completed, meaning that your eyes can still change.
You are pregnant or nursing. Pregnancy causes changes to your hormonal system. This can also cause your vision to change. It is therefore better to wait until your child is born and you have finished nursing.
You have poorly-controlled glaucoma or blood pressure.
You have keratoconus, a corneal irregularity.
You have inflammation of the eye (uveitis, blepharitis or iritis)
Your eyes have been infected by herpes simplex.
You have suffered previous severe injuries on the eye.
You have corneal scars or infections.
You are taking certain medications.
You suffer from other diseases of the eye such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, or others

For more information, please contact Dr. Andrew Caster MD at http://www.castervision.com/.

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.

THE NEW WAVE OF ALLEGRETTO WAVE

Introducing ALLEGRETTO WAVE from the leading professionals in the Los Angeles Lasik industry.
Wavefront Optimized™ Technology

When looking for an experienced, pioneering Lasik doctor Los Angeles residents consistently turn to the authority in the field: Caster Eye Center.

The Wavefront Optimized™ treatment considers the unique curvature and biomechanics of the eye, preserving quality of vision and addressing the spherical distortions that can induce glare and night vision reduction. One of the most innovative features of the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® is the way it uses Wavefront Optimized™ technology to automatically compensate for the curvature of the cornea. While many of the complex nuances of vision-corrective technology eludes the common Lasik surgeon Los Angeles-based Caster Eye Center is well above the competition in advanced techniques and innovation. In earlier laser correction systems, the "optical zone," or area of correction, was centered on the front of the cornea; the result was a flattened circular area that ended with an abrupt edge, causing unwanted side effects like poor night vision, glare, and halos.

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® sends extra pulses to the peripheral corneal area in order to compensate for the angle of the laser beam. In this manner, the aspherical shape of the cornea is preserved to a degree that older lasers simply could not achieve. This compensation, combined with the incredibly small, 1mm size of the laser, enables the offices of Andrew Caster MD to produce a smooth, effective optical zone that results in what can only be described as high performance vision.

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.