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LASIK |
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LASIK is a safe and effective FDA approved procedure
to eliminate dependence on glasses and contacts. It
is used for nearsightedness, farsightedness and
astigmatism. Basically a CO2 laser is used to
reshape the cornea much like a contact lens. The
laser has an eyetracker that follows your eye within
a millionth of a second and automatically corrects
your prescription. For patients treated with basic
LASIK 99% are 20/40 or better and 86% are 20/20.
Additionally, patients choosing a custom wavefront
LASIK procedure - using advanced NASA technology -
have 20/20 results 99% of the time. |
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The procedure takes five minutes for both eyes. You
can drive the next day without your glasses. Also,
ask about our total bladeless technique, called
Intralase. |
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Conductive Keratoplasty - Can you see well without
your glasses at a distance, but are reaching for
your reading glasses all the time. Well now
Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) can eliminate these
cumbersome readers. Gentle radio waves are used to
change the corneal shape so you can read without
your glasses. This procedure is bladeless and 100%
safe. |
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PROCEDURES |
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LASIK |
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With LASIK, a mechanical
device known as a microkeratome creates a corneal
flap and the laser treatment is placed on the
exposed stromal layer: |
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First, a circular
ring is centered on the cornea and held in
place via vacuum. The vacuum causes a
pressure sensation and temporarily dims the
vision. In order to help confirm proper
vacuum, many surgeons will pause to ask the
patient whether the vision is dark and a
pressure sensation is present. |
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Once adequate vacuum
is achieved, the microkeratome is attached
to the ring and passed across the surface of
the cornea to create the flap. Because the
vision is dark, this step is not visible to
the patient. |
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After the
microkeratome pass, the vacuum is released,
the circular ring is removed and the flap is
lifted to expose the stromal bed. |
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Lifting of the LASIK
flap. |
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The
laser treatment usually lasts anywhere from
a few seconds up to a minute, depending on
the amount of correction.
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Afterwards, the
treated area is rinsed and the flap is
smoothed back into place, where natural
adhesive forces seal it down. |
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The LASIK flap is
now back in place. |
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IntraLASIK
(All-Laser LASIK) |
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With IntraLASIK, also known
as "All-laser LASIK", a corneal flap is created with
a laser manufactured by Intralase Inc. and the laser
treatment is placed on the exposed stromal layer.
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As with standard LASIK, a
circular ring is centered on the cornea and held in
place via vacuum. The vacuum causes a pressure
sensation and temporarily dims the vision.
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Once the ring is in place,
the surgeon uses a joystick controller to lower a
cone-shaped apparatus down through the opening in
the ring. This process is known as docking. (The
ring is not shown in any of the accompanying
pictures.) |
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At the bottom of the cone is
a glass plate that rests on the cornea. While
looking through the surgical microscope, the surgeon
is able to see the eye through the glass plate.
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The docking process
is complete and the cone's glass plate rests
on the corneal surface. A laser pulse
strikes the stromal layer. |
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The surgeon's view
of an Intralase laser creating a corneal
flap. |
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The Intralase laser focuses
tiny pulses of energy in the stromal layer beneath
the corneal surface. By placing thousands of spots
very close together, a plane of separation is
created. The pulses are then stacked along the edge
of the flap up to the corneal surface to complete
the flap. |
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Each pulse of the Intralase
laser creates a small bubble of water vapor and
carbon dioxide in a process known as photodisruption.
The bubbles appear to the surgeon as an area of
slight opacification. Some surgeons lift the flap
and perform the vision correction laser treatment
just as soon as the Intralase laser finishes making
the flap, while others pause for 10-15 minutes to
allow the bubble layer to dissipate. |
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After the flap is lifted,
IntraLASIK proceeds just like standard LASIK. The
laser treatment is placed on the exposed stromal
bed, the treated area is rinsed and the flap is
smoothed back into place. |
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