LASIK //
Why Us
We use state of the art technology. That is bladeless LASIK with wavefront optimized lasers.The same fellowship trained cornea surgeon will examine your eyes prior to LASIK, perform the procedure and personally follow you until your eyes are completely healed.This is how we have managed our LASIK patients for over 20 years. Very few LASIK centers can boast of such a long standing commitment.
What is LASIK?
LASIK surgery is an in-office procedure performed by our specialists through our Indianapolis LASIK office. Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis or LASIK, is the most accepted form of laser vision correction. LASIK can treat both nearsightedness and farightedness with or without astigmatism. Our practice has been performing LASIK since 1997.
LASIK allows patients to perform most of their everyday tasks without corrective lenses. More than 90 percent of patients who have LASIK achieve between 20/20 and 20/40 vision without glasses or contact lenses. However, patients should be comfortable with the possibility that a second surgery, called an enhancement, may be needed or that glasses may be needed for certain activities, such as reading or driving at night.
LASIK cannot correct presbyopia, the age-related loss of close-up focusing power. Presbyopia can be corrected with IOL implants - see Premium Cataract Surgery or Clear Lens Extraction.
During the procedure, a delicate instrument is used to create a very thin flap of corneal tissue. Once this tissue flap is created, the surgeon positions the laser beam over the eye, directing light pulses to achieve the desired correction. The flap is carefully put back in its original position. Benefits of LASIK are many, including fast visual recovery, little or no discomfort, lower risk of haze, glare and halos, and most patients are very satisfied with the outstanding outcome results. LASIK laser vision correction has quickly emerged as one of the true medical breakthoughs of modern history. Our physicians perform Lasik for Indianapolis and surrounding areas and have treated thousands of Indianapolis LASIK Eye Surgery patients. In the case of myopia (nearsightedness), the tissue removed is in the center of the cornea, which results in flattening of the cornea.
For most patients, flattening of the cornea will allow incoming light rays to be focused on the retina. In the case of hyperopia (farsightedness), the tissue is removed in the periphery of the cornea, which results in a steepening of the cornea. This steepening is what allows patients to see clearly. It will also treat astigmatism at the same time by steepening the flatter meridian of the cornea and flattening the steeper meridian, bringing the light rays to one single point of focus on the retina.
The laser portion of the procedure takes from between 5 and 30 seconds depending on the level of myopia/hyperopia and astigmatism being corrected. Once the doctor has completed this portion of the procedure, the flap is placed back down to its original position and allowed to dry for approximately two minutes. It takes around seven minutes to treat each eye. The corneal flap seals in its original position through osmotic and ionic forces. There are no stitches required in the operations.
The corneal flap becomes more secure the longer the period of time that has passed from the original procedure. The corneal flap can be relifted using special instrumentation up to 5-10 years after the initial procedure. After the first week, it is rare that the corneal flap will dislocate under normal circumstances.
One of the many advantages to the procedure is that if there is residual nearsightedness or farsightedness after the initial procedure, the flap can be re-lifted and additional laser treatment can be performed to treat this residual refractive error. This is called an enhancement. Enhancements are required between 2-5% of the time in our practice depending on the amount of original vision loss.
The greater the amount of refractive error preoperatively, the greater the likelihood enhancement will be necessary at some point following the procedure. Enhancements are required because the cornea did not fully respond to the original laser treatment or the effect of the treatment regressed. As living tissue, the cornea will vary in its response to the laser treatment from individual to individual.
While advances in technology allow more people to benefit from receive LASIK, there are certain individuals who are not good candidates for this procedure. You are probably NOT a good candidate for this treatment if you:
Are under 21 years old. At this age, your are still growing and are susceptible to change
Are pregnant or nursing. While pregnant, changes occur in your hormone system that can alter your vision. It's better to postpone the operation until after your child is born and after you are finished nursing
Are taking certain medications
Thin corneas
Dry Eyes
Glaucoma
Keratoconus (a corneal irregularity)
Eye inflammation
Herpes simplex
Suffered severe eye injuries in the past
Corneal infections or scars
Unstable refraction or refractive errors
How LASIK Works
Our LASIK Technology
We us the most advanced technology. TheWaveLight® EX500 Excimer Laser it is considered state of the art. It is the only excimer laser to operate at 500 Hz, with an average treatment time of approximately 1.4 seconds per diopter. That means it can treat the average nearsighted patient in less than 4 seconds.
Flap creation is done by the Swiss made, Ziemer FEMTO LDV. It uses the least amount of energy in the shortest period of time of any femtosecond laser.