Do you depend on glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision? Are your glasses or contact lenses inconvenient, uncomfortable, or getting in the way of your active lifestyle? If so, LASIK vision correction may be a good option for you. Schedule a free LASIK consultation at New Vision Laser Center to learn more.
LASIK is a surgical procedure that will help to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses. LASIK, which stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the clear tissue in the front of the eye (the cornea) using an excimer laser. LASIK was first FDA-approved in 1995, and since then millions of people around the world have had LASIK, including celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Brooke Shields and Tiger Woods.
LASIK can correct myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (far-sightedness), and astigmatism (asymmetric shaped cornea). More than 90 percent of patients achieve 20/20 vision or better, and more than 95 percent of patients are satisfied with their results of LASIK.
Before the Procedure
At New Vision Laser Center, we put an emphasis on educating you about all the potential risks and benefits of LASIK to help you make an informed decision. Prior to your procedure at New Vision Laser Center, you will have a free consultation and eye examination by your surgeon, Dr. Vakharia, which gives you plenty of time to consider all of your options and ask any questions you may have.
The preoperative evaluation for LASIK includes a precise measurement of your vision prescription five different ways, including by two different computers and by Dr. Vakharia. Dr. Vakharia then performs a full eye examination including a dilated retinal exam, all pertinent testing of your eyes including corneal mapping, ultrasound corneal thickness and intraocular pressure, and a custom wavefront measurement of the higher order aberrations in your visual system. Dr. Vakharia will use all of this information to program the laser accurately for your procedure.
The Procedure
On the day of your procedure, you will spend about 90 minutes at New Vision Laser Center. You will receive several eye drops including anesthetic drops to numb the eyes, and, if you choose, a Valium pill to reduce your anxiety. You will then be brought in to the laser suite, where you will be reclined in a chair and positioned for your procedure.
Dr. Vakharia and two laser technicians assisting with your procedure will be in the room with you and will talk you through the procedure to make sure you’re comfortable. Most patients do very well with their procedure without any significant pain or problems. The procedure takes approximately ten minutes per eye.
During the procedure, a flap is made in the cornea, with a hinge left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the middle part of the cornea. You will be asked to concentrate on a flashing light for 30 seconds to one minute while pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the cornea and reshape it.
The flap is then repositioned and heals in place naturally. Once the cornea has healed, it focuses the light accurately so you can see, without needing glasses or contact lenses to focus the light for you.
After the Procedure
After your procedure, you will have clear shields placed over your eyes, and your driver will take you home to rest. You will have an appointment the next day with Dr. Vakharia at New Vision Laser Center, and most patients can see well enough without glasses to drive themselves to that appointment and return to work that day.
Less than 5% of patients require an enhancement procedure a few months after surgery to sharpen their vision. The enhancement is included in the initial fee if it is needed. More than 95% of LASIK patients are satisfied with the results.
Our Lasers
At New Vision Laser Center, every patient is treated with all-laser bladeless vision correction. We have both an Intralase FS femtosecond laser for precise bladeless flap creation, and a VISX Star S4 IR excimer laser for wavefront-guided corneal shaping. Both of our lasers are always on-site in a temperature and humidity controlled laser suite and are owned and only used by Dr. Vakharia.
Our lasers are up to date with the latest technology to optimize our patient outcomes. These technologies include an automated eye tracker which can monitor for micro-movements of your eye during surgery to insure that the laser energy is applied correctly, and iris registration which can lock on to the specific “fingerprint” of your iris to track rotational movement of the eye during surgery.
The Intralase and VISX lasers remain industry leaders, and have been used for more LASIK procedures than all other lasers combined. For more information about the Intralase FS femtosecond laser and the VISX Star S4 IR excimer laser, click here.
We are one of the only providers in the area that offer iLASIK which combines these two laser technologies with iDesign wavefront aberrometry to correct higher order aberrations in your visual system to customize your surgery and reduce the risk of nighttime glare and halos after surgery.
The New Vision Laser Center Difference
At New Vision Laser Center, we strive to provide compassionate care. We emphasize patient education, to be sure that all of your questions are answered. At your free consultation, we will inform you if you are not a candidate for LASIK, and will explain other options you may have, including a Clear Lens Exchange procedure.
If you are a candidate for LASIK, all of your care – from the preoperative evaluation to the postoperative care – will be done by your surgeon. We also can co-manage your care with your local ophthalmologist or optometrist if you choose.
We know you have a choice of where to go for your LASIK vision correction and want you to have all the facts before you make this important decision, so be sure to consider the following questions of any provider you’re considering:
- Will my surgery be performed by an Ophthalmologist with special training in the Cornea?
- Will my preoperative and postoperative care be provided by my surgeon?
- Does the laser center have an on-site owned laser, or a part-time, leased laser?
- Does the laser center offer all-laser bladeless LASIK?
- Does the laser have eye tracking, iris registration and iDesign Custom Wavefront technology?
- Do you offer free LASIK enhancements for up to a year if needed?
- Do you offer other procedures if I am not a candidate for LASIK, such as Clear Lens Exchange?
You can print this LASIK Checklist for your reference.
For More Information
If you have questions about LASIK, please call our Refractive Surgery Coordinator, Christina, at 815.316.6524, or send her an email at contact us.
You can also schedule a free LASIK consultation by clicking here.
For unbiased information on the Internet regarding LASIK, we suggest the FDA website, the government organization which regulates medical devices including excimer lasers used in LASIK. Click on the following link: https://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/productsandmedicalprocedures/surgeryandlifesupport/lasik/default.htm
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