LASIK & SURGERY COMANAGEMENT

Tired of relying on your glasses or contacts? LASIK surgery may be for you!

The doctors at New Vision Optometry can tell you if your prescription and ocular health status qualifies you for surgery. We partner with experienced surgeons in the area that are experts in vision correction surgery. The doctors at New Vision will care for all your pre-and post-operative needs. Call for an appointment if you are interested in knowing whether LASIK is recommended for you. 

BY THE WAY…the best person to ask about Lasik is someone who has had it. Such as Dr. Choi! Feel free to call the office or email her at newoptometry@gmail.com for ANY questions you may have.

LASIK

LASIK is the most commonly performed laser eye surgery to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.

The word “LASIK” is an acronym for “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.”

Like other types of refractive surgery, the LASIK procedure reshapes the cornea (front surface of the eye) to enable light entering the eye to be properly focused onto the retina for clearer vision.

LASIK surgery is essentially pain-free and takes only about 15 minutes for both eyes. The results - improved vision without eyeglasses or contact lenses - begin immediately after the procedure and vision usually continues to improve and stabilize over a few days.

If you’re not a good LASIK candidatre, a number of other vision correction surgeris are available, such as PRK and refractive lens exchange.

Other REFRACTIVE SURGERIES

ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) - Implantable Collamer Lens surgery (ICL), as the name itself suggests, is a procedure, wherein a pair of lens is implanted into the eyes which do not require to be removed like normal contact lenses. These lenses are similar to contact lenses but are inserted within the eyes for long-term vision correction. These lenses, therefore, work with the natural lens of your eyes to improve your vision. During the procedure, the lens is inserted between your iris and your natural lens thru a tiny incision near the cornea.

Other REFRACTIVE SURGERIES

PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) - A type of laser correction and a predecessor to LASIK. PRK recovery takes a bit longer than LASIK but is still commonly performed and offers advantages over LASIK in some patients.

The main difference between PRK and LASIK is the first step of the procedures. In LASIK, a thin flap is created on the cornea with a microkeratome or a femtosecond laser. This flap is lifted to expose the underlying corneal tissue and is replaced after the cornea is reshaped with an excimer laser. In PRK, the thin outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) is removed and discarded prior to reshaping the underlying corneal tissue with an excimer laser. The epithelium repairs itself (grows back over the corneal surface) within a few days after surgery.

The final results of PRK surgery are comparable to LASIK outcomes, but initial PRK recovery is slower because it takes a few days for new epithelial cells to regenerate and cover the surface of the eye.

There also is a slightly increased risk of eye infection and haziness of vision in the first few days after surgery. LASIK patients generally have less discomfort, and their vision stabilizes more quickly, whereas vision improvement with PRK is gradual and the final outcome can take several weeks.

PRK, however, does offer some distinct benefits.

Because PRK surgery does not create a corneal flap (which contains both epithelial and the deeper stromal tissues), the entire thickness of the underlying stroma is available for treatment.

This is of particular benefit if the cornea is too thin for LASIK or if you have undergone LASIK previously and therefore have a thinner residual cornea. There also is no risk of flap complications, and the risk of removing too much of the cornea with the excimer laser is reduced.

-ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens)

Surgery COMANAGEMENT

After LASIK, PRK or ICL surgeries patients need to be followed up 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after the surgery. Keep in mind this number may be more or less depending on how you are healing. These follow up appointments allow the optometrist to ensure that your eyes are healing up properly and that you are still hitting your target/goal. You will also be on antibiotic, steroid or non steroidal anti inflammatory drops after the surgery and your optometrist will be able to customize your dosing and drop duration depending on how quickly your eyes heal. In rare circumstances, patients may develop a residual prescription where they have to go back in for a re-enhancement.