Fort Worth Lasik Eye Surgery

William Ellis, MD Named "Specialized Astigmatism Center" Providing the First ...

(PRWEB) June 16, 2011

More than one-in-three people in the US has astigmatism; many have been told they are not candidates for LASIK because they have astigmatism. (1) Ellis Eye and Laser Medical Center has been named a "Specialized Astigmatism Center" by Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH (TPV), providing the first comprehensive LASIK treatment of Astigmatism approved by the FDA. Ellis Eye and Medical Laser Center is the first practice in the San Francisco Bay Area to offer Advanced Control Eyetracking (ACE) on its Technolas LASIK platform.

Eyetracking allows lasers used during LASIK surgery to compensate for eye movements during the procedure, thus adding an important level of assurance. However, no eyetracker has been able to adjust for subtle rotations of the eye that occur during the laser treatment - that is until now. Since subtle eye movements are common during the LASIK treatment this unique tracking technology ensures that the intended treatment precisely matches the eye's prescription. This is especially important for patients who have astigmatism in addition to their nearsightedness or farsightedness, which represents the majority of contact lens and eyeglass wearers in the U.S.

"Many patients with astigmatism believe that they are not suitable candidates for laser vision correction. With the advent of ACE this is no longer true. We finally have a laser vision correction procedure that is ideally suited for the treatment of astigmatism," said William Ellis, Chief Surgeon and Medical Director of Ellis Eye and Laser Medical Center. "This technology is one of a kind. Rotation of the eye during LASIK could result in less than full correction of astigmatism, which is very common among LASIK patients, and an increased chance of the need for a secondary enhancement procedure."

"We have always been committed to bringing the latest technology available to the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Our LASIK practice has grown because we have been able to provide the best treatments for all of our patients with all prescriptions. This has enabled us to set ourselves apart from our competitors," says Dr. Ellis.

Review of Laser Vision Correction Technology Available Today

No other LASIK system available in the US can compensate for eye rotation during the LASIK treatment. Both the Technolas ACE and VISX S4 IR (Abbot Medical Optics, Santa Ana, CA) trackers compensate for the cyclorotation of the eye that can occur between the sitting position during critical diagnostic measurements and lying down on the LASIK bed. However, only the Technolas ACE tracker can adjust the delivery of laser pulses in response to eye rotation during the LASIK treatment. Further, the Technolas ACE system is enabled for both conventional and custom wavefront-guided LASIK treatments, while the VISX S4 IR tracker cannot adjust for cyclotorsion associated with conventional LASIK treatments. The eyetrackers of the Wavelight and Ladarvision lasers (Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, TX) cannot compensate for eye rotation at all.

How Is LASIK Eye Surgery Performed? | LASIK

If you wear contacts or glasses, you know that while they certainly make life easier, there are some not-so-great things that go along with them: swimming is tough, for example, and rain can make seeing through glasses difficult. Given the lifestyle restrictions that go along with glasses and contacts, plenty of wearers wonder if LASIK surgery is a good option. But just the thought of surgery on the eyes can be difficult to get past. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from LASIK surgery.

During LASIK

2. Folds the corneal flap back and uses an excimer laser to reshape the cornea by removing tiny fragments of tissue.

3. Replaces the corneal flap.

It is a relatively simple procedure, but LASIK is a very delicate surgery that must be performed by a doctor who specializes in it. The surgeon must know how to correctly “map” the area of the eye he or she’ll work on and be skilled in using the computer that directs the movements of the laser.

After LASIK

One of the benefits of LASIK is that most patients do not experience any discomfort after the procedure, though some report that their eyes feel gritty for a couple of days. Patients can return to normal activities the next day if they wish, though exercise is out for about a week. Most importantly, most patients won’tice drastic improvement in their eyesight immediately, with even better results appearing within a couple of week.

LASIK Alternatives

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) was the first laser eye surgery developed and is the precursor to LASIK. The procedure is similar to LASIK, except the laser is applied to the eye without creating a corneal flap first. Instead, a thin layer of the cornea known as the epithelium is removed and discarded. The experience afterward is a bit different, as well. After PRK, patients have more discomfort than with LASIK, and their eyesight improves gradually over a period of weeks or even months rather than almost immediately. PRK is usually recommended over LASIK in patients who have thinner corneas.

LASEKis another alternative to LASIK for people with steep or thin corneas. The surgery itself is similar to PRK, except that the thin layer of epithelial cells is replaced after surgery. Patients report more discomfort with LASEK than with LASIK and undergo a longer healing time.

Epi-LASIK is sort of a combination of LASIK and LASEK. It involves the use of different blades than either LASIK or LASEK to cut the epithelial tissue, and patients need to wear contacts for a few days afterward while the cells grow back. Recovery time is longer than with LASIK, and patients may not achieve optimal vision for up to 6 months. Epi-LASIK is a good option for people with too little corneal tissue to make a good LASIK flap.

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