Posts Tagged ‘wellbeing’

Are You Not Suitable For LASIK? Phakic IOLs

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

LASIK is a secure and precise method of achieving freedom from eyeglasses or contacts. There tend to be however a subset of patients who are not fit for LASIK surgery. Generally, a lot of these patients are either too myopic (shortsighted) and are ineligible for the solution possible with LASIK, have corneas that are too thin, or have keratoconus (atypically shaped corneas). Patients’ eyesight can sometimes get worse if treated with Laser in these kinds of circumstances, but thorough pre-operative examination identifies these cases.

In circumstances where the patient has an excessive level of myopia (shortsightedness) but still have a typical corneal shape, the most appropriate solution is the implantation of a Cachet lens, or a Phakic IOL (Intra-ocular Lens). This approach takes only 10 minutes long, is pain free and the patient can see clearly the following day. A Phakic IOL procedure comes with the capability to repair even the most extreme myopia perfectly. This lens’ safety and efficacy has been followed up on for over 10 years, exhibiting its superb long-term stability and safety. The lens cannot correct for astigmatism, as a result some people have a ‘bioptics’ procedure in which fine-tuning of the vision is done with the help of a tiny laser touch-up.

In the event the individual’s cornea is unnatural or the patient has extensive astigmatism, the most suitable choice of procedure is the implantation of an ICL (Intra-ocular Contact Lens). An ICL can help treat astigmatism as well as either myopia (shortsighted) or hyperopia (longsighted). A modern study investigated visual quality in high myopia (over -8 diopters) and determined it was superior in patients who had an ICL implantation in contrast to Laser eye surgery.

After being given an Intra-ocular Contact Lens, over 95% of patients are capable of seeing at the vision standard necessary for driving or even better, and simple and easy, fast and painless enhancement procedures are available for many patients who don’t initially meet this standard. There tends to be around a 1.7% chance of a cataract forming, which in these scenarios is a quick fix regardless by carrying out a cataract extraction / Intra-ocular Lens Implantation. This cataract / lens implantation is usually the only viable alternative to an ICL regardless.

This fantastic cutting edge technology of Phakic IOL Implantation is a thrilling development, offering liberty from eyeglasses and contact lenses in men and women who would likely never be able to acquire this otherwise, in a safe, fast and pain-free procedure with visual recovery within a day.

Dr. James Genge is a trusted laser eye surgeon and ophthalmologist from Sydney Australia. Want to learn more about laser eye surgery? Visit his website at Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

Why Choose Blade-Free LASIK Over Blade Laser Vision Correction?

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Blade free LASIK provides the peak of technologies for LASIK eye surgery. Blade-free has allowed LASIK to attain new levels of accuracy and reliability, ease, comfort and safeness for subjects. In Blade free Laser Vision Correction, the corneal flap is produced by means of a Femtosecond Laser instead of a Microkeratome (an oscillating blade) that is used in regular Lasik surgery.

The reasons Blade Free (Femtosecond Laser) LASIK is better than Blade (Microkeratome) LASIK are multiple:

1. Blade-free Laser Vision Correction creates a correct flap each time; this is not the case when using a Microkeratome. A Microkeratome can sometimes trigger a ‘button hole’ flap that doesn’t make it possible for treatment to go on and has a danger of scarring the cornea. Working with a Femtosecond Laser all but eliminates this risk. A perfect flap equates to superior vision.

2. The more delicate flaps made with a Femtosecond Laser are less dangerous in the long run when compared to to blade flaps as the cornea post operative has higher stability as it’s wider. This lessens the danger of a consequence called Ectasia, where the cornea can bulge forwards with a period of time, perhaps necessitating a transplant of the cornea to fix.

3. Blade free (Femtosecond Laser) Laser Vision Correction reliably outperforms blade (Microkeratome) lasers in medical studies investigating quality of vision. The flap profile and level of smoothness is better, giving vision as good as or better than that with eyeglasses. A flap made by means of a blade is finer on the outside and thicker around the middle, this kind of unevenness could blur vision. A Femtosecond laser (blade free) made flap is a absolutely consistent thickness around its entire diameter, decreasing the risk of micro-wrinkles, the perfect flap profile delivering the most effective vision in Laser Eye Surgery.

4. Blade free (Femtosecond Laser) Laser Eye Surgery allows the location of the flap to be produced perfectly, a feat impossible with a blade. The surgeon offers a digital image of the flap position superimposed over the individual’s cornea and prior to creating it he or she may change and optimise the flap location so it is centred flawlessly every time. This gives improved vision and safeness.

5. A Femtosecond flap is produced with a top to bottom straight side slice, which is again a feat not possible with a blade or Microkeratome flap. This substantially minimizes the risk of a side-effect called epithelial ingrowth, where the surface tissue of the cornea get seeded underneath the flap. It also facilitates a better flap profile as the flap slots back downwards similar to a small manhole cover. Laser Eye Surgery has advanced in an exciting new direction with the introduction of blade-free femtosecond laser flaps; it is at last delivering on the offer of the safest and most accurate course of action achievable.

Feel free to ask Dr. Genge any questions you may have regarding laser eye surgery, or any other eye health issues, by visiting his website at Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

Why Femtosecond LASIK Is The Safest And Most Precise Way To Perform Laser Vision Correction

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Laser vision correction has been a consistently developing field over the last 23 years. The very apex of technologies out there is Femtosecond Laser vision correction that provides unprecedented safe practices and dependability in LASIK surgery. We believe Laser Eye Surgery will provide our patients with the ideal feasible final results with a fast and pain-free procedure.

Scraping the front surface tier of cells off the cornea, then applying lasik procedure on the layer underneath is called PRK or photo-refractive kerarectomy, and this was the very first technique employed in Laser vision correction. It is an appropriate procedure for small-scale shortsighted or myopic modifications. There is on the other hand considerable discomfort following the operation for several days and the final stabilisation of eyesight takes 6 to 8 weeks.

The following phase in the advancement of Laser Eye Surgery was LASIK, in which a partial thickness flap is created in the cornea with a blade known as a microkeratome. By preserving the front surface layer of cell, the healing of vision is rapid, usually 1-2 days, and the procedure is pain free post-operatively. The drawback of LASIK performed with a microkeratome blade is the chance of making an abnormal flap with the procedure like a button-hole flap. If this occurs the laser treatment cannot be conducted. The depth of the flap is also slightly unpredictable. There is an uncommon complication of LASIK surgery called ectasia where the cornea becomes erratic and bulges in front over time, extreme cases requiring a corneal transplant to rectify. Making too deep a flap accelerates the probability of ectasia.

The most state-of-the-art process to perform LASIK surgery is to take advantage of a laser, known as a Femtosecond Laser, to make the corneal flap instead of a blade. There are many merits to doing this. The width of the flap is considerably less in a Femtosecond laser created flap when compared to that made with a blade; this significantly minimizes the danger of the infrequent ectasisa hazard I described above. As the laser creates a top to bottom cut on the side on the flap, any time this is repositioned the flap profile sits more precisely which results in improved quality sight. The chances of having an abnormally cut flap is also removed.

The Most sophisticated laser system in the world for Laser Eye Surgeryusing a Femtosecond Laser is the Alcon Refractive Suite. It provides all the benefits provided by Femtosecond laser vision correction as well as features that make it better than other femtosecond LASIK systems. It is the fastest Femtosecond laser in the world, providing the greatest safety profile and the most secure treatment for the patient. It is the world’s fastest Excimer Laser also; the laser that literally does the reshaping. A swifter treatment means a more exact treatment, as there is less dehydration of the corneal bed throughout the procedure resulting in excellent results. The technique also has the World’s Fastest Eye Tracker, making certain the solution always will go exactly where it is should.

Dr. James Genge is an ophthalmologist and trusted eye surgeon from Sydney Australia. Want to learn more about laser eye surgery? Visit his website at Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

What Are The Benefits of LASIK Eye Surgery

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Whether it’s an entire range of fresh activities, or increased self-confidence, Laser Vision Correction provides a long list of benefits.

IMMEDIATE RESULTS

Amongst the genuinely amazing benefits of LASIK is without a doubt that the majority of laser eye surgery patients experience dramatically better vision within just mere moments of the surgery. It is especially common for patients to indicate almost perfect vision at the time of their follow-up assessments the very day following LASIK eye surgery, and to right away discontinue the use of contacts or glasses.

ESCAPE FROM GLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES

Soon after successfully having LASIK eye surgery, one of the many positive aspects patients are most enthusiastic about is escape from corrective eyeglasses and contacts. In the vast majority of cases, patients experience visual acuity that is better than or as good as what they formerly experienced through the use of corrective contact lenses, and are no longer reliant on corrective contact lenses. For countless laser eye surgery patients, gone are the days of distressing over smashed eyeglasses or lost contact lenses, carting around cumbersome washing and storage solutions, or forking out for costly replacements each time refractive needs change.

FRESH PURSUITS

People who have had successful laser eye surgery discover that travel becomes a great deal more gratifying and convenient due to the fact that they do not need to worry about packing a back-up pair of glasses or all of the accessories essential for contact users. Furthermore, such activities as cycling, swimming, skydiving, or even spending a day at the beach become more fun without having the anxieties and troubles connected to corrective contact lenses.

IMPROVED SELF-CONFIDENCE

Possibly the most life-changing of LASIK’s many benefits is the heightened self-confidence a lot of patients accomplish. After laser vision correction, patients no longer feel as though their faces are hidden by eyeglasses. From the pleasant feeling of not having to stress about contacts, to enhanced self-confidence and a larger assortment of possible pursuits, patients who have laser vision correction commonly come to feel as if a whole new world is exposed to them.

Don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Genge any sort of questions you might have regarding laser eye surgery or any other eye health issues, by visiting his website at Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

The Safety Of Laser Vision Correction

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

LASIK eye surgery was first performed over 23 years ago. 36 million cases later, and no one has ever lost their eye from having the procedure. This fact speaks volumes about the risk profile for LASIK, as it is proven that having laser eye surgery is actually safer than using contact lenses, and with regard to possible infection, LASIK represents a tiny one-time risk, in contrast to the constant risk of infection with contacts.

LASIK’s safety has been comprehensively evaluated by governmental institutions such as NASA, the Australian armed forces and the Military. The result of their research is that laser vision correction performed with a femtosecond Laser to create the flap (Blade free LASIK eye surgery) is now allowed for NASA Astronauts, the Special Air Service (SAS) and Top Gun pilots.

Professional sportspeople also have used laser eye surgery to ensure their best performance on the field. This includes sportspeople such as Tiger Woods and David Beckham, whose laser eye surgery procedures undoubtedly allows them to perform at their peak.

Laser eye surgery still carries with it some potential for complications, however. These risks can all be managed effectively, which I will discuss in this article.

Enhancement:

LASIK eye surgery is conducted on living tissue. Despite the fact that it is highly accurate, there is on average a 3 or 4 % chance the vision correction will be decent but not utterly spot-on. If this is the situation, I wait 3 months to ensure the residual glasses prescription is stable and then lift the same corneal flap created to fine tune the end result. As enhancements are minor modifications they are correspondingly more accurate. One of the beauties of LASIK is that even though it is usually very stable in the long term, should a patient undergo an adjustment in their refraction this enhancement can be performed at almost any time in the future.

Risk of infection:

The infection rate for laser vision correction is a very low figure, and infections resulting from such procedures are far rarer than infections from the use of contact lenses. Corneal scarring resultant from these eye infections is even rarer, probably less than 1:20000. Even this able to be managed by performing a corneal transplant - however I have never had to perform a corneal transplant for this reason.

Corneal flap issues:

Recent advances in blade-free femtosecond laser eye surgery technology have basically eliminated the risk of abnormal (such as buttonhole) flaps being created. As such, I will only ever perform using this latest LASIK technology.

Any extra inflammation that may sometimes occur under the flap is treatable by increasing the frequency of anti-inflammatory eye drops. On rare occasions, cells can grow into the flap interface. Usually these cells will disappear, however they can be removed by lifting the flap if they become a problem.

Dry Eye:

As the flap is made, the corneal nerves are cut, causing a short-term dry eye sensation. The nerves will all come back over the course of about 3 months, during which time it is wise to renew the tear layer of the eye with lubricating eye drops then all usually goes back to normal.

Ectasia:

Very rarely, laser eye surgery carries with it a risk of ectasia, which is when the cornea swells forward over some time as a result of becoming too pliable. In extreme cases it is correctible through transplanting the cornea, however through increased accuracy and effectiveness in pre-operative patient screening, candidates unsuitable for laser surgery are generally identified before the procedure is undertaken. On the rare occasion that this does occur, collagen cross-linking (a relatively new technique) can be performed to stop it progressing further, allowing the patient to maintain their vision without having to transplant the cornea. I am one of a small handful of ophthalmologists in Australia who has experience in such a procedure, however I have never needed to perform it on my own patients.

Haloing and Glare:

The dehydration and stabilisation of the corneal flap can sometimes cause patients to experience a heightened amount of glare or haloing around lights, particularly at night. It is very rare to see this phenomenon last more than about a week.

Quality of Vision:

Patients will almost always experience the same or better than their vision with glasses or contact lenses, after having the procedure. The very small percentage of people who experience less crisp quality of vision following the procedure are generally corrected with laser enhancement, as discussed earlier.

As other refractive surgeries come and go, laser vision correction’s verified track record of safety and accuracy make it the treatment of choice for realizing true independence from spectacles or contact lenses. The advancement of Blade Free Femtosecond Laser LASIK has taken this safety and effectiveness to new degrees and truly delivers the cutting edge in eye surgery. laser eye surgery has proven its results over a 23 year outstanding safety and consistency track record. This is only really going to develop too, as new advances such as blade-free laser vision correction ensure increased safety and accuracy, rendering it the clear choice in vision correction.

Dr. James Genge (M.B., B.S., B.Med.Sci. (Hons)., F.R.A.N.Z.C.O.) is an internationally trained and highly regarded eye specialist and laser eye surgery expert in the Sydney, Australia area. Want to learn more? Visit his site at Laser Eye Surgery Sydney