DR.ROBERT MALONEY

The popularity of LASIK surgery is fast-growing. In Los Angeles LASIK is the radically miraculous alternative to contact lenses and glasses. Aside from the rare complications, the benefits of Lasik surgery are endless. When contact lenses or glasses become more inconvenient and expensive, Lasik may be the answer for you.

One of the main concerns regarding LASIK Los Angeles surgery is the cost of the procedure. Consider this; the average adult will experience the gradual deterioration of their eyesight after the age of 20. It is often necessary to get a new prescription every year, adding to the overall cumbersome expenses for contact lenses and glasses.

Within one year, the typical cost of contact lenses is $200-$300, not including the expenditures for examinations and contact solution. This may vary depending on your area, however, these costs often average more than glasses.For those who find contacts to be very uncomfortable, glasses may be the preferred alternative. The average cost for the most basic frames and lenses may come out to $100 AU or over $500 AU and beyond with more expensive frames. In Los Angeles LASIK Surgeons have been known to save clients thousands on the expenses normally used to pay for contacts or glasses.

There are also limitations with contacts and glasses. Sterilization is required for contact lenses to prevent infections and uncomfortable irritations. Many people find that contacts are too uncomfortable to wear. For older people developing cataracts, contacts are no longer an option, whereas Los Angeles Cataracts Surgeons can perform surgery to reduce the growth and severity of these obstructions. Glasses provide a limited range of clear sight and peripheral vision. They are also inconvenient when playing sports and fog up during temperature changes. LASIK surgery eliminates all of these challenging issues associated with wearing contacts and glasses. Imagine clear sight 24 hours a day with no hassle of removing contacts and taking care of glasses.

LASIK, as with any surgical procedure, carries the potential for certain risks. In Los Angeles LASIK is an incredibly successful procedure with a very high success rate. Unfortunately, the reason behind most of the rare complications that do occur is because many potential patients blithely disregard the risks associated and regard LASIK as the be-all cure to their vision problems.

One of the most important steps in the LASIK process is the pre-operative examination. One must ensure that they do plenty of research on the procedure, as well as ensure that they are a good candidate for this type of surgery. Thos interested in getting LASIK Los Angeles ophthalmologists say, should take the responsibility of choosing the right doctor for them and asking the right questions prior to surgery. These questions could help determine whether he or she is a suitable candidate for LASIK.

One important, perhaps the most important question of all, would be if your doctor will be handling the entire process, from pre to post-operative care. Ideally, the same doctor who you have your initial consultation with should walk you through the whole procedure from start to finish. He or she will be able to monitor your care the best from beginning to end.

Another question to ask would be what to expect in terms of vision in the first few weeks after the procedure. After LASIK patients will share some similar experiences. You might see some minor fluctuations, halos, “starbursting” etc. Some side effects will last longer than others. Your post-op care should include a consultation and examination. Some high volume Los Angeles LASIK Surgeons might refer you to an optometrist for this, though he or she should be able to review all the testing results and discuss those with you.

Another expectation you should talk about your doctor with is vision fluctuations. While most people get almost instant improvement; healing and fluctuations in vision may take up to six months. Small fluctuations are very normal for the first 3 months.

Lasik is a safe surgical procedure that is performed in efforts to correct any vision problems a patient might have and to reduce their dependency on glasses and contact lenses. It is important to have a personal examination to understand the techniques involved and to discover which procedure is a best fit. Recent discoveries and medical advances have made it increasingly possible to correct vision problems that years ago could not be fixed. Lasik is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea using laser. The cornea is the transparent covering of the front of the eye and, together with the lens, it refracts light. The cornea contributes the most to the eye’s focusing optical power so it is important that any problems be corrected immediately to ensure that vision is excellent.

A mechanical laser device is used to make an incision in the cornea, leaving a hinge at one end of this flap. This flap is then folded back in order to reveal the mid-section of the cornea. A computer-controlled laser is programmed to send pulses and vaporize a portion of this mid-section to replace the flap. In general, most vision problems such as nearsightedness and farsightedness are highly treatable with Lasik Los Angeles patients that have been treated for vision problems highly recommend the Lasik treatment to others because of the higher quality of life that they can experience without wearing glasses.

Once the tissue is reshaped and corneal flap is repositioned, it is inspected for any air pockets or debris that can slow or even prevent the healing process. Once these steps are complete, the flap is securely aligned to its original position by a Lasik surgeon Los Angeles has several patients that have been able to take advantage of this safe and life changing procedure.

In Los Angeles Lasik is currently one of the most frequently performed procedures in the United States. It is a highly successive way to correct vision problems in a patient. The procedure has gained popularity because it is a minimally invasive way of permanently increasing the quality of life of the patient. This procedure is done as an outpatient and it uses a cool beam of light to repair any problems that prevent patients from seeing clearly. Generally patients make a quick and complete recovery after the procedure, if any irritation or discomfort occurs they typically disappear after some rest.

In Los Angeles LASIK is an incredibly safe and effective procedure for correcting mild vision impairments, such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, & astigmatism. Still, there are instances, though rare, when a LASIK enhancement surgery may be needed if the first procedure was less than satisfactory, or if a complication was experienced. Though most experienced and reputable LASIK surgeons in Los Angeles have made names for themselves for being the best in the country, there are those rare occasions, as with all types of surgery where certain risks are involved, when the procedure does not go as planned. In fact, there are some doctors who are specialized in correcting these mistakes.

A worldwide study by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in findings published in 2008 showed that more than 95 percent of the 16 million people who had undergone LASIK surgery were pleased with their new vision and even saw better than 20/20. There are certain cases, however, when perfect 20/20 vision is not achieved after just one procedure. Each case has a unique combination of variables that can affect the final outcome. As each patient’s vision is unique to them, some may require additional eye surgery, or LASIK enhancement, to achieve the degree of vision correction desired.

Some factors affecting the outcome of LASIK include the unique shape and health of your corneas, the type and degree of refractive error you have, the amount of tears you produce naturally – which could be a factor in dry eyes post-LASIK, your age, and your expectations.

Your Los Angeles LASIK surgeon will tell you that not everyone makes the best candidate for the LASIK procedure. Although it successfully corrects high degrees of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, generally younger people with mild nearsightedness and astigmatism are the best candidates and can expect the best possible outcomes.

Results may vary from person to person. So your expectations before LASIK will play a major role in how happy you are after the procedure. LASIK is meant to correct your vision and decrease your dependence on contacts or glasses, though if you are expecting to see better than you did with your glasses before surgery, most people will but some simply won’t. A small percentage of people may notice their vision is not quite as good as it was before with glasses, though you should be able to drive safely and perform other routine daily tasks without needing glasses or contact lenses.

So when do you know when LASIK revision or enhancement is necessary? It is important to be patient in the first few weeks after surgery. Your vision should improve the day after your procedure, but it’s not unusual to fluctuate for several weeks after. Your follow-up after care is important to stick to as your eye doctor will continually evaluate and monitor your vision. It is important to report any anomalies to your doctor. If your vision is still noticeably blurred three months after LASIK, you may need an enhancement.

Your doctor eye doctor will re-evaluate your corneas with the same methods used prior to your first LASIK procedure in order to determine whether you could benefit from an enhancement procedure. Among other evaluations, your eye doctor will check to see whether you have enough corneal thickness for a second surgery.

In some cases, your doctor may suggest a procedure other than LASIK to be used for enhancements. For example, your surgeon may prefer PRK rather than LASIK because he or she does not need to create or re-lift a flap for PRK. LASIK and PRK enhancements also can be used after cataract surgery to eliminate residual refractive errors and sharpen vision.

If you have had LASIK or any other type of vision correction surgery and believe your vision isn’t as sharp as it should be, visit your local eye doctor to see whether an enhancement is right for you.

Also known as ICL, Implantable Contact Lens surgery is a common procedure for those who need vision correction but are not suitable candidates for LASIK Los Angeles patients may inquire about ICL when suffering severe myopia or when their corneas are too thin to be corrected with LASIK surgery. These lenses are placed inside the eye in a brief, outpatient procedure. They provide a permanent correction without the need for removal or cleaning. Some of these lenses can correct for reading vision too, an advantage for patients over 45 years old.

Los Angeles LASIK surgeon Dr. Robert Maloney was an authorized FDA principal investigator for the Implantable Contact Lens and had been performing the procedure in Los Angeles for over 20 years.

The Visian Implantable Collamer Lens is one type of Phakic Intraocular Lens which is manufactured from a soft foldable polymeric material called Collamer. The cornea is actually comprised of collagen and so this material provides excellent biocompatibility and superior optical capability. It is readily implanted in your eye behind the iris, or colored part of the eye, by gently folding it and injecting into the anterior chamber through a tiny incision only 3.0mm in length placed by the eye surgeon at the clear edge of the cornea.

The Visian ICL and its unique Collamer composition offer numerous advantages including:

• Quality of Vision – The Visian ICL produces not only improved visual acuity (20/20 vision is considered normal visual acuity), but also excellent visual quality. Many Los Angeles vision correction surgery patients experience the “Wow” factor when they experience the immediate improvement in the quality of their vision.
• Biocompatibility – Collamer, the 100 percent pure collagen copolymer lens material of the Visian ICL, is not viewed as a foreign object by the body’s immune system.
• Versatility – The Visian ICL offers a wider treatment range for myopia than LASIK and PRK procedures.
• Simplicity – Unlike traditional contact lenses, once the Visian ICL is implanted in the eye, there is no additional maintenance needed.
• Safety – After implantation in over 55,000 eyes worldwide, the Visian ICL has established a proven track record of safety.
• Lens Placement – The placement of the Visian ICL makes the lens invisible to the patient and any observer.
• Removable – The Visian ICL was designed to be permanently placed in the eye. However, the lens can be removed if a patient’s vision changes or if it otherwise needs to be removed or replaced.

After the surgery a post operative inspection is conducted in which the vision in each eye is checked, and the pressure in each eye is also checked. Implantable Contact Lenses are not recommended for everyone, and these procedures should only be performed by qualified eye surgeons. Visit your local ophthalmologist today to see if you might be a candidate for the Visian ICL.

Many people who are considering LASIK in Los Angeles and other major US cities do so because they imagine life without glasses and contact lenses and all its possibilities. While LASIK is an incredibly successful and life-changing experience, many forget to consider what one needs to know beyond the surgery.

Los Angeles LASIK surgeons agree, there are many important things to consider which are going to affect life post surgery. Most importantly, regular annual eye checkups should be continued after LASIK surgery, not only to maintain your overall eye health. Some people may think that after LASIK, vision problems are no longer a concern, however eye exams also check for glaucoma, cataracts, and other eye health issues.

LASIK Los Angeles patients should also keep in regular contact with their surgeons in order to monitor for any future corneal refractive changes, retinal changes, and possible future cataract surgery.

In some rare patients, especially those that have had retreatments, epithelial ingrowth may occur. Epithelium is the outer surface skin that normally covers the cornea. In epithelial ingrowth, this tissue layer may grow beneath the Lasik flap. If it is significant, it may need to be removed. If your surgeon notes evidence of this phenomenon at any time, he may wish to see you at periodic intervals to make sure it remains stable and to determine if any intervention is required.

Some changes in vision happen with patients when they are much older. When most people get into their 70s and 80s, the lenses in the eyes become cloudy, a phenomenon known as cataracts. When these elderly individuals reach a certain stage, their vision will deteriorate and they will require removal of the cataracts and placement of intraocular lenses. For patients that have previously undergone Lasik surgery, it is extremely helpful to have the Lasik treatment parameters available when doing calculations for the intraocular lens implants used for the cataract surgery in Los Angeles.

For these reasons it is very important to make sure that the Lasik surgery records remain available for future reference. It can be invaluable in choosing a Lasik surgeon to find out if they also perform cataract surgery and other general eye care. If so, all of the follow up and future cataract surgery could be done at one center and all records would be available for future use. Having a board certified ophthalmologist that performs cataract surgery and general eye care as your Lasik surgeon can allow for better, long-term, comprehensive care into your later years.