Archive for May, 2009
Lasik Eye Trackers, Iris Registration, and Decentration.
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Lasik | iLasik, Milwaukee Eye Care on May 31st, 2009
In the early days of laser refractive surgery, the laser systems were relatively simple. The laser energy was produced in a relatively circular simple pattern which expanded outward. The surgeon maintained control of the treatment alignment manually while using an aiming reticle viewed through the surgical microscope. In those days, if a patient had excessive movement or oscillation of their eye, it could be quite challenging to maintain proper centration of the laser treatment. It is always best to maintain perfect centration of treatment in order to obtain the best optical results. Any significant deviation from center can lead to suboptimal results and even induced astigmatism or other optical aberrations. Decentration and related optical aberrations were actually a rare but important complication after Lasik or PRK in its early days. Innovations in technology have reduced their incidence considerably, however.
Epithelial Ingrowth After Lasik Surgery
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 29th, 2009
One well known complication of Lasik Surgery is Epithelial Ingrowth. Epithelium is the very fast growing cell layer that covers the eye. Actually, there is an epithelium that covers every part of the outside of your body. It is rapidly growing and constantly shedding and renewing itself throughout your lifetime. The epithelium should remain on the very outer surface of the body, but at times we can see it grow beneath the surface where it becomes trapped and cannot properly shed and renew itself. On the skin, epithelial ingrowth appears as a cyst or bump and has only a cosmetic consequence.
Treatment of Astigmatism in Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 28th, 2009
Treating Astigmatism in Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Premium IOLS: the Basics
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 27th, 2009
Premium Intraocular Lenses: The Basics
What is Wavescan Technology?
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 26th, 2009
What Is a Wavescan and How Does It Affect My Lasik?
Trends Show Increasing Use of Blade Free Lasik
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 21st, 2009
As time passes, more and more US eye surgeons are changing over to the use of blade-free lasik systems like the iLasik system that I use. Every study has shown that results using the femtosecond lasers to make Lasik flaps result in equal or better outcomes with significant safety advantages. Those resisting change to the more advanced systems continue to site the cheaper cost and the time savings. Typically they mention time savings of around 8 minutes per case. I personally find it astonishing that the surgeon would sacrifice safety and precision for the sake of cramming in a few more cases a day. If the case can be made safer by spending just a few more minutes per case, I don’t see how that is unreasonable. Here is a link to a recent article from Ocular Surgery News detailing the current trends toward the laser only flade-free Lasik systems.
Lasik for Military Pilots and Astronauts
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 19th, 2009
In my last blog, I wrote about the reasons that I chose to have Lasik eye surgery to improve my vision and function at work. Of course, as a surgeon, my vision is critical to what I do and there are many other professions where that is the case too. One of the most important professions where vision is vital is the military. Not surprisingly, a lot of the most respected and rigorous research work into Lasik and PRK has been by armed forces ophthalmologists who try to determine the appropriateness of different kinds of refractive surgery for military personnel.
Why does an Eye Surgeon get iLasik?
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 15th, 2009
People have refractive eye surgery (usually Lasik these days) for many reasons including lifestyle, functional, or cosmetic issues. I had Lasik and my reasons were largely due to function. Previously, I wore contact lenses, but as time passed and I grew older, my eyes became less and less tolerant of them. I remember very well the moment that I realized that contact lenses were becoming a problem for me. I was an eye surgery resident in the middle of a surgery. My eyes were bothering me from dryness and allergy, so my contact lenses were quite irritating. This problem had been increasing steadily over time so that usually by early afternoon I could no longer wear the contact lenses. In this case, while I was doing surgery, the problem became so bad that one contact lense actually popped out of an eye. Luckily, it was toward the end of the surgery and I was able to complete the case without incident using just one eye. From that time until I had Lasik, I did all my surgeries wearing glasses.
ARVO Research on Lasik Flap Outcomes
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 14th, 2009
Review of ARVO Reports Regarding Lasik Flaps
ARVO is the name of the research organization (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) which tends to do the most theoretical and basic science work in my field. So I was interested to read in Review of Ophthalmology about some interesting studies that were presented at that meeting.
Why is there a Flap in Lasik Eye Surgery?
Posted by Dr. John Suson in Milwaukee Eye Care on May 5th, 2009
Why is there a Flap in the “Flap-and-Zap” of Lasik Eye Surgery?
Refractive surgery has evolved greatly over several decades. Surgery to correct nearsightedness first took root and began to flourish as Radial Keratotomy (RK) during the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. This surgery required full thickness cuts with a diamond blade through the cornea. As technology developed, eventually the excimer laser was developed and the era of Laser refractive surgery was born.