health care information

If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard about some of the side effects associated with getting lasik vision correction surgery. For instance, after getting lasik surgery some people complain about symptoms of glare, halos and decreased night vision.

In fact, I remember attending a business briefing where the speaker started by mentioning he just had lasik surgery the day before. He told the audience, “The good news is I think you’re all going to heaven because everyone has halos around their heads!”

If you’ve considered getting lasik surgery but were concerned about some of the less-than-desirable side effects, you’ll be glad to hear that new technology is reducing those dreaded halos and glare. Known as “custom” or wavefront-guided lasik, this relatively recent improvement in eye surgery technology produces better vision quality when compared to traditional lasik vision surgery.

“Most significant,” says US Navy Captain Steve Schallhorn, MD, the Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the Navy Medical Center, San Diego, “is the improved quality of vision with the wavefront-guided procedure, fewer problems with halos and glare, better night vision, and higher patient satisfaction.”

Traditional lasik reshapes the patient’s cornea with a laser to correct visual problems like nearsightedness or farsightedness. With conventional lasik, the laser is guided based on formulas similar to the ones used to determine your eyeglass prescription. Conventional lasik is effective at treating “lower-order” aberrations like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism (also called “refractive errors”).

Wavefront-guided lasik, on the other hand, measures how light is distorted as it passes into the eye and then is reflected back. This creates a 3-D optical map of the eye, highlighting the imperfections and disorders that lead to visual errors. Wavefront technology then creates a custom treatment plan for each eye and guides the laser during the surgery.

Wavefront-guided lasik can effectively treat the same lower-order aberrations that conventional lasik can treat as well as treating “higher-order” aberrations such as decreased contrast sensitivity, night vision, glare, shadows and halos. In fact, there are a growing number of patients turning to wavefront-guided lasik to correct side effects from previous laser eye surgeries.

“With this technology breakthrough, we can now measure these disorders, show the patient what’s going on in their eye, link that information to the laser, and actually correct higher-order aberrations,” says Roger Steinert, M.D., associate clinical professor of ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School. “Wavefront technology enables the surgeon to improve overall vision quality better than in the past.”

Of course, this advanced technology comes with a higher price tag than traditional lasik surgery. And just like conventional lasik, wavefront-guided lasik is a surgical procedure and has risks associated with it. Be sure to consult with a qualified lasik surgeon to discuss potential complications and ensure you’re a good candidate for this type of surgery.

But if the choice is between crystal clear vision with no side effects and going through life seeing all the people going to heaven, I think I’ll go with the first option, please!

As we get older most of us experience changes in vision that can include loss of vision, distortion of vision and blurred vision. People with loss of vision might not see anything at all or they might not be able to distinguish the difference from light and dark or my not be able to see indistinct shapes. It can happen in one or both eyes and it can happen suddenly or gradually. A gradual loss of vision may not be noticed right away or all until something like a car accident happens and they couldn’t see.
Common causes are blockage of the blood supply to the retina, disorders that damage the optic nerve, diabetes, cataracts, glaucoma, and injuries to the eyes, macular degeneration, and certain eye infections. Sometimes losses of vision can e temporary as well. Sometimes only part of the vision may be lost as well. Sometimes loss of the middle part of the visual field is lost and sometimes only peripheral vision is lost. It all varies on what is wrong with your eyes.
Many people that are legally blind can determine shapes and shadows but can define normal detail. In blind peoples eyes the passage is blocked that lets light from the environment into the back of the eye or is disrupted by transmission of nerve impulses from the back of the eye.
Distortion of the eye is described as an inability to see clearly and correctly. It can be a number of things like floaters in the eyes, flashes of light, glare, double vision, lack of depth perception, and poor focus because of refractive error. A refractive error is an inability of the eye to proper focus an image onto the retina. Astigmatism is a type of refractive error; it is when the cornea is irregularly curved. This can result in horizontal lines being in focus but vertical line being blurred. The irregular curving of the eye can occur in any direction and can be different in both eyes. It can be treated with corrective contacts and or refractive surgery. The blurred vision from refractive error can usually be fully corrected.
Allergies, fatigue, infections, abrasions, ulcers in t he cornea can cause changes in the appearance of eyes. It can cause redness due to the dilation and restriction of blood vessels. Dilation of the eye can cause inflammation; these conditions can also cause pain in the eye. Pain can occur in the eye, around it, and behind the eye. Sharp eye pain can be worsened by blinking.
If you have any problems with your eyes and have not got them checked by an eye doctor recently it may be a good idea to do so and to not drive a car during the day or night just to be safe. Loss of vision happens a lot with old age so after the age of 50 it is recommended to get eyes checked every year to make sure that there aren’t any developing problems.
There are supplements that can maintain and improve your eye sight; Alternative Health Supplements offers a few products that are for good vision. 20-20 Vision Day and Night by Bell is great for people that experience loss of vision with old age and lack of nutrients. It is also great for people who have reading and night driving vision disabilities. 20-20 Vision can also alleviate floaters and sparks in the eyes. It has 9 herbs and lots of Antioxidants in it to promote good eye health.

Eye surgery to decrease dependence on glasses or contact lenses and also to enhance existing vision fall under a specialty called Refractive Surgery or Vision Corrective Surgery. Lasik, cataract, astigmatism, nearsightedness as well as farsightedness surgery are all different kinds of refractive surgery.

Recent advances have raised the bar on vision correction as follows:

1. Advanced Diagnostics for Vision Surgery:

Pentacam technology can work like a CT scan or MRI of the eye’s visual system, thus analyzing the optics and surgical choice therein. We can also catch abnormal eyes in patients who are poor candidates and should avail of other options.

Optec 6500 is a vision testing system that goes beyond the vision chart in the eye doctor’s office. We can test vision in 12 tests and also simulate what one individual sees in similar condition compared to another individual, for example we can show how a patient who is 20/20 in the day time could have vision challenges while driving at night or while playing golf.

2. Advanced LASIK surgery

Today, with advanced Lasers, automated eye tracking and safety mechanisms we can correct vision beyond 20/20 by treating a patient’s individual vision abnormalities called higher order aberrations using wavefronts to individualize each patient’s vision goal.

Dr. Gulani’s Corneoplastique™ Laser techniques have become a new generation, super specialty by raising the bar on Lasik to perform the entire spectrum of Lasik Laser surgeries as an ART instead of the “cookie-cutter” surgeries performed by majority of lasik surgeons worldwide.

Patients who were not considered candidates before can now avail of these advanced laser vision procedures and see without glasses and contact lenses.

3. Cataract surgery

Cataract surgery itself has undergone a revolution. Since cataract surgery involves the use of an artificial lens implant, these lens implants itself have been advanced to include the ability to see the distance as well as read without any glasses.

Such multifocal / progressive (similar to reading glasses / bifocals) lens implants are providing vision without glasses or contact lenses and changing lives and lifestyles universally.

4. Combination of Cataract & Lasik surgery

Cataract surgery can now be planned as two stages. Following cataract surgery, patients can undergo Lasik surgery to correct any residual astigmatism to thus completely fix the optics of the eyes for a glasses-free vision experience for life.

Even patients who have undergone previous cataract surgery and did not have a choice of these advanced, multifocal / progressive lens implants at that time can now avail of Lasik surgery to help them get rid of glasses altogether.

Age is no barrier; Art Boutwell, an avid golfer at age 90, may go down in history books as the oldest person ever to undergo LAIK surgery.  Today, he is back in the swing of things. With his new 20/20 vision, he’s playing golf daily.  “Dr. Gulani’s advanced LASIK surgery was like night and day,” He said. “I can see to read the newspaper again.” 

Kenny Knox had talked to eye surgeons across the country before deciding Gulani was the best. A pro golfer since 1978, Knox attests he was back on the course two days following his surgery.   

“From the moment you walk into his institute and he approaches with that warm smile and graceful handshake, you know you’re in the presence of a star,” said Hunter Chiles of Fernandina Beach, who came to Gulani to correct LASIK surgery that he had undergone in the past with another eye surgeon. “I’ve never met anyone like him before in my life,” said Chiles. “I flew my son down here from Michigan to get LASIK. I wouldn’t let anyone but Gulani touch him.”

“He corrected my vision to better than 20/20. Now, when I’m out on the golf course, It’s amazing.  I can see a tiny ball 1.62 inches in diameter from 250 yards away!”

Golfers could gain an added edge over their competition as we raise the bar on vision with improved quality and penetration of vision senses that will truly epitomize “Super Vision”

You can find more information about sports related eye injuries at www.GulaniVision.com/Sports_Related_Eye_Injuries.

To find out more about the Gulani Vision Institute, please visit www.GulaniVision.com