Studies have shown that LASIK is a safe, reliable and painless way to improve vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses. LASIK, which stands for laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis, is a form of refractive surgery that changes the way light is bent, or refracted, as it passes through the cornea so that it focuses properly on the retina in the back of the eye and objects can be seen clearly. The procedure is effective for many patients with nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism.

During the procedure, a device called a microkeratome creates a flap in the outer layer of the cornea called the epithelium. Patients are given topical anesthesia and a mild sedative so they are awake but calm and cannot feel the instruments. The corneal flap is lifted and an excimer laser beam adjusts corneal curvature so objects no longer appear blurry. The cornea is steepened for hyperopic patients, flattened for myopic patients, and made more spherical for patients with astigmatism. The flap is then closed.

The entire LASIK procedure takes only 15-30 minutes per eye, and patients are often ready to leave the office within an hour or two. A common complaint after surgery is sensitivity to light, but this will subside. Antibiotic eye drops will be prescribed for a few days, along with any other post-operative instructions. Full recovery takes a few weeks.

IntraLase

Blade-free Lasik, an all-laser vision correction using IntraLase technology, is now available.  Standard Lasik uses a blade to cut the cornea and create a flap prior to the laser treatment.  With IntraLase, a femtosecond laser, the laser creates the flap, which is more precise, predictable, and programmable.  This improves patient safety and outcomes.  The laser can create a smoother flap with variability of 4 microns.  The mechanical microkeratome, which uses a blade, has a variability of 40 to 50 microns.  This is a great new technology now available to you.

A Cut Above
Technology helps deputy sheriff see clearly now
BY DAVID BRUCE

Excellent eyesight is a job requirement for Kevin Link. A deputy sheriff for the Chautauqua County's Sheriff's Office, Link relies on his eyes to guide him through tense situations. He wore prescription glasses. Switching to prescription sunglasses and back to regular glasses wasn't practical. "If I wore transitional lenses, and I went into a house for a domestic situation, my glasses would still be dark," he said. "That's a problem if I'm trying to find somebody."

The answer seemed to be laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, LASIK, laser eye surgery to correct his vision. But Link, 42, of Dunkirk, N.Y., has hyperopia, a condition caused by flat corneas -- the clear, front window of the eye -- and relatively small eyes, that made him a poor candidate for the surgery. But a new type of LASIK offered by Erie ophthalmologist Robert Haverly, M.D., gave Link a chance. It's called Blade-free LASIK.

Haverly starts the procedure by using a laser beam instead of a small blade to cut a flap in the cornea. "The laser makes it easier to control the size of the flap and the thickness of the cut," said Haverly, who has done LASIK surgery for 11 years. "It's not a variable as the blade." Link arrived at Haverly's Erie office, 311 W. 24th St., Tuesday morning for his procedure. A fit man with short-cropped hair, Link looked like a cop picked by a casting agent. Link sat in an examination chair and said he was eager to undergo the procedure on his eyes. Besides how it will help me with my job, I also hunt ducks and geese," Link said. "I had surgery on my nose for rosacea, so it gets cold easily, and I have to cover it when I hunt. That means I can't wear glasses."

Link was escorted to Haverly's treatment room, where he laid between two machines the size of small refrigerators. One produces the laser that cuts flaps in his corneas, the other sculpts the corneas with short bursts of laser light. A team of nurses, technicians and an optometrist helped Haverly through the procedure. Link was awake. His eyes were numbed with eyedrops before flaps were cut in each cornea. "The laser also makes a flap that stays in place and is less likely to wrinkle, because the laser cuts like a cookie cutter instead of the flap a blade makes," Haverly said. "It also makes a smoother cut. The underlying surface accepts the laser treatment better, giving the patient a better visual outcome." As Haverly talked, he applied a ring to Link's left eye that flattened his cornea even more, then attached the ring to the laser. "It's like docking the space shuttle," Haverly said.

It took Haverly and his team about 30 minutes to perform the procedure on both of Link's eyes. His corneas were bombarded with laser beams for almost 90 seconds each, about three times longer than the average treatment. "That's because of his hyperopia," Haverly said. "He had a pretty severe case. He had trouble seeing up close and far away." When the procedure was done, Link was helped to his feet. He was asked to look at a clock on the wall of the procedure room. "It's a little foggy, but I can tell it's five minutes to 9," Link said as he blinked his eyes. "Things aren't blurry." Haverly has been doing blade-free LASIK for only three months. It now accounts for about 90 percent of all his LASIK surgeries, he said. "The only time we use the blade is when cost is a concern," Haverly said. "Insurance doesn't cover the surgery, and the laser costs $350 more per eye."

Haverly's practice, Laser Eye Surgery of Erie, charges $3,400 for Blade-free LASIK to both eyes. Link was willing to pay the extra cost. Two days after the procedure, he was thrilled with the results. He aced an eye test, and he could drive to Haverly's Erie office from his home in Dunkirk without wearing glasses. "If I ever drove without them before, all I would have seen was fog outside and inside the car," Link said. "And reading? I couldn't do that without glasses. Now I can."