LASIK Volume and the Economy

In the United States there have been two disasters that had a major effect on the number of LASIK surgeries that were performed at the time. September 11, 2001 was the first, and the devastation of the housing market and resulting Great Recession that began in August of 2008. An interesting observation was made before and after both of these events: LASIK volume in the U.S. tracks almost exactly with the Consumer Confidence Index!

It's really an amazing statistic when you think of all the incredible advances that have occurred in Laser Vision Correction since the introduction of the first Excimer lasers in 1994. Treatment of Astigmatism. Pupil trackers to increase accuracy. The "Flying Spot" laser that allowed treatments in the peripheral as well as central cornea. Custom Laser to treat Higher Order Aberrations. Iris Recognition to correct for the natural rotation of the eye when we lie down. Not a single one of them has had an effect on the number of LASIK surgeries done in the U.S.!

LASIK is clearly one of the most successful, safest, most predictable elective procedures ever introduced in medical care. A study performed by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) found that more than 95% of patients who underwent LASIK  were satisfied, very satisfied, or extremely satisfied with their results. And most of the 5% who did not say they were satisfied DID say that they would do it again.

See what Nick Saban has to say! 
Nick Saban - football - and Lasik

So what are you waiting for?! If you live in Cleveland and you would like to have a chance to be free of glasses and contact lenses call Skyvision Centers today, visit our WEBSITE, or download our FREE APP on your Android or iPhone and make an appointment.

Dr. White talks about Lasik in his Dr. Whiteboard video here Intro to Lasik

See What's Next!

Over 40? Things to Remember for LASIK

LASIK is becoming more and more popular for people who are over the age of 40! There are some very important things to be thinking about before surgery, though. When a person starts to get into their 40's the near vision focusing begins to decline, a process called "Presbyopia". This can be a set-up for an unpleasant surprise after surgery if you don't think about it prior to your LASIK.

"Many people who are near-sighted don't realize how frequently they are removing their distance glasses to see things up close," said the SkyVision Centers surgeon Dr. Darrell White. "If they are around 45 or so we will sometimes put a contact lens on them and give them a chance to see what their reading vision will be like right after LASIK. This way there's no surprise when they can't read the newspaper the next day!"

Just like with contact lenses a patient can choose to do Mono-vision with LASIK. One eye is set for distance vision as usual, and one eye is slightly undercorrected leaving it near-sighted enough to be able to read. We will typically target a prescription that lets our patients read a menu and see their computer screens without wearing reading glasses.

It's almost never too late to think about LASIK! Even if you are over 40 it can still be a ton of fun to have great distance vision without wearing glasses or contact lenses. Dr. White always says the "LASIK is still one of the nicest things I've ever done for myself, even though I wear reading glasses a lot now." At SkyVision we will make sure you know what to expect after your LASIK!

LASIK, Another Safety Success Story!

A topic often discussed is safety in eye surgery so I thought we should mention how safe LASIK is! As with all surgeries, post-operative infection is one of the most feared complications possible. Another new study was just published that looked at this exact issue.

From September of 2002 to May of 2008 a study was performed looking at the frequency of infections in patients who have undergone LASIK. A total of 204,586 eyes had LASIK over this time period; only 72 eyes became infected! Yup, you read that right: 72 of 204,586. That's an infection rate of 0.035%! And even with infections more than half of the eyes ended up with vision that was 20/20 or better.

The most important take home messages from this study and all of the studies like it are really two: LASIK is VERY safe, but there is no such thing as a totally risk-free, complication-free surgery of any kind. We are very fortunate at Skyvision Centers in that we have yet to have any serious complications in our LASIK patients, but we tell everyone before surgery that it is possible that something could happen. Thankfully, in LASIK at Skyvision, especially with Dr. White, it's very, VERY rare. Just like in the study!

Top Doc AGAIN!

Congratulations to our Dr. Darrell White for being named one of Cleveland Magazine's Top Docs once again!

"I'm incredibly flattered to receive this honor again!" said Dr. White. "It's really a team honor for all of us at Skyvision Centers. Every patient experience depends on each one of us working together as a team and pulling for our patients."

Dr. White has been on the list of Top Docs since 2003.

New Year's Resolution? Christmas Gift? How about no Glasses?

Thinking about what to get a loved one for Christmas? How about those New Year's Resolutions that are coming up? We've been examining our results and outcomes since we made the switch to All Laser LASIK and we have just one thing to say:

WOW!!!

Laser Vision Correction has undergone many changes since Dr. Darrell White did the first VISX laser procedure in Cleveland in the early 1990's. The excimer lasers themselves, the lasers that actually put the prescription on your eye, are now able to correct very complex prescriptions, and they track your eyes during the procedure in every conceivable direction! The accuracy of the treatment is nothing short of amazing.

In the last several years a move has been underway to increast the amount of the procedure that can be performed using lasers, including the creation of the LASIK flap in your cornea (the "window" to the eye). Modern mechanical keratomes are excellent, and we should note that Dr. White's own LASIK was done using a mechanical keratome. We have made the move to using a Femptosecond laser, specifically the IntraLase, to make our flaps after Dr. White conferred with trusted colleagues like Dr. Stephan Coleman in New Mexico, one of the true LASIK pioneers.

And now? WOW!

Thinking about a Christmas gift or a New Year's Resolution? How about great vision without glasses or contact lenses? Come visit us here in Cleveland at Skyvision Centers. See What's Next (R) with Dr. White!