What is Refractive Surgery?
Refractive Surgery is eye surgery meant to decrease or eliminate your need for glasses or contact lenses. Most commonly we think of this as “LASIK”, but there are many other types of refractive surgery, including PRK, ICL and Refractive Lens Exchange. It is vital to match the right type of refractive surgery to the specifics of your condition, including your age and the amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism that your eyes have. Dr. Parekh is the only refractive surgeon in the area offering such a wide array of options.
Bladeless LASIK
LASIK is a procedure for low and moderate amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
LASIK (Laser-In-Situ Keratomileusis) uses a precise computer controlled excimer laser to gently reshape the front surface of the eye (cornea), improving your vision and reducing or eliminating the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. Custom LASIK maps and treats your eye’s unique visual irregularities, often yielding vision that was better than what your glasses or contact lenses provided. It is a safe and highly effective procedure done in the office, and takes just a few minutes. Most patients return to work the next day.
You might be a good candidate for the LASIK if you:
- are at least 18 years of age
- are in good general health
- do not have eye diseases such as keratoconus, glaucoma, cataracts and certain retinal and optic nerve diseases
- are free of certain eye viruses including herpes simplex and herpes zoster
- have had a stable prescription for at least one year
The surgery has two basic steps–flap creation and excimer laser treatment. Creating the flap is often the most delicate part of the procedure, and was originally done with a hand-held, sharp surgical blade. More recently, the Femtosecond Laser has been used to create the flap. This is also known as “All-Laser” or “Bladeless” LASIK.
This computer-controlled laser allows for a more predictable and precise flap, reducing the possibility of surgical complications. Sometimes, patients who were not candidates for traditional LASIK in the past are candidates for Bladeless LASIK.
Dr. Parekh is the only surgeon in the area performing Bladeless LASIK.