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The True Custom LASIK Experience at TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers offer True Custom LASIK, the most advanced laser eye technology available. True Custom LASIK allows the doctor to customize the LASIK treatment to the specific vision needs of the individual patient, creating a truly unique LASIK surgery procedure. Because this method of LASIK surgery is designed to the needs of the individual patient, True Custom LASIK provides the best results possible for each patient. True Custom LASIK – Necessary For Some, Desirable For Most There are many forms of imperfect vision. These forms fall into one of two groups – they are either lower-order aberrations or higher-order aberrations. Lower-order aberrations are the refractive errors – nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. When a patient can’t see the eye chart clearly, that is a lower-lever aberration. Higher-order aberrations are responsible for quality of vision, such as crispness, clarity, and color contrast. Higher-order aberrations can significantly interfere with vision, especially night vision. People with higher-order aberrations often see halos or starbursts around lights, or have less contrast sensitivity. Before True Custom LASIK was developed, LASIK treatments took a “one size fits all” approach, and this approach was quite successful for many patients. Conventional LASIK treatments measured and corrected the patient’s lower-order aberrations but could not measure or correct the patient’s higher-order aberrations. For patient’s whose vision problems were caused by lower-order aberrations and had few or no higher-order aberrations, conventional LASIK worked quite well. But patients with extreme refractive errors or unique vision problems attributable to higher-order aberrations either weren’t eligible for LASIK or continued to have visual problems after LASIK. Because their higher-order aberrations were not corrected by the conventional LASIK procedure, these patients experienced side effects such as glare, starbursts, and halos. True Custom LASIK detects, measures and corrects both lower-order and higher-order aberrations. Just as each patient has his or her own unique DNA and fingerprint, each patient’s cornea has its own unique way of focusing light that includes unique lower-order and higher-order aberrations. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, True Custom LASIK takes the eye’s full measurements and develops a LASIK procedure unique to the patient’s eyes – a procedure that will work on no other patient. How Does True Custom LASIK Work? True Custom LASIK works by creating a LASIK procedure that is truly unique to the patient’s individual eyes. Because of this, True Custom LASIK patients experience a faster recovery time, less visual side effects, crisper vision and enhanced contrast sensitivity, and vision that is often 20/20 or better. True Custom LASIK uses a technologically advanced device called a wavefront analyzer to measure the way light travels through a patient’s eye. The wavefront analyzer takes the patient’s measurement (including both lower-order and higher-order aberrations) and compares it to the way light travels through an eye that sees with perfect vision. The wavefront analyzer then takes the difference between these two measurements to create a 3-D wavefront map. This 3-D map details the exact cornea reshaping necessary to correct the patient’s vision to 20/20 or better. This 3-D map is transmitted to the laser surgery equipment to be used during the patient’s LASIK surgical procedure. Because the patient’s eye is precisely mapped, the success rate for True Custom LASIK is very high. Most patients notice improvement in vision the minute they sit up after the procedure. Improvements continue and vision stabilizes over the next few weeks. In fact, a few weeks after True Custom LASIK, many patients have vision that is 20/20 or better! The 3-D wavefront mapping decreases a patient’s chance of developing vision side effects that were common with conventional LASIK, especially in patients with higher-order aberrations or unique vision issues. True Custom LASIK patients experience fewer post-surgery vision problems, such as halos, glare, and night vision difficulties. This is because the wavefront mapping took into account the patient’s higher-order aberrations that could not be corrected with conventional LASIK. Walk Me Through a True Custom LASIK Procedure The first step of the True Custom LASIK procedure is to the map the patient’s eyes. A device called a wavefront analyzer measures the way light travels through the patient’s eyes. The patient’s measurement is compared to the measurement obtained from light traveling through a perfect eye. The difference between the two measurements is used to create a 3-D wavefront map. The 3-D map is unique to the patient’s eye and is the measurement of the exact corneal reshaping necessary to provide the patient with 20/20 or better vision. This 3-D map is programmed into the laser that will be used during the patient’s True Custom LASIK procedure. The True Custom LASIK procedure at TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers takes approximately 15 minutes. The ophthalmologist talks the patient through the entire procedure. The patient’s eyes are numbed with eye drop anesthesia and recovery time is minimal. Most patients experience immediate vision improvement, with continuous improvement and vision stabilization occurring over the next few weeks. The doctors at TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers monitor their True Custom LASIK patients for approximately 12 months after their surgery to ensure proper healing, healthy eyes, and optimal results. Is True Custom LASIK For Everyone? Even with this remarkable advance in LASIK technology, True Custom LASIK is not for everyone. People with certain eye diseases such as glaucoma and cataracts may not be good candidates for True Custom LASIK. There are risk factors associated with True Custom LASIK. Even with the advances of 3-D mapping, some patients experience night vision problems, such as halos and starbursts around lights – these problems can be especially burdensome while driving. Additional vision side effects are dry eyes that require the use of artificial teardrops to correct. How Can I Find Out More About True Custom LASIK at TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers?
Like Tom Daniels, most True Custom LASIK patients are thrilled with their results. Many notice a significant improvement in vision the minute they sit up after surgery! To find out more about True Custom LASIK at TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers, e-mail us! We’ll be happy to send you additional information or schedule a consultation with one of ophthalmologists. Free yourself from glasses and contacts. Contact us today! |
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