Astigmatism First

Did you ever wonder why almost everyone can hear the same, but so many people don’t see the same?   Most people love the sound they hear from an Apple i-Pod™, but many cannot enjoy a movie without their glasses or contact lenses.

Somehow, evolution just hasn’t completely perfected vision, at least for many of us.  And that is especially true when it comes to astigmatism, the most challenging form of vision imperfection.  Astigmatism is when the front of the eye is not round like it is supposed to be.  There just isn’t any good reason for an eye to be warped, and we just don’t see this kind of distortion when it comes to ears.  Of course vision is a lot more complicated than hearing, and therefore this is understandable.  Maybe with a few more million years of evolution we might progress to where humans wouldn’t need laser vision correction at all.  In the meantime, we have a problem.

Some say that there may be a benefit to be nearsighted, at least a little bit, in that it makes near tasks easier, and farsightedness in youth can give excellent distance vision.  In general though less is more when it comes to near or farsightedness.  But is there any value for astigmatism?  Not much. Basically it is a malformed eye, and for millions of years there was not much to be done about it.

Laser vision correction (LVC) started in earnest in the 1990’s and by 2000 or so it was known worldwide.  Like all new things, it had to mature and develop but now LVC represents a stable and reliable way to correct most peoples’ vision so that they can see like they can hear. But there have been limitations.

There are dozens of lasers right here in Colorado, and scores of doctors who perform these procedures.  But, surprisingly, there is only one doctor who and one laser that treats astigmatism first.  That laser is the Zeiss Mel 80™/VisuMax platform, the most advanced laser system in the world.  In fact, there are only a handful of these systems in all of North America and less than 100 in the whole world.

What is so special about this technology and philosophy?  Quite simply, we treat astigmatism first.  For the person who has astigmatism, and about 80% of our patients do, we treat the astigmatism first, and only then do we correct near or farsightedness.  It all happens seamlessly, without a pause.   We can neutralize the astigmatism and save the easy part for last.

 That all sounds really nice, but what is the big deal, why would you want Astigmatism First?  Because once the warp is fixed, everything else just gets a whole lot easier.  It means more predictable, clearer vision, more like high fidelity vision, more like an i-Pod for your eyes. 

Older technologies rely on larger beams of laser energy, based on limited methods where the astigmatism is coupled, or treated at the same time as the nearsightedness.   A guess has to be made about how to overall correct two things at once and this creates a nasty thing called coupling.  With coupled treatments, the astigmatism treatment is influenced by the near or farsighted treatment.  Coupling, in this instance, is a bad thing.   Surprisingly, this is the method most people in America have for their vision correction even today.  Lasers approved by the FDA over a decade ago are still in use.  In other countries, the more advanced methods including astigmatism treatment separated from the other corrections are more commonly employed.   Then throw in “state of the art” custom prolate optimized bladeless correction, and you have what you really want.   It is German technology, precise, very precise.  And it is right here in Colorado!. 

We want to tell you more about Astigmatism First, and about all the other reasons why we believe that there are subtle improvements that our practice can do to bring out the best in your vision. In fact, we are so sure that we can help, just for coming in and having an exam to find out that you are in fact a qualified LASIK candidate, we will give you a free Apple i-Pod with no strings attached (except for the ear buds).  It is our gift for your time to visit us and consider why we are the best choice in Colorado for laser vision correction.  That way, even if we don’t get to make you see in high fidelity, we are pretty sure you will enjoy at least hearing that way.

And here is the really good part.  When we do Astigmatism First vision correction, you get the latest and greatest technology, including the all laser blade free approach, for the guaranteed lowest price of any center in Colorado.  And, we work with hundreds of local eye doctors, so that you only have to visit us one more time for the treatment, and follow-up with your local doctor at no extra cost.  And yes, we also offer the same CareCredit™ financing options (which is about all the other centers ever talk about).  So give us a call at 303-793-3000 or outside the metro area at 800-90-LASIK to learn more about why Astigmatism First  Dishler vision correction is your best choice.