Nikon And LASIK

Vision starts with a camera of sorts, for people this is the human eye.  Just like a camera, light enters an optical system and is focused with some optics onto the retina where it is transformed into electrical impulses that are received by a big computer processor we call "the brain."  In cameras it is all about the quality of the optics, the shape of the optics, and the size of the optics to get enough light into the camera for the film, or the sensor to be able to transform the light into electrical impulses.  Our retina is a much better light sensor than most cameras and certainly more compact than the D3.  It is about the size of the sensor in a Coolpix, but with the light sensitivity of its much bigger brother.

Quite simply, the more light you have, the better the image that can be created.  In cameras this is done with larger lenses that let in more light, and better and higher density sensors.  Now that sensor technology is about as good as film, with a bunch of other benefits beyond film,  the days of film cameras are mostly behind us.  For special applications, film can still be even better than the latest in cameras with electronic sensors, at least for now.  As an example, X-Ray studies which were very film dependent are rapidly being replaced by digital sensor images.  But as good as these sensors have become,  it is amazing when we compare this to the human eye.  The eye is a camera which is only about an inch total in size!  The cornea is a relatively small lens on the front of the eye where the central six or seven millimeters is the only optical area that really counts.  In advanced cameras, the lens is ten times this big, letting in 100 times as much light!  While the eye has only two optical elements (the cornea in front and the lens inside) it can resolve better than cameras with over a dozen lenses next to each other.  This is for two reasons:  The eye has a very sophisticated zoom/focus and it has aspheric optics.  It also has an incredible sensor which is very sensitive over a wide range of lighting conditions.

The interesting thing is that most cameras, even the most expensive ones do not have aspheric optics.  Aspheric means that the curvature of the lens changes from the center to the edge.  Quite simply, apsheric optics are too expensive to commercially manufacture.  Instead cameras rely on coatings and multiple optics to make them work in low light along with a large size to capture more light.  The cornea is aspheric, and as the iris of our eye opens and closes, the light entering the eye is bent slightly differently to optimize the focus on our retina.  There are many subtle issues involved in making a good optical system including lots of different types of aberrations which is another word for defects in the optics.

We at Dishler LASIK can test for aberrations of the eye using a sophisticated type of instrument called an aberrometer.  Here we can measure the defects already present in any given persons eye(s) which is helpful in predicting what effect LASIK will have on their vision.  More importantly we can plan a treatment with one of the newest lasers in the world which is designed to not only focus the light properly to give clear vision, but also designed to maintain the natural aspheric shape of the eye.

When we evaluate the output of cameras, even the most expensive and highly acclaimed Nikon D3S (the latest and greatest model) we use a benchmark that has been around for a million years -- the human eye.  While now cameras such as this one can take pictures in rooms darker than we can see in and can zoom to distant objects that are beyond our recognition, the overall performance is still not quite as good as the eyeballs you live with every day.

So here is what all of this should mean to anyone thinking about having LASIK vision correction. While 20/20 is an important consideration, the quality of vision is just as important especially in low light conditions.  Let me be clear that anyone who has LASIK runs the risk of reducing their low light vision capability from where they started, and LASIK is not going to improve this function for most people.  How much reduction is experienced can be difference between different levels of satisfaction in the procedure.  The technology that is "wavefront optimized" is designed to minimize the reduction in night vision loss that can accompany LASER VISION correction and this is what you should look for when considering any laser vision correcting procedure.

The lasers we use, and those at other quality laser vision correction centers employ these lasers which include the Zeiss MEL 80 and the AllegrettoEyeQ laser platforms.  There are other lasers out there which were approved many years ago and are still being used. Without naming them specifically, these lasers while still "approved" were not designed to maintain the aspheric shape of the cornea which is so important to maintaining good optical performance in low light conditions.

For people with severely blurred vision, getting the improvement of a Coolpix can be a vast improvement and most people are very happy with this camera who own one.  But when compared side by side, the pictures that can be had from a D3 are very much more amazing.  Our goal at Dishler LASIK is to give our patients amazing vision.  We cannot always achieve this goal but many of our patients tell us that their vision is beyond what they had expected prior to their procedure.  Although we can take some of the credit for this, it is the technology along with the proper application of that technology which gives such nice results.

Just because you own the newest or most expensive camera does not mean that you will get great pictures.  Likewise, just because a laser center opens and buys some fancy new equipment, does not mean that they will achieve optimal vision results.  It takes both the technology and the "know how" in applying that technology along with experience to make a great photographer or a great laser vision correction center.  Please understand that unlike photography we cannot hit the erase button and take the picture again.  There are many variables beyond our control in the human camera, the human eye, to be able to guarantee any particular result, and there is risk and uncertainty in having laser vision correction.  We attempt to minimize that risk through our well defined process and care to have the best outcomes possible.  But in no way do I want to imply that we can always deliver perfect vision in all circumstances. 

Having much experience, the best technology, and a great staff enables us to understand individual patient needs and with the comparison to cameras this helps you to understand what to look for in choosing your doctor for LASIK.  Pick the doctor who strives to give you vision like the D3S Nikon but be satisfied if you can see like a Coolpix, which really is not that bad compared to the out of focus camera that no one would buy if they had to glue some glasses onto the front of it in order to make it work.

Since you are only going to have LASIK once hopefully, we want to give you the best opportunity to have clear vision both day and night.  Please visit us for a consultation and learn more about this or post any comments or questions on this blog or on on the contact us page and we will be sure to get back to you.