Dishler Laser - Blog

I was asked what the five most important changes are in LASIK since it was invented and these are summarized below. Although LASIK was amazing even out of the gate, there have been some significant changes which have made it safer and even more effective than it originally was. Of course any surgical procedure has risks, and these should be carefully discussed with your doctor. From our early days in Denver, Colorado performing LASIK, to the very advanced and mature technology that we practice today there have been many things that we have learned and changes that we have made. This list highlights some of the most important improvements in LASIK which we bring to our patients.

People who are not familiar with Greenwood Village may be concerned when trying to find a LASIK center close to Denver Colorado when they see our address is not actually in Denver. We are located just one block south of Belleview Avenue which is the southern border of Denver, Colorado. This location is ideal and convenient and very central for anyone within the greater metro Denver Colorado area. We are very close to the intersections of I-25 and I-225 and just a few miles north of where I-25 and I-470 intersect. Because of this, you can reach our office from Denver as well as Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Cherry Creek, Downtown Denver, and many other areas within about 20 minutes. We are also convenient for patients traveling from Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, and mountain locations such as Vail. Even for patients coming from out of state from places like Wyoming and Kansas we are easy to find. Once you get here, we have our own area of reserved parking right next to the front door of this beautiful 15 story office building. We are located on the 12th floor with a panoramic view of the mountains that can be enjoyed especially with our telescope! We have complimentary fresh brewed coffee, a free wifi hookup, and other amenities to make your visit convenient. We are also located very close to several fine dining restaurants, casual restaurants, and several hotels including the Hyatt Place only 1 block away. For a convenient location, and a world class experience we are the first "Denver LASIK" center to perform LASIK and we are located in the center of metro Denver. So when you look at a map or do a search for Denver LASIK we may not come up first, but we should be considered as a prime Denver LASIK location for LASIK and other vision correction procedures.

To say bladeless LASIK is the gold standard, or the standard of care are strong statements subject to interpretation. What I can say is that since introducing bladeless LASIK to Denver Colorado in 2001 we have progressed to a point that in the last several years we only offer bladeless to our patients because we believe it is a much better way to do LASIK. There are several reasons for this. First there has been shown to be less dry eye problems due to the increased gentleness of the procedure. There are also less risks of other serious complications such as loss of suction resulting in a partial or abnormally cut flap. These complications do occur with a microkeratome but are virtually nonexistent with the all laser method. Studies have been performed that show the results are better with the blade free method which may have something to do with how exact the cutting of the flap has been with the laser as compared to a blade. Finally there is the accuracy of depth which is far greater with the all laser procedure than the blade procedure. All of these reasons probably account for the fact that now about 50% of all LASIK is blade free. The only reason not to have all blade free is cost, and it seems that the extra cost is worth it for all of these reasons. Since blade free is so much more common, you can find centers to offer this at no or little additional cost from standard LASIK. This has advanced even more with the VisuMax, now our preferred blade free LASIK procedure and here is why.

When it comes to getting excellent results in anything, accuracy is very important. Even when cutting a piece of wood, we are told to measure twice and cut once to be sure we have it right. If an error occurs, we might need to buy a new piece of wood. Obviously, in medical care, we need to be extremely careful and I have been impressed how careful doctors are trained to be, especially in surgery. Although to the casual observer, laser vision correction might seem rather simple, it does in fact require rigorous thought, careful measurements, and analysis to consistently get excellent results. Even with the best of intentions, we cannot always be as reproducible as cutting a piece of wood because what we are doing is far more complex. At our center, Dishler LASIK, we attempt to minimize any variability and this blog entry is to explain some of the steps we have taken to insure the greatest accuracy possible. I invite the comments of any prospective or treated patients.