May 18, 2010
It was early in the 1990's before anyone even thought about LASIK that we were first with another procedure, ALK. In Automated Lamellar Keratoplasty (ALK) we used a microkeratome to make a thin flap on the cornea, and then removed a small amount of corneal tissue to reduce severe nearsightedness (sound familiar?). This procedure was an outgrowth of an even older procedure where the front of the cornea was reshaped using a lathe, that dates back about forty years! This new procedure was a major advancement, and I published on our results with nine other doctors from around the country, many of whom are leaders in their own community in refractive vision corrective surgery. What we learned in these procedures made us realize that although our results were promising, they were inexact and needed the refinement that a laser could offer.
August 08, 2009
The word LASIK has become a household name for laser vision correction. 15 years ago when we started offering this procedure as the first in Colorado, no one had heard of this funny word before. This post is to describe the meaning of the word and to help bring a discussion of laser vision correction to those who want to experience better vision in Denver Colorado, and throughout Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and elsewhere.
August 01, 2009
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.
June 17, 2009
We receive many questions about correcting astigmatism. This is a difficult concept to understand because astigmatism is having an eye which is shaped more like a football than a soccer ball. What this means is that light is bent differently depending on how it enters the eye, and correcting this kind of eye is a complex problem. Fortunately, our modern lasers can treat astigmatism, and the laser we choose to use most, the Zeiss Mel 80, actually corrects the astigmatism before it corrects the near or far sightedness. This is a key advantage as is explained below.
This post is my own thinking on this matter, and in no way reflects the opinion of any of the companies discussed. I hope you enjoy reading about why we are so satisfied with our experiences using this laser system.
Dishler Laser Institute
