Laser Vision Correction

Laser Vision Correction

At the Eye Care Group we always offer Premium LASIK and Personal Attention.

Dr. Joel Geffin is the Eye Care Group's refractive surgery specialist. He has been performing refractive surgery since his fellowship in the early 1990's. Dr. Geffin offers his patients extremely personal attention. Unlike some practices Dr. Geffin will personally examine each and every patient who comes to the Eye Care Group for a refractive surgery evaluation. He will spend as much time with you before and after your surgery as you feel is needed. Dr. Geffin realizes that having refractive surgery is a very important and personal decision and he wants to be certain that you make the right choice.

At the Eye Care Group Dr. Geffin offers only one type of service - Premium LASIK and Personal Attention. When patients visit corporate and discount laser centers they are typically attracted by a low price ad. Corporate laser centers are "sales driven" and once there, patients are often presented with any array of options as if they were buying a car. The options packages often include different quality lasers, doctors of varying experience and even the length and type of post operative care. The sales people at these corporate laser centers are often commissioned and will always try to "up sell" the patient to the more lucrative packages. Usually patients end up paying as much or more at these corporate laser centers as they do for Premium LASIK at The Eye Care Group.

At the Eye Care Group our philosophy is simple -- we are driven by quality patient care. We believe that everyone who has laser vision correction should have the best possible procedure available. Dr. Geffin, our experienced surgeon, provides personalized care before and after your procedure and is always available for any of his patient's concerns . For all of his patients he only uses what is widely believed to be the world's finest excimer laser, the Allegretto Wave, by WaveLight . For Dr. Geffin and his dedicated staff, Premium LASIK and Personal Attention is the only way we know.

Dr. Geffin is a Board Certified ophthalmologist and fellowship trained in both corneal surgery and refractive surgery. This makes Dr. Geffin one of a few select eye surgeons who has received full fellowship training in surgery of the cornea, the external window of the eye, and refractive surgery, which corrects the eye's ability to focus. Dr. Geffin's special surgical skills include not only LASIK and PRK but also corneal transplants and cataract surgery.

LASIK Procedure

During LASIK the surgeon first creates a thin corneal flap using a device called a microkeratome. The corneal flap is lifted up, and the laser beam is applied to the exposed interior surface of the cornea to reshape the tissue. The flap is then replaced over the treated area. This corneal flap serves as a natural bandage, which eliminates the discomfort associated with other types of refractive surgery, and expedites the healing process. Because of the extraordinary bonding properties of the corneal tissue, stitches are not needed to keep the flap in place after LASIK surgery.

Allegretto Wave Laser

The Allegretto Wave, however, was conceived from the start to perform custom treatments and incorporates wavefront technology principles into each procedure while adjusting each treatment to the patient’s individual cornea.

In addition, the Allegretto Wave is the fastest laser system available in the U.S. today, and allows the surgeon to finely sculpt the patient’s new vision with precise accuracy. This laser also features an ultra-fast eye-tracking system to follow eye movement during the procedure.

This high-speed tracker is a key component of the system’s unique PerfectPulse Technology, developed to accurately control the energy level and exact placement of every laser pulse. Understanding that all eyes are not the same, the Allegretto Wave takes into consideration each patient’s individual corneal steepness and automatically compensates for laser energy that can be lost in the periphery of the cornea due to the eye’s natural shape. By doing so, the Allegretto Wave specifically addresses spherical aberrations that can potentially cause glare and may distort night vision.

More about the Allegretto Wave:

• In FDA trials, 93 percent of all patients saw as well or better without glasses after treatment than they did with glasses prior to treatment
• More than 50 percent achieved 20/16 vision or better
• Fewer than 5 percent needed an enhancement later
• The Allegretto Wave was granted clearance for the widest approval range ever initially granted to a new laser system (see sidebar, above)

Advanced Surface Ablation

Advanced Surface Ablation formerly referred to as Photorefractive Keratectomy or PRK, represents an important alternative option for many patients interested in LASIK refractive surgery. Historically, when the excimer laser was first approved by the FDA in the mid-1990's American refractive surgeons were predominantly performing PRK. By the year 2000 because of rapid visual recovery and the ability to perform surgery on both eyes at the same sitting the predominant procedure in the United Sates had become LASIK. Recently, however, Advanced Surface Ablation has made a big come back due to its outstanding visual outcomes and unsurpassed safety profile.

With Advanced Surface Ablation instead of creating a corneal flap, the surface epithelial cells are gently removed and the exposed corneal surface is then treated with the Allegretto Wavelight laser and covered with a bandage contact lens. The surface cells quickly regenerate creating a pristine refractive surface. LASEK (not to be confused with LASIK) and Epi-LASIK are also forms of Advanced Surface Ablation. Generally, patients who choose Advanced Surface Ablation will have each eye done on a separate day.

Advanced Surface Ablation is an excellent choice not only for patients who are extremely safety conscious but also for individuals who are moderately to severely nearsighted and have corneas too thin for LASIK. Advanced Surface Ablation is also an exciting option for farsighted people whose only alternative previously was glasses or contact lenses. Because Advanced Surface Ablation does not rely on the healing of a corneal flap it may also be a good choice for individuals who participate in contact sports or have aspirations for flight operations in the military.