Z-LASIK is Not IntraLase

Patients are often confused by LASIK terminology. IntraLase and Z-LASIK are both "All-Laser" LASIK but Z-LASIK is a lower priced IntraLase imitator without all the custom and safety features of IntraLase. Where price is not a determining factor, the military and major university eye centers have all chosen IntraLase over Z-LASIK. Dr. Dean Dornic of the Laser Eye Center of Carolina has performed both IntraLase and Z-LASIK. He agrees that IntraLase is better. Don't shortchange yourself; choose IntraLase and, in the Raleigh NC area, choose Laser Eye Center of Carolina.

Don't Limit Your Choices

If you go to a LASIK Only Center you'll most likely get....LASIK. But wouldn't you feel better knowing that you were getting a procedure that was personalized for you.
Dr. Dean Dornic of the Laser Eye Center offers all available FDA approved vision correction procedures. So you can be confident knowing that you will be receiving the procedure most likely to result in success. Some patients may not be suitable for LASIK because of thin corneas, unusual corneal topography or coexisting medical conditions. Golfers use an assortment of clubs and mechanics a variety of tools, so why would you trust your eyes to a center that performs only one type of vision correction procedure?
Dr. Dean Dornic is one of the most experienced LASIK providers in the triangle and has recently been named a top 50 LASIK surgeon http://www.pr.com/press-release/224475 but he also has extensive experience in CK, PRK, SBK, Intacs and intraocular lenses. So if you want a truly customized vision correction solution, why not come in for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Dornic.

Crystalens for Cataract Surgery

Quick facts on Crystalens®
During cataract surgery the cloudy cataractous lens is replaced with a clear artificial lens (implant). Many patients with cataracts are candidates for a flexible implant that can focus both at distance and near to reduce or eliminate the need for reading glasses.
Patients who are good candidates for standard monofocal IOLs are typically good candidates for Crystalens. If a patient has healthy eyes, has not had previous cataract surgery, and does not suffer from any major health problems, then he or she is likely to be a good candidate.
More than twice the number of patients implanted with Crystalens could see well at all distances compared to a standard IOL.
Most Crystalens patients have reduced their dependence on glasses and are able to read the newspaper or a phone book without glasses.
Most Crystalens patients are able to see their computers, dashboards and anything else at arm’s length without glasses.
Most Crystalens patients are able to see 20/40 or better after surgery, so the clock across the room and the TV in the corner are clearly within sight.
Many of our Crystalens patients can see well enough to do away with their reading glasses, bifocals, or contact lenses. The Crystalens procedure is highly successful and most people regain very good distance vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.

Custom LASIK Does Not Equal CustomVue

Raleigh area LASIK candidates can be confused by advertisements for “custom LASIK”. Patients considering LASIK and who understand that the results of custom LASIK are in general, better than conventional LASIK, may mistakenly believe that all providers who offer custom LASIK are offering the same service.
Unfortunately, some providers of wavefront optimized LASIK advertise their procedure as “custom”. This is a distortion of the original meaning of custom LASIK which refers to wavefront guided LASIK.
Needless to say, the visual performance of wavefront guided LASIK tends to be better than wavefront optimized. This has been born out by numerous studies and is the reason that NASA and the Department of Defense prefers wavefront guided LASIK.
Vision problems can be categorized into lower order ones (nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism) and higher order aberrations: the type that cause visual distortions, night time halos and starbursts. Wavefront optimized LASIK simply means there is an effort made not to induce new aberrations. Wavefront guided LASIK means that there is an effort to correct any preexisting distortions /aberrations and is the reason some LASIK patients will note that there vision is actually better after LASIK than it was before with their best glasses or contact lenses.
Raleigh area LASIK candidates may want to investigate data submitted to the FDA on LASIK. They will discover that the LASIK technology with the highest ever rate of 20/20 results was accomplished by CustomVue on a VISX Star laser and is the same technology employed here at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina.

Crystalens HD

The Crystalens HD is a fourth generation accomodating implant used during cataract surgery. It gives a better range of focus than previous models. The Crystalens implant is the only IOL of its kind approved by the FDA. Because it is flexible, patients are able to see both distance and near without the need for eyeglasses. As time goes on, I expect to see even better models with a still wider range of focus. See http://www.crystalens.com for more information.

Premium IOLs in Europe

In what may appear to be contradictory facts, European patients have more choices of premium intraocular lenses to be used in their cataract surgery but fewer than 10% actually end up getting them.
There are more choices because the implants can be brought to market sooner with fewer regulations. Some of the implants currently being reviewed by our FDA are already being used in Europe.
But...because of the restrictive health care system, many of these implants are available only to patients who get their care outside of government provided health care. This is because many of the plans do not allow doctors additional compensation for the additional time and expense involved in providing these implants. They are even forbidden to attempt to collect any additional fees from the patient. This is a tremendous disincentive to providing these lenses. Why would a doctor take on the additional expense and spend additional time and still be reimbursed the same?
Likewise, hospitals and ASCs may be reimbursed a set fee for cataract surgery that include the cost of the implant. Hard strapped facilities would find it hard to justify providing a more expensive , premium product and still be reimbursed the same.
Fortunately, in our country, doctors and facilities are able to recoup the additional expense involved in providing these implants. As time goes on, more and more patients are choosing these implants as a means to reduce their dependence on glasses and that's worth something isn't it?

More Evidence of the Benefits of LASIK

An article in the April issue of the Journal "Ophthalmology" highlights the benefits of new LASIK technology. The article described visual performance in simulated night driving conditions using two different LASIK technologies. One group of patients had conventional LASIK with a microkeratome the other group of patients had an all-laser Wafefront guided LASIK (custom, femtosecond flap)
The authors concluded that Wavefront-guided LASIK to correct myopia combined with a femtosecond laser flap significantly improved mean night driving visual performance and was significantly better than conventional LASIK using a mechanical keratome.
Potential LASIK patients may want to educate themselves on the distinction between different LASIK technologies to insure the best outcome. Think twice before trusting your eyes to a LASIK discounter who advertises a bare bones "out the door" price.
I can help you sort through the maze of articles and different studies. Readers are welcome to come in for a free LASIK consult. We even offer convenient evening hours. Concerned about cost? We participate in all insurance LASIK programs and offer interest free financing for up to 24 months.
Abstract of the article available by clicking on the link.
http://www.ophsource.org/periodicals/ophtha/article/S0161-6420(08)01338-9/abstract