LASIK
LASIK EYE SURGERY
We are pleased to offer a variety of the latest refractive surgical procedures including: All Laser LASIK, Epi-LASEK, Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), intra-corneal implants, and the Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) at our Naples and Sarasota surgery centers. Advancements in technology have allowed our team to truly customize the vision correction needs of each patient. Because each patient’s ocular anatomy and visual goals are unique, our team will explain which vision correction option will allow you the greatest opportunity to minimize dependence on glasses or contacts, while maximizing safety and effectiveness.
For patients eager to experience the life-changing joy of clear vision, we offer 0% down, no-interest 24-month financing on LASIK procedures through Alphaeon Credit. Pay off your procedure on your schedule, while you enjoy your new vision! Speak with a patient care counselor today to learn more.
How LASIK Works
Modern LASIK, or Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, is one of the most popular and precise vision procedures available today to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Its popularity is founded on the high rate of patient satisfaction, excellent visual results, quick recovery, and the existence of very few side effects or complications. Our LASIK surgeons at Center For Sight were among the first to provide All Laser LASIK with the IntraLase® femtosecond laser and the ALLEGRETTO WAVE Eye-Q Excimer laser, which is now the standard of care. This combination of laser technology allows our LASIK surgeons to perform blade-free LASIK with micron-level precision and accuracy.
Epi-LASEK (or PRK) is a laser vision correction procedure in which the cornea is reshaped directly on the surface rather than under a flap as with LASIK. It offers some advantages over LASIK for certain patients such as those with thin corneas or some other corneal conditions.
With Epi-LASEK, the surface epithelium, or thin layer of protective skin covering the cornea is loosened with a diluted alcohol solution and moved aside. The surface under the epithelium is then treated with the ALLEGRETTO WAVE Eye-Q Excimer laser. The epithelium is removed and a bandage contact lens is placed over the treated area to make the eye more comfortable during the healing process.
It usually takes three to five days for the epithelium to fully regenerate. Because the return to functional vision is longer than with LASIK, Epi-LASEK patients should allow several days for recovery before returning to full activity. Although final vision recovery takes longer than LASIK, visual outcomes of both procedures are similarly excellent.
The LASIK procedure involves two steps: First, making a flap and second, reshaping the cornea with the Excimer laser. We use the sophisticated IntraLase laser to make the flap and the ALLEGRETTO WAVE Eye-Q laser with wavefront technology to reshape the cornea. This combination makes every LASIK procedure an ALL-LASER, BLADE-FREE procedure.
- Improved Safety: Eliminates the most severe blade-related complications.
- Better Vision: Patients achieve statistically better vision when IntraLase is used in the LASIK procedure in comparison with the microkeratome (blade).
- Highest Degree of Predictability and Precision: Micron-level precision creates significantly more predictable and accurate flap dimensions, including most critically, reproducible flap thickness within +/- 10 microns, whereas the variability with microkeratomes has been reported up to +/- 40 microns.
- Reduced Dry Eye Symptoms: Several clinical studies demonstrate a significant reduction in dry eye symptoms, the largest of which shows patient symptoms were reduced by 72 percent.
- Individualized Flaps: The laser flap can be tailored to the patient’s needs, allowing physicians to individualize all steps in the LASIK procedure: custom diagnosis with wavefront, personalized flap creation with IntraLase, and custom laser treatment with custom ablation.
LASIK patients recover very quickly with vision returning rapidly and the majority of patients seeing well enough to drive the next day, without glasses or contact lenses. Most patients elect to have LASIK performed on both eyes at the same time. Our Fort Myers LASIK patients will see their optometric physician for post-operative care, regardless of which Center For Sight surgery center they elect to have the LASIK procedure performed.
To be a good candidate for LASIK, the cornea must be of sufficient thickness to allow for the flap to be made with sufficient underlying tissue to be removed to achieve the targeted level of correction. Patients with severe dry eye syndrome, very thin corneas or other conditions such as the beginning stages of a cataract, may be better candidates for one of the other refractive procedures offered at Center For Sight.
