Dr Boothe talking about lasik surgery

What is LASIK surgery exactly?
It’s the use of a laser beam to modify the shape of your cornea such that your vision will improve. So let’s look at how our vision works, why it might be less than perfect, and how LASIK surgery changes it. Dr Boothe

New advances in eyesight corrective surgery are providing consumers greater choices. Patients in their 40s or 50s who are considering LASIK surgery to improve their vision might want to consider to be evaluated for implantable lenses as well. "Early signs of a cataract might argue for surgery and implantation of multifocal lenses instead." Dr Boothe

"Laser surgery is the most exciting advancement in ophthalmology," says Dr Boothe, M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the doctor who performed Goldstein's surgery. But surprisingly, he says, despite its sudden popularity, "only 20 percent of ophthalmologists in the United States today are trained in its operation."

When the vast majority of patients seriously consider Laser Eye Surgery it is common to encounter a number of different personal reasons why they do not wish to proceed. Usually these reasons can be separated into two categories-fear and cost. Overcoming the barrier of fear requires becoming more familiar with facts about the Laser Vision Correction procedures.

If people say their vision has gotten worse, most of the time they're talking about their reading vision, primarily because they're getting older. Deterioration in reading vision happens to everyone around age 40 to 45. If what they really mean is that they have become more nearsighted again, that's pretty rare; that's maybe 5 percent of Lasik patients. That 5 percent refers to a significant change, about a -1 diopter or more, over a 10-year period. Many of these patients can successfully undergo an enhancement procedure to get rid of that residual nearsightedness

The eye with the suction ring in place is then shown in cross section with the eye cut in half from front to back in the horizontal plane. The suction ring is also cut in half. The next frame shows the microkeratome head sliding into place over the cornea slightly flattening it. dr boothe The animation shows the microkeratome blade making a thin slice in the cornea creating the flap as the microkeratome head continues to move forward. dr boothe , the microkeratome head then slides back into its original position.

How Lasik Works

Lasik is the most often performed surgery in the US. Occasionally misspelled "Lasic", "Lasec", or "Lasix", Laser Assisted in-Situ Keratomileusis is a surgery that changes the shape of the cornea (clear front) of the eye to reduce the need for glasses or contacts. Lasik may correct nearsighted or farsighted vision, astigmatism, or reduce the need for reading glasses. dr boothe It is medically safe and Lasik recovery is usually fast, but Lasik is not right for everyone

It's highly unusual for someone's vision to revert to the original prescription. I've never seen that, and if that did occur, it could indicate that other things are going on with the eye, such as a cataract. Distance vision should not drift appreciably once you've gotten to your original target vision with Lasik. Dr Boothe