Laser Vision Correction can dramatically improve the quality of your life by reducing your dependence on glasses and contact lenses and it takes only minutes to perform.

Clear vision results from light rays passing through the cornea and lens and focusing directly on the retina. From the retina, the image is transferred to the brain and this is how we see. Each individuals’ eye and cornea have a unique shape. If the curvature of your cornea does not focus light rays clearly, then your eye has a refractive error. Refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism can be corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses or by changing the shape of the cornea through laser vision correction.

Nearsightedness occurs when the light rays entering the eye focus an image in front of the retina instead of directly on the retina. A nearsighted person may see near objects clearly, but distance objects are blurred. Farsightedness occurs when the light rays entering the eye focus an image behind the retina instead of directly on the retina. A farsighted person may see far objects more clearly than near objects. Astigmatism occurs when the shape of the cornea is irregular. Ordinarily rounded like a baseball, the cornea of someone with astigmatism is oval like a football. Light rays entering the eye are unequally bent and do not focus directly on the retina. This causes blurred vision.

All of the above refractive errors can be corrected with Laser Vision Correction. Laser Vision Correction is a procedure that uses an excimer laser to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The laser reshapes the cornea to reduce or eliminate dependence on glasses and contact lenses. Worldwide, over the last 12 years more than one million people have had laser vision correction performed. The main Laser Vision Correction procedures are LASIK, LASEK and sometimes PRK.

LASIK

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) has been performed for the last seven years, however, variations of this procedure have been evolving for decades. The latest variation is called "Custom Cornea LASIK" which uses advanced software for a more tailored procedure. LASIK is performed with an instrument called a microkeratome which creates a thin layer of the cornea. This “corneal flap” is lifted and the laser is applied to the inner layers of corneal tissue. The excimer laser uses a computer-controlled cool beam of ultraviolet light to sculpt the same prescription that you are wearing in your glasses or contact lenses onto your cornea. The flap is then closed and the cornea assumes its new shape. The healing period with LASIK is remarkably quick because of the cornea’s natural bonding process that causes the flap to adhere to the cornea.

LASEK

LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis) is used mostly for people with corneas that are too thin or too flat for LASIK. It was developed to reduce the chance of complications that occur when the flap created during LASIK is not the ideal thickness or diameter. In LASEK, the epithelium, or outer layer of the cornea, is cut not with the microkeratome cutting tool used in LASIK, but with a finer blade called a trephine. Then the surgeon covers the eye with an alcohol solution (perhaps one part alcohol and four parts sterile water) for around 30 seconds. The solution loosens the edges of the epithelium. After sponging the alcohol solution from the eye, the surgeon uses a tiny hoe to lift the edge of the epithelial flap and gently fold it back out of the way. Then he or she uses an excimer laser to sculpt the corneal tissue underneath. Afterward, the epithelial flap is placed back on the eye with a kind of spatula.

PRK

PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) used to be the most common refractive surgery procedure. Surgeons prefer PRK for patients with larger pupils or thin corneas.

Candidate for Laser Vision Correction

You are a good candidate for LASIK if you’re at least 18 years old, you have healthy eyes and you have a stable prescription. Call the offcie at 914-681-0900 for a free, individualized LASIK consultation to determine if you are a good candidate for LASIK, to explain the procedure and to answer all of your questions in order to help you make an informed decision.

Our surgeons have been performing laser vision correction since it received FDA approval in October 1995. We have performed laser vision correction on doctors, lawyers, police officers, golf professionals, staff, family and friends. Our patients constantly tell us that LASIK is one of the best things that they have ever done for themselves and that this procedure has remarkably improved the quality of their lives.