We thought this week that we’d take a closer look at the technology we use here at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre to help hundreds of Manitobans live a more fulfilling life without the need for glasses or contact lenses.
Originally developed to measure optical distortions inherent in powerful telescopes, Wavefront technology has now been adapted to laser vision correction.
The WavePrint System™ by VISX® uses Fourier WaveFront sensing technology. This technology is exceptionally good at measuring subtle variations in high order distortions (e.g. spherical aberrations, coma). The system creates an incredibly detailed and accurate wavefront map of the eye. This map is as unique as your fingerprint or DNA sequence.
Diagnosis
The first step toward improving your vision through laser eye surgery is the assessment. The Advanced CustomVue Wavefront technology allows a higher level of diagnosis and treatment than traditional diagnosis methods. The VISX WavePrint map that is produced using this method shows the surgeon how light focuses in different areas of the eye, allowing the doctor to decide whether you are a good candidate for Advanced CustomVue™ WaveFront laser vision correction.
It also allows the doctor to determine the accuracy of your current glasses prescription and to personalise your laser treatment plan to your eye’s unique vision distortion.
Treatment
VISX® Star S4 Advanced CustomVue™ WaveFront laser vision correction is performed with The WavePrint System™. This system includes:
* The WavePrint Map
* 3D ActiveTrak™ Eyetracker;
* Variable Spot Scanning (VSS™)
* Iris Registration (IR™)
Your surgeon is then afforded the opportunity to personalize your treatment in accordance with the Wavefront map. This technology also allows the surgeon to track any minute movement your eye makes during the surgery, via the 3D ActiveTrak™ Eyetracker, across all three dimensions. The machine repositions the laser in real time to compensate for these movements, ensuring the accuracy of the application of the treatment.
The VISX® S4 Variable Spot Scanning (VSS™) allows for more accurate reshaping of the eye based on your personal Wavefront profile.
VISX® Iris Registration (IR™) is the newest component of Advanced CustomVue™ WaveFront. It allows far greater accuracy for the surgeon, and accounts for the rotation that occurs in our eyes when we move from a sitting to a lying position.
We chose our technology carefully to ensure that we are providing the best possible treatments and outcomes for our patients.
If you’re going to let someone perform surgery on the part of your body that gives you the most important of your five senses (your eyes), you want to make sure that you are comfortable with your choice of surgeon.
Your choice of surgeon will be based on your individual expectations and needs, and by asking questions which will help you to decide what you are comfortable with, you will be able to determine whether a laser eye surgery practice is right for you.
Some of the questions you might ask could include:
Is the surgeon happy to take as much time as is required to answer all my questions and allay any fears that I may have?
Will the doctor who performs the surgery be the one who performs all my follow up care?
Will I have a personal consultation with the surgeon before my surgery?
Do I feel comfortable with the staff at the surgery centre, including non-surgical staff.
Does the centre offer financing options if I require them? Are the terms reasonable?
Does my fee include all post-operative care and any medications I may require?
Will the surgeon be available to perform any emergency post-operative care should the need arise?
Do the staff seem rushed or stressed? Do they appear to have time to do their job properly?
By asking, and answering these questions to your satisfaction, you’ll be in a position to make an informed, educated decision when choosing your laser eye surgery centre.
Laser eye surgery has helped change the lives of millions of people by allowing them both the ability to see clearer and chance to finally ditch those awkward eyeglasses and pesky contacts. However, although this wonderful procedure is readily available almost everywhere in the world, it can still unfortunately be financially out of reach for some people. However, there are a few things that you can do to help defer the cost of laser eye surgery and start seeing clearer today!
1. Get Help From Your Insurance Company
Laser eye surgery, including the popular Lasik procedure, usually ranges in cost between about $1000 to $2000 per eye, the price often varying depending on what sort of vision correction needs to be accomplished. Most medical insurance companies will not cover the costs of laser eye surgery as a “necessary procedure”, but there is still some modicum of help that you can get from certain sorts of insurance carriers. Indeed, although most medical insurance companies currently do not cover Lasik, many HMO’s and PPO’s will have contracts with certain clinics in order to provide a reduced rate for you! So, looking into this fact could be one way in which you could save money on your laser eye surgery.
2. Write-Off Laser Eye Procedures on Your Taxes
It is a relatively little-known fact that the IRS will often allow people to write-off the cost of laser eye surgery on their taxes! The IRS, believe it or not, actually has the presence of mind to regard vision correction surgery (unlike procedures like breast enlargement and teeth whitening) as something that promotes the general functioning of the human body, and thus will allow you to use it as a tax deduction. And, of course, because of this, it is also possible to write off all expenses that relate to your laser eye surgery, such as medications, the cost to travel to and from the laser eye center, and any other necessities that could come into play, such as food and lodging if you have to travel far for the procedure.
So there you have it; it is possible to lower the overall cost of your laser eye surgery without having to settle for a substandard surgeon or clinic (and beware: there are many of them out there with some pretty impressive-sounding pricing), so if you are thinking of getting laser eye surgery, consider these two simple tips when figuring out your laser eye surgery budget.
Congratulations; you’ve finally decided that you’ve had enough with the burden of using contact lenses and glasses and want to look into undergoing laser eye surgery! Good for you! So, now that you know that you are interested in obtaining clear, unaided vision, the first step to take is to have an initial consultation with an eye doctor in order to determine if you are eligible for Lasik or not, and if indeed you are a candidate for laser eye surgery, which surgery might be right for you. But, what actually takes place during this first, all-important step toward laser eye surgery?
Well, if you do wear glasses or contact lenses, you have no doubt undergone an eye examination before, so much that will be done during this consultation will no doubt be somewhat familiar to you. However, the purpose of this highly comprehensive eye exam is to map out the structure of your eyes in order to see what the laser eye surgeon will have to work with should you decide to go through with the surgery. Indeed, this is a special consultation that will assess the over-all structure of your eyes in a more directed way; the mapping of the shape of the eye serving to tell the Lasik physician what sort of reshaping should be done in order to achieve the best vision-improving results.
So, on to consultation!
First off, your eyes will be dilated so that the eye doctor can determine if there are any irregularities or problems within the eye itself. Then the mapping of the overall shape of the eye will be performed, which is of the utmost importance because it will determine the thickness of your cornea, which has everything to do with the physician deciding which sort of laser eye surgery, if any, you will be eligible for. For instance, those with thicker corneas are often more suited for PRK, as opposed to Lasik, due to the fact that with PRK no flap is cut in the epithelium (the thin, outermost layer of the cornea).
Then the eye doctor will determine what your “refractive error” is, and what is causing it. “Refractive error” essentially means what your eyes are doing wrong that is causing you to have to use glasses or contacts in the first place, the purpose of laser eye surgery, of course, being to treat this cause, instead of just treating the symptoms. Then the eye doctor will determine how your eyes perform while making tears, because healthy tearing is not only important to the overall health of your eyes, it is also imperative if you are to successfully heal after any laser eye surgery procedure.
Before or after this examination the eye doctor will also asking you a few questions about your medical history. This is due to the fact that there are certain chronic conditions that can complicate the undergoing of laser eye surgery, such as some types of autoimmune disorders. If you know of having any of these or other chronic conditions, or if you expect that you might be pregnant, it will be important to discuss these with the eye surgeon if you do indeed decide to undergo Lasik, or any other laser eye surgery. The eye doctor will also discuss with you what to expect as far as the results of the surgery.
And, that’s basically it; you will then be well on your way to laser vision correction! However, while most individuals who go in for a Lasik consultation pass the eligibility requirements with flying colors, be prepared that not everyone can receive Lasik. But, if the doctor you see doesn’t recommend Lasik, or any other type of laser eye surgery, don’t fret: they may have other solutions or paths that you can take in mind. However, if you pass the test, and decide to go for it, you will probably be referred to a laser eye clinic near you to make an appointment to have the treatment done, and then they will send you a list of what to do to prepare for the surgery.
So, if that is the case, we offer you an even bigger congratulations than before, and whole-heatedly wish you the best of luck! Here’s to finally obtaining that perfect vision you’ve always wanted!
It is an unfortunate fact that people from every walk of life, from musicians to politicians, suffer from the common ailment of imperfect eyesight. And most of these people, over time, manage to get used to not having perfect vision, using the aid of either contact lenses or eyeglasses to cope with the situation. However, there is, of course, another way, and that way is to undergo laser eye surgery!
Indeed, although folks of all types can and do benefit from having Lasik or other types of corrective eye surgery all the time, unless you personally know someone who’s vision has been helped by this wonderful procedure, you usually only hear about a select group of people who have successfully been helped by laser eye surgery. One main example of this would be all the well-known stories about professional athletes, such as Tiger Woods, who have had their games improved by corrective vision surgery. While it is good that these folks are helping to spread the word about Lasik, there are also many other people who, mostly due to their lines of work, can also stand to gain quite substantially should they choose to do away with glasses or contacts and finally have their vision professionally corrected.
One group of people I can think of right off the bat that really rely on their eyesight to do their job is; artists! Indeed, professional artists of all types, especially painters and photographers, rely on the quality and the sharpness of their vision to help bring their, well, “visions” to life! After all, when it comes down to it, these sort of artists rely entirely on their eyesight in order to create their art. Just like acute, accurate hearing is absolutely crucial for any performing musician or recording artist, clear, unaided vision is indispensable for anyone employed in the visual arts.
But, it doesn’t stop there. Other sorts of artists, like food artists, for example, rely on their keen sense of sight in order to make sure that the things that they create are visually appealing to those connoisseurs that consume them. And then there are interior designers, architects; the list truly goes on and on.
Of course, far more vital to mankind than the world of the arts are the people who take on the responsibility of being in charge of driving, or otherwise transporting, large groups of people from here to there. I am speaking, of course, of people employed as bus drivers or airplane pilots. After all; not only do these folks have to rely on their acute vision to perform the important tasks that they do everyday, but so do all the people who put their trust in these amazing individuals. So, if they wear glasses or contacts and could, as would probably be the case, benefit from laser eye surgery by being able to see better in general, wouldn’t it behoove them to undergo the operation if they have the opportunity?
Anyway, dear reader, I think that by now you probably get the point; professional athletes are by far not the only sort of professionals out there that can substantially benefit from the undergoing of laser eye surgery. How many more examples can you think of? Drop us a comment below and let us know!
Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth; trees that have had bare branches all winter start their perennial cycle of life over again by flowering anew, and many creatures come out of their winter hibernation to greet the sun. And for many of you who have been stuck inside all winter, are chomping at the bit to get outside and enjoy some of your favourite outdoor sports again.
However, for some people, enjoying outdoor sporting activities is not as easy as it could be, due to the need of having to wear glasses or contact lenses. If you wear glasses or contacts, you are well aware of the extra time and hassle that these bring while trying to enjoy your favourite activities.Whether it be playing golf, joining your friends in a weekly game of basketball, or lacing up your runners for a spring jog, the true enjoyment of these activities can be ruined quickly if you are unable to see where the ball went, if your glasses keep bouncing or sliding down your nose, or even if you lose a contact lens during your game.
So if freedom of glasses and contact lenses could help you enjoy your favourite sports more, whether watching or playing, perhaps it’s time to talk to your eye care professional about laser vision correction.Imagine what Image Plus could do for you!
You’ve decided to go ahead and have your laser vision correction at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre. Good for you!
But what will it be like? How long will the actual procedure take? To get the answers to these questions and more, please read on…
On the day of your procedure, be sure to dress comfortably. Avoid wearing clothing with lots of fibers, cotton and denim is ideal. Strong colognes, perfumes and sprays must be avoided, along with makeup.
When you arrive at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre you will sign your consent forms and take care of other administrative work.
You are then ready to have your eyes prepped. Your eyes lids, eye lashes and surrounding area will be cleansed. You will have an explanation of your post-operative kit along with what to expect in the laser suite. Freezing drops are administered so that all you feel is a slight pressure sensation and a mild sedative will be offered to you.
Once you are prepped and ready, you will be escorted to the laser suite at which time you will comfortably relax on a reclining chair. Much of the time in the operating suite is lining up your eye and confirming your treatment. You will be introduced to the noises of the lasers and your surgeon and his team will then walk you through the treatment.
The treatment will only last a few seconds to minutes depending on how severe your prescription is. Once the treatment is completed, you will then rest for approximately half and hour at which time your surgeon will check your healing. You are then ready to go home and rest for 6-8 hours.
When you awake after your rest you will notice a considerable change in vision. Your surgeon will check your vision the following day at which time he will tell you if you can go and have your glasses restriction taken off of your driver’s license.
After that, you are encouraged to enjoy your new vision until you are seen again at your one week post-operative visit.
iLasik™ and other types of laser vision correction procedures are becoming more and more popular throughout the world. It’s no wonder; who wouldn’t want the chance to improve their vision and possibly eliminate the hassle of glasses and contact lenses?
Did you know that some people may potentially be better candidates for PRK rather than iLASIK™? Wondering which procedure is best suited for you? To determine if you are a candidate for the transformation that laser eye surgery has offered for millions of people, book a personal assessment with us at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre. At your personal assessment we will do several tests to see if you are a good candidate, give you a tour of our centre and answer any questions you have.
There are different types of laser eye procedures; PRK and iLASIK™. The natural thickness of your corneas will help determine which procedure is best suited for you. For example, if your corneas are naturally thin, it does not mean that you are not a candidate for laser vision correction rather it may mean that PRK is a better option than iLASIK™. In some instances, the occupation you are in may also have requirements as to which procedure will be best suited for you.
General requirements are that you must be at least 18 years old and have a stable prescription. Your eyes must be healthy and have no signs of glaucoma or cataracts, and you must not be pregnant. If you have chronic eye conditions or other health issues it is important to discuss them with the eye surgeon at your consultation. Some types of autoimmune disorders may eliminate you from having laser vision correction. This too will be discussed with at your complimentary personal assessment.
My PRK surgery will always be remembered. It was the last time I wore corrective lenses or contact lenses. It was February 22, 2007 and I was doing my work at the office, it was a surgery day at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre.
My surgery was booked for later in the afternoon and I was very excited for my surgery. My afternoon duties included getting patients prepared for their surgery and I was excited for my upcoming surgery talking to each patient about it.
Well the moment finally came and it was my time to get prepared for my own laser eye surgery. I was surprisingly calm and declined taking the mild sedative Ativan before going into the surgery room as I didn’t feel I needed it, I was already relaxed although quite excited. I was brought into the surgery room after leaving my glasses behind knowing I would never need to put them on my face again. This gave me a great feeling inside, knowing that after wearing contacts and glasses for over 15 years that I would not rely on them ever again!
The surgery chair was surprisingly comfortable after settling into it and being lined up for my laser treatment. After watching the laser eye surgeries at the centre many times over, there was a solace knowing that I would know every step performed in the surgical room having watched them from behind the glass of the viewing window. But being on the inside of the surgery room as a patient, you would think that I would be more nervous. It’s one thing to be watching from the outside in the viewing room to being under the laser for your own treatment!
After being given some instructions from the staff in the OR, I had a drape placed over my right eye and Dr. Wiens entered the room and put on his surgical gloves. This was it! This was his world and what he knows best, performing laser eye surgery. They put some numbing Alcaine drops in my right eye to start and Dr. Wiens gave me some idle chat to take my mind off of surgery for just a moment. Some sticky tape was put over my top and bottom lashes and a lid separator was put on my eye to keep it open. I felt like I was blinking at this point even though they had placed the lid separator in my eye to keep me from doing just that. As far as I was concerned, it felt like it wasn’t there and that I was blinking, but I in fact wasn’t. Then I felt a cool rinse on my eye, more numbing drops and then I could hear the sound of the Amoils brush, which sounds like an electric toothbrush. This I describe as an “extreme ticklish” feeling on my eye when this brush was removing the top epithelial layer. Nothing painful but just hard to look straight at the brush. At this point, during the brushing, I only saw a black round object and it made it difficult to focus on the red flashing light on the VISX laser. Which was what I was to do at this point in time.
The brushing lasted for only a few moments, maybe 10 seconds. Then my vision was noticeably more blurry in my right eye until I felt a nice cool rinse on my eye where the red flashing light became more visible. But then Dr. Wiens used a small sponge to wipe off that moisture and the red light became a little less visible again. The room lights dropped down and darkness filled the room with my treatment to start in just a moment. The laser locked onto my eye and suddenly it started and I saw some colorful lights as the loud ticking sound of the laser started removing microscopic amounts of tissue to correct my vision. I was still calm at this point but felt almost like smiling because this was when it sunk in that I can’t go back and back out of the surgery. It was real and this would be the start of my life changing transformation from wearing contact lenses and glasses, to not wearing them.
I don’t remember the exact time of my treatment but it was around 35 seconds I believe. The colorful lights I saw during my treatment are hard to explain but I would describe them as a light show or kaleidoscope of lights. Very neat and hard to describe exactly. I could hear them counting down this treatment time which was very good knowing how soon it would be finished. Then it was 3-2-1, completed, and the room lights came on again. Another rinse was felt on my right eye and another sponge applied to take away the moisture. Then a small white pad was placed on my eye for about 15 seconds, which I was told, reduces the corneal haze after.
I felt another rinse after the 15 seconds passed and this was a long cool rinse instead of a quick rinse to flush away the rest of the solution from my eye. Another sponge was used to wipe the moisture away yet again and a contact was placed on my eye with a series of drops including a antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and a natural tear drop.
My vision was a bit blurry at this point but not bad at all considering I just had laser surgery on that eye moments ago. The drape was then taken off my right eye and it felt like my eyes lashes came with the drape when it came off. Then another drape was used to cover my left eye. Half way finished at this point. I could feel some butterflies in my stomach as I knew the surgery was almost complete. The same steps were then performed on my left eye with the Alcaine numbing drops to start.
Dr. Wiens, during my procedure, is not too technical, just explaining what I was to experience, or sense. His voice being comforting and not too overpowering. You just have a sense that you are in good hands, he is the captain of the ship. Everything with the left eye seemed to mirror what was done with the right eye. It was more comforting with the left eye as well, knowing what exactly to expect having just had the right eye treated moments ago.
Once the contact lens was placed on my left eye after my treatment, I knew my surgery was complete and I couldn’t wait to sit up and test my new vision. They took off the drape and the sticky tape covering my eye lashes and I sat up. A smile came to my face as I could see, although a bit blurry. It was definitely better vision than when I went into the surgery room 15 minutes before that moment.
Dr. Wiens checked my eyes with a very bright light at a slip lamp and I was led out of the surgery room thanking the surgical staff for the great job they did, as well as Dr. Wiens.
He then led me to the recovery room where I sat in a comfortable reclining chair for a few moments before going home to rest. My vision at this point was a little bit hazy but pretty good considering I just came out of surgery a short while ago. I chatted with the staff for a few minutes and left for home where I was to rest for several hours.
I tried to sleep as part of the recommended advice of the doctor and this did not seem to work for me. I don’t know if I was still excited from my surgery or that I wanted to try out my “new eyes” at this point. I did close my eyes for a couple of hours but then got up and promptly watched my own laser vision correction surgery DVD. I was curious on what it looked like from the other side, seeing what the doctor saw. I found it very interesting and just found it amazing that I was actually watching my own surgery DVD the same day as having the surgery.
I kept using the moisture drops very often while awake because it gave a lot of comfort on the eyes as they felt a little dry. You could tell there were contact lenses in each eye but the moisture drops did help to alleviate that dryness that you get from wearing contacts. And having my drops in the fridge gave a nice feeling of comfort and coolness on the eyes.
I stayed up for a few hours and then used my medicated drops before settling in for the night. The next day I came in for my 1 day post-operative appointment with Dr. Wiens and my eyes felt the same as they did that previous night, no pain or real discomfort, only the slight dry feeling.
My vision turned out to be 20/20 in my right eye and 20/10 in my left eye at this 1 day appointment. I was pleasantly surprised but knew the vision would get slightly more blurry in the coming days as the epithelial grew back. The following day I was to come in for a contact lens change in each eye and because it was a Saturday, only Dr. Wiens was in the office along with some other patients, no other staff though. My eyes still felt the same at this point, only a slight dry feeling but the moisture drops I was steadily using to help with that dryness.
My contact lenses were changed after a short wait and I was to return for a follow-up appointment on Monday. Shortly after this visit though I was at the Portage Place mall and suddenly I found everything very very bright. I found myself finding a hard time not to squint inside the mall and my eyes were starting to water from the light sensitivity. My sunglasses came on and stayed on as everything was extremely bright for me. This actually lasted till Sunday night and I couldn’t even look at the TV because I found it too bright until turning down the brightness on the screen.
On Monday I returned to work with my light sensitivity seeming to return to normal but I found it still blurry and especially hard to focus on things such as print on the computer. I probably wasn’t as productive as I would have been normally, just because I couldn’t really use the computers at all due to my blurry vision. I did have another follow up appointment with Dr. Wiens during the day and my left eye had healed enough to have the contact lens removed, which felt better on the eye without the contact. The other contact lens in my right eye came out the following day but I was still unable to see well enough to drive at this point, that came at about the week mark after my surgery. This was nice to get back to driving again at the week mark and not rely on other people to drive me from place to place anymore.
It was still not great vision at this point as my vision was still fluctuating. After about 2 weeks it started to get more clear for me. It does take time for the haze to clear in the cornea and depends on the person, everybody heals a little bit differently. And I would consider my night vision poor to start with, before my surgery I had halos around lights and glare as well, especially driving in rain. I never felt comfortable driving at night before my surgery. Immediately after my surgery my night vision was still poor but after about a month, it stabilized and improved dramatically. It is very noticeable and I really enjoy the positive difference in the quality of my night vision. Now I don’t mind driving at night at all since it has been enhanced so much. This is due to the Advanced Custom Wavefront system picking up the imperfections in my eyes and being able to treat them which made a big impact on my vision.
It’s now been 2 and a half years after my surgery I have 20/10 vision and my night vision has been greatly enhanced. I have no regrets about my laser vision correction and really have enjoyed the benefits of not wearing glasses or contacts. The biggest and most memorable thing that I benefited from after surgery was snorkeling in Mexico this past January. This would have been a nightmare before my surgery to even attempt snorkeling but I really enjoyed it after my surgery and couldn’t believe how clear it was under the water. Other than that, sports, driving, and seeing the alarm clock in the morning are all great benefits which I enjoy regularly now. My only regret is that I should have done this years ago!
