Fears and Misconceptions of Vision Correction – Losing Your Vision

Glasses and contacts have their benefits – mainly helping people with refractive errors see clearly. Since the late 90’s, lasers have been used to correct these refractive errors in very safe and effective ways. Procedures such as LASIK and PRK have been providing patients with clear vision for over 15 years now. However, many people continue to put up with the inconveniences of glasses and contacts because they have fears or misconceptions about laser vision correction, like LASIK.

One of the most common fears of laser vision correction is losing vision as a result of the procedure. This fear comes from not understanding how your eye works and how specifically laser vision correction works.
 
How LASIK Works

There are three main parts to the human eye: the cornea, the lens, and the retina. In normal vision, the cornea refracts (bends) light so it can be directed correctly through the lens and onto the retina. The retina works as a transmitter to transfer the message to your brain, where it processes the message to tell you what you are looking at. Refractive errors – nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism – are caused by the cornea being slightly misshapen. LASIK utilizes cool lasers to reshape the curve of the cornea so you can have normal, clear, vision.

Prior to surgery, Dr. Buckley maps out your specific eye and plans out exactly how to correct your vision. He then programs this plan into the laser, ensuring that the correct amount of your cornea is altered.

There are risks associated with laser vision correction, mainly dry eye. It is essential to ensure that you are an excellent candidate prior to receiving treatment, to give you the best results possible.

Officially there is no reported case of a patient losing their eyesight from LASIK.

To find out more about LASIK, including risk information, see our website. To schedule a Free LASIK Consultation, give us a call today at 719-444-3000.

Why Over 15,000 People Have Choosen Buckley Chang Eye Institute

• Dr. Britt Buckley is one of the most experienced LASIK surgeons in the world, attracting patients from around the globe because of his reputation for producing outstanding visual results.
• Dr. Britt Buckley has personally performed over 35,000 vision correction procedures, more than any other surgeon in Colorado Springs.
• Dr. Britt Buckley is the only LASIK surgeon in Colorado Springs who offers a 20/20 Money Back Guarantee. Dr. Buckley guarantees qualified candidates that they will be able to read the 20/20 line, or better, on the vision chart after surgery or receive their procedure fee back in full. 
• Buckley Chang Eye Institute is the only LASIK center in Colorado to have the iFS™ Laser which takes all-laser LASIK to whole new levels of quality, safety and outcome.
• Dr. Buckley founded and personally funded Buckley Chang Eye Institute over 15 years ago which makes Buckley Chang Eye Institute Colorado Springs’ only independent, surgeon-owned full service LASIK center.
• Most of our staff has had laser vision correction and this helps us understand our patients’ questions and concerns.
• Buckley Chang Eye Institute provides the full range of eye care technologies including all-laser LASIK, Monovision LASIK, and Intraocular lens replacement.
• Dr. Matthew Chang is one of the most prolific cataract surgeons in Colorado, with one of the highest rates of success and safety in the country.
• Dr. Matthew Chang is one of the most experienced LASIK surgeons in Colorado.  He has performed thousands of laser refractive procedures.
• Dr. Matthew Chang is one of the most experienced LASIK surgeons in Southern Colorado and performs the latest state of the art procedures including DSEK, Intacs, and all available premium intraocular implants.

Why Your Eye Surgeon Needs to be Local - part 3

Corporate medicine has its benefits and its downfalls. In regards to the refractive surgery field, there are more downfalls to a corporate practice than there are benefits. Last week we discussed the availability of other vision correction procedures and why this is important. This week we will look at technology.

Technological Differences

LASIK has been around since the late 1990s, and since then, technology has been improved, advanced, and refined, all to increase the customer experience. There are many options today for LASIK technology, some still using a metal blade while others are 100% blade-free. While all of the technology is safe for your eyes, the benefits of the newest technology often reduces the risk of side-effects and may result in faster healing times.

If you want the optimal outcome for your eyes, selecting a doctor that uses the most advanced and latest equipment is the best option. However, not all doctors have access to this equipment. Take doctors that work at a corporate LASIK practice, for example. They don’t even get to choose which equipment they use to perform your procedure. They have to use the equipment provided to them by their board of directors. They may know the convenience and benefits of newer technology, but they have no say when it comes to what they get to use.

In contrast, a doctor who owns his/her own practice gets to choose the technology they use in their practice. They have 100% authority over what tools and technology goes into the practice. This makes them accountable to their patients and the patients’ outcomes. If they provide inadequate technology and the outcomes aren’t the best, they’ll lose out on new patients. 

Not all doctors will provide the best technology. Some doctors don’t want to make the investment so they will continue to use outdated technology on their patients. When you visit a new LASIK practice, make sure to ask about the technology that the doctor will use. Understand your options and why that doctor chose the technology that they use at that practice. The technology and the doctor’s previous patient outcomes may mean the difference between an exceptional LASIK experience, and something else.

Why Your Eye Surgeon Needs to be Local - Part 2

Corporate medicine has its benefits and its downfalls. In regards to the refractive surgery field, there are more downfalls to a corporate practice than there are benefits. Last week we discussed the difference between the doctors at each type of practice. This week, let’s look at the services offered.

The Right Procedure for Your Eyes

Another big difference between local and corporate owned practices are the services they offer. When a corporate practice is set up, it’s one of hundreds, maybe thousands of locations. In order to keep control over the brand name, these practices only offer a very small number of services, sometimes just LASIK and nothing else. By doing this, the headquarters can ensure that each practice is exactly the same, offering the same service, providing the same website, and the same marketing and advertising collateral. They also don’t have to worry too much about training doctors who don’t know anything other than LASIK. This brings the cost of operation down for them and allows the board of directors to earn more money.

All of this is quite the opposite for a local doctor and local practice. The doctor (or a small group of local doctors) decides to open up a practice in order to improve the eye health of the community. The doctor will spend his/her own money because they know they can provide excellent eyesight to their patients. They are vested in their community because they know the people and they care about them.

These doctors will offer different types of services because they know that the best care that can be provided isn’t through one single solution. LASIK isn’t the best procedure for someone with very thin corneas. A patient with this issue may be better suited for PRK. Some patients may not be suited for laser vision correction at all. If this is the case, there are other options but usually only provided by a local ophthalmologist. 

A local ophthalmologist can decide which procedures to offer his/her patients. They will be the one responsible for your treatment and follow-up care and they wouldn’t provide anything less just to earn a dollar. They are held accountable by their patients, not a board of directors looking to make a profit.

This all points to a new consideration on your quest for excellent vision:

Would you rather have vision correction performed on you that may not be right, but it’s all the practice offers? Or would you want to be fully examined by the surgeon performing your procedure who can offer other proven procedures that may actually be better for the health of your eyes? 

Check back in next week when we continue this topic and discuss Technology.

Why Your Eye Surgeon Needs to be Local - Part 1

Corporate medicine has its benefits and its downfalls. In regards to the refractive surgery field, there are more downfalls to a corporate practice than there are benefits. But first, let’s take a look at what the difference is between a local ophthalmology practice and a corporate one.

Local Ophthalmology Practice

A local ophthalmology practice is one that has one or just a few locations, all found within the same state, the same geographical region. The doctors and staff are all from the area as well

Local practices, like Buckley Chang Eye Institute, are usually owned by the doctor or surgeon, or a small group of doctors or surgeons. They are responsible for all of the decisions regarding staffing, technology, services offered, and everything else that is included with their particular practice.

Corporate-Owned Ophthalmology Practice

A corporate-owned ophthalmology practice is one that has multiple locations, usually nationwide. These practices are run through a company, which is run by a board of directors. They often only offer one or two services, usually just LASIK, and maybe PRK. They employ thousands of doctors and traditionally these doctors work at multiple locations. They travel to different locations, perform surgery and then travel to another location. Some doctors even travel to different states just to perform surgeries.

All decisions are made by a board of directors, not the staff or doctors working in each particular location.

The Difference

So what’s the difference? Why should you choose one location over the other?

Doctor Availability

Perhaps the biggest factor in why you should really know the difference between the two types of ophthalmology practices is doctor availability. In a locally owned practice, the doctor lives in or near town. S/he works at the practice full-time and performs consultations, the planning of treatment, the surgery, and the post-operative follow-up exams on each patient that comes through the door. They have a relationship with their patients, and they are most likely there for anything the patient may need.

In a corporate practice, the doctor sees patients at multiple locations. S/he will fly in, review the chart and work-up of the patient without even meeting or personally examining the patient, perform the surgery, and then fly off. This means that the surgeon that performs your particular surgery is not available for pre-surgery exams, follow-up, or even during emergency-related issues that may have resulted from your surgery. They usually have an optometrist perform these tasks. An optometrist, while a perfectly capable doctor, is not trained in the actual performance of the surgery. If a complication arises that the optometrist is not qualified to respond to, where are you going to go? Who’s going to help?

Sometimes an optometrist refers a patient for LASIK. When this happens, the LASIK surgeon will perform the surgery and then refer you back to your optometrist for follow-up exams. This works well when you are referred to a local practice, so that your surgeon will still be available for any emergency issues that may arise.

So which would you prefer – a surgeon operating on your eyes, someone you’ve never met, who’s never actually seen your eyes and who won’t be around if you have an emergency? Or would you rather have someone who is local, available all week, and who takes it as a personal responsibility to care for you and your eyesight?

Check back in next week when we continue this topic and discuss The Right Procedure for Your Eyes.

LASIK and Dry Eyes

Perhaps the most common side effect to LASIK is dry eyes after the procedure. Most of our patients experience a little dry eye after the procedure. This temporary issue can be relieved with eye drops and it will correct itself within a couple of weeks.

According to FDA trials, 20% of LASIK patients still experience dry eye even six months after LASIK. While this side effect may be annoying, it can be treated with punctual plugs or medications.

At Buckley Chang Eye Institute, most all of our patients are free of this irritation after one year. This is why the post-LASIK follow-up appointments are absolutely necessary. We take your vision very seriously and we want to make sure you can see clearly for years to come.

LASIK works by correcting the cornea of your eye. LASIK can have you seeing clearly for many, many years, depending upon what age you receive treatment. If you are not a good candidate for LASIK, there are other procedures that can be performed to correct your vision. Learn more about laser vision correction with Buckley Chang Eye Institute.

LASIK and Your Retina

There is a misconception when it comes to LASIK and your retinas. Some patients think that because they are having LASIK, the issues with their retinas will also be corrected.

This is not true.

Your retina is found at the back of your eye. It is responsible for sending messages to your brain. These messages tell your brain what you are looking at.

You have LASIK to correct a refractive error. Refractive errors occur when the cornea in your eye is misshapen. The cornea, which is found in the front of your eye, should be round and bowl-shaped. If the cornea is not perfectly shaped, then you will experience a refractive error: nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.

Light is reflected off of objects and is filtered by the cornea of your eye. When the cornea is perfectly shaped, this light will refract directly onto your retina. If the cornea is misshaped, then the light will not shine directly onto your retina, and this causes double vision, blurry vision, or fuzzy objects.

LASIK works to reshape the cornea into a bowl-shape so that the light will reflect directly onto your retina. It does this through the use of a laser, guided by a surgeon. The laser only affects the cornea and not the retina, therefore it does not correct any issues you may be experiencing with your retina.

A board-certified surgeon should carefully analyze your eyes prior to approving you for LASIK surgery. Most of the risks associated with LASIK occur because the person may not be an excellent candidate for the procedure. Some of these risks include double vision, a fixed or rotating glare, rings of light (“halos”) or starbursts of light. There is also a risk of dry eye, however most patients will experience dry eye for a short time after surgery.

To learn more about LASIK and how to find out if you’re a good candidate for laser vision correction, please visit our website.