LASIK on the Frontlines: how America’s military won the battle for refractive surgery
LASIK on the Frontlines is a powerful documentary which outlines the clinical research, dedication and discipline that went into evaluating the safety and effectiveness of LASIK under the most extreme, mission critical conditions encountered by the US military’s personnel.
Nearly two years in the making, the video recaps the experiences of two of the US military’s top ophthalmologists, Navy Capt. Steven Schallhorn, M.D. and former Navy SEAL Capt. Frank Butler, M.D. as they explain how they put LASIK treatment through its paces. Capt. Schallhorn and his colleague’s clinical observations of combined Femtosecond and Wavefront guided LASIK treatment showed such a great improvement in their test subjects that their program was rolled out across the whole of the US military. Now, all US military personnel headed into combat are eligible for refractive surgery and to date nearly half a million American front line troops have had the procedure.
Having proved the safety and efficacy of LASIK treatment in troops in the most extreme and harsh conditions that the frontline can throw at it, Capt. Schallhorn’s studies led the way for acceptance of refractive treatments in NASA astronauts – the final frontier for LASIK. Capt. Schallhorn says of this milestone, “NASA’s approval is further evidence that today’s LASIK exceeds all established standards of safety and effectiveness.”
If you’re interested in bringing your world into focus using NASA-approved technologies, then contact us and take advantage of our 20% discount on combined Femtosecond and Wavefront Guided LASIK treatment.
Femtosecond-Laser Frequently Asked Questions
A list of commonly asked questions about the Femtosecond-Laser.
- What is the Femtosecond-Laser?
- How does the Femtosecond-Laser work?
- What is the difference between a corneal flap created with the Femtosecond-Laser and one created with a microkeratome?
- How is the Femtosecond-Laser different from Epi-LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)?
- Are there other benefits to using the Femtosecond-Laser?
- Is the Femtosecond-Laser painful?
- Is the Femtosecond-Laser safe?
- How long does it take to create a flap using the Femtosecond-Laser?
- Is the Femtosecond-Laser right for me?
- How can I find an Femtosecond-Laser doctor?
What is the Femtosecond-Laser?
The Femtosecond-Laser is a 100% blade-free technique used to perform the critical first step in the LASIK procedure: creating the corneal flap. The creation of the corneal flap prepares the eye for the second step of the LASIK procedure, where an excimer laser is used on the inner cornea to correct vision.
How does the Femtosecond-Laser work?
The Femtosecond-Laser uses tiny, rapid pulses of laser light to create your corneal flap — instead of using a metal blade — during the first step of LASIK. Each pulse of light passes through the top layers of your cornea and forms a microscopic bubble at a specific depth and position within your eye that is determined by the doctor. The Femtosecond-Laser moves back and forth across your eye, creating a uniform layer of bubbles just beneath your corneal surface.
Just prior to applying laser vision correction, the doctor creates your corneal flap by gently separating the tissue where these bubbles have formed. The corneal flap is then folded back so the doctor can perform the second step of your LASIK treatment.
What is the difference between a corneal flap created with the Femtosecond-Laser and one created with a microkeratome?
The microkeratome is a hand-held instrument, which contains a steel blade that moves back and forth and creates a cut as it travels across the cornea. A microkeratome is only capable of making a single, one-dimensional cut across the cornea. As it cuts, the blade oscillates back and forth, which can leave an irregular surface after the flap is lifted. This can affect the quality of your postoperative vision.
Because of the unique way in which the Femtosecond-Laser creates a precisely positioned layer of bubbles just beneath the surface of your eye, it creates a smooth even surface after your flap is lifted. With the Femtosecond-Laser, a blade never touches your eye.
How is the Femtosecond-Laser different from Epi-LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)?
These procedures differ from one another in the way they prepare the surface of the cornea for the second step of LASIK. Epi-LASIK uses an epikeratome — a blunt separator — to make a superficial flap. Similarly, PRK is performed by gently scraping the surface layer of the cornea, which may lead to corneal scarring. Both the Epi-LASIK and PRK procedures can be painful and require more postoperative medication. In addition, healing times may be longer than with procedures performed with the Femtosecond-Laser.
Are there other benefits to using the Femtosecond-Laser?
There are several benefits to using the Femtosecond-Laser:
l Better outcomes. More patient get better outcomes when their LASIK procedure is performed with the Femtosecond-Laser.1 Patients report faster recovery, fewer LASIK flap-related complications, and fewer induced higher order aberrations.2 Higher order aberrations may contribute to visual disturbances such as halos and glare.
l Ability to tailor the procedure to your eye. The Femtosecond-Laser gives your doctor the ability to tailor the dimensions of your corneal flap based on what’s best for your eye. Everything from the diameter of your flap to the angle of its edges can be precisely determined. This is important because everyone’s eyes are shaped a little differently. Having a corneal flap that’s individualized to the patient contributes to excellent postoperative outcomes. In addition, a corneal flap created with the Femtosecond-Laser also “locks” back into position after the LASIK procedure is performed.
Is the Femtosecond-Laser painful?
Prior to creating the flap, the doctor applies drops to numb the eye, and then applies a special ring and an instrument that gently flattens your cornea in preparation for the Femtosecond-Laser. This part of the process is not painful — patients report feeling only slight pressure.
Is the Femtosecond-Laser safe?
Millions of procedures have been performed safely and effectively using the Femtosecond-Laser.
How long does it take to create a flap using the Femtosecond-Laser?
The creation of the flap itself takes only about 15 to 20 seconds per eye. Including preparation time, the entire LASIK procedure takes about 10 minutes.
What’s the reaction of patients who have experienced the Femtosecond-Laser?
In a clinical survey of LASIK patients who had their corneal flaps created using a microkeratome in one eye and the Femtosecond-Laser in the other, the vision in the Femtosecond-Laser -treated eye was preferred 3-to-1 (among those who stated a preference).3,4
Is the Femtosecond-Laser right for me?
If you are looking for a 100% blade-free LASIK experience that virtually eliminates almost all the most severe, sight-threatening complications, the answer is yes. But to get this procedure, you have to ask your physician for the Femtosecond-Laser by name.
Please call us at 021-6437-7445 for the details.
Regular eye tests are as important as going to the dentist
If you’re like most expatriates living in Shanghai, you spend your time working and playing hard and your health rarely comes first. You may be in the habit of having an annual doctor and dentist’s check-up, but you neglect to ensure the health of your eyes – probably your most valued sense.
All too often, people wait until there’s something wrong with their eyes before visiting an ophthalmologist. Eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma can occur at any age, often have no warning symptoms, and can only be prevented by regular eye exams. Continue reading Regular eye tests are as important as going to the dentist>>
Regular Eye Tests Prevent Cataracts
Cataracts: the word probably makes you think of old age and surgery. It shouldn’t. Think instead of a condition that optometrists have been dealing with for decades, a condition which can occur in any age group, and which is often perfectly treatable without surgery. So forget old age and surgery for a minute; what you should be thinking is regular eye tests.
Cataracts are the third leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States, yet cataracts are also the ocular condition that is easiest for a sufferer to identify. The most common symptoms are blurred or hazy vision and increased sensitivity to glare, which you would notice most when driving at night – a task that becomes more difficult, and less safe, with cataracts. Some cataract sufferers also report that colors have lost their intensity. Cataracts usually form over a long period of time, which means that symptoms also develop gradually so it’s trickier to notice them. In fact in some cases, patients with mild cataracts don’t experience any symptoms at all. Regular eye exams are the only way to know exactly what condition your eyes are in. Continue reading Regular Eye Tests Prevent Cataracts>>
RGP Contact Lenses: Custom Made for Extended Wear
RGP contact lenses are designed for extended wear. Put an RGP lens in and you can leave it there – overnight, all week and even, is some cases, for a full month – without worrying about irritation or an increased risk of developing eye infections. They’re also custom made to fit your eye.
R.G.P. stands for Rigid Gas Permeable. RGP lenses are rigid because they are made to be reworn. They’re stiffer than the soft lenses people generally refer to when they talk about ‘contacts’, so they won’t tear easily and are excellent at correcting astigmatism, an optical defect caused by a cornea or lens that isn’t spherical. It most often leads to blurry vision – an irregularly shaped eye can’t bring a single point into sharp focus – but astigmatism also triggers headaches and, in some cases, chronic fatigue. RGP lenses are so good at correcting the condition precisely because they’re rigid. While you’re wearing them, your cornea and lens are pressed into the right shape and held there.
RGP lenses are gas permeable because your eyes need to breath. They’re narrower than ordinary contacts and made of materials that are highly oxygen permeable (RGP lenses are also called oxygen permeable lenses), so your eyes function normally while you’re wearing them. In the past, lenses intended for continuous wear increased the possibility of contracting an eye infection. Sometimes – after long periods of continuous use – they also led to acute irritation. The reason was simple: the organisms that irritate and cause infections thrive in warm, moist environments, exactly like the environment underneath a contact lens. To fight these organisms, your body would normally increase the oxygen supply to the affected area, in this case the cornea, but the lenses made this impossible. Peoples’ eyes were literally suffocating, and doctors eventually decided that no contact should be worn overnight – until RGP lenses came along. Continue reading RGP Contact Lenses: Custom Made for Extended Wear>>