The Boothe Eye Care and Laser Center offers preeminent laser surgery services for people looking to correct their vision and live a life of independence from glasses or contacts. Since opening in 1987, the Center has established the standard of quality care for laser eye surgery. The Boothe Laser Center also houses the very latest in technologies, enabling the best possible precision and results for the patient.
Do I qualify for LASIK surgery?
If you are at least 18 years old and are in good general health, you may be an ideal candidate for LASIK surgery. The refractive error in your vision, or the prescription for your glasses or contacts, should be relatively stable in the last 1 to 2 years. If you have corneal scarring from a past surgery or if you have experienced a recent injury or infection to your eye, you may be disqualified. Do not undergo LASIK while you are pregnant or nursing a child.
Who should consider LASIK surgery?
LASIK is an ideal choice for people who depend on their vision for their work or their hobbies and who wish to avoid the hassle of external eyewear or contact lenses. LASIK may also benefit those who are unable to tolerate contact lenses or who want to reduce their dependence on eyeglasses or contacts.
What medical conditions may disqualify me from being a good candidate for LASIK?
People with corneal or retinal disorders, glaucoma, dry eye, herpes or cataracts may not be suited for LASIK eye surgery. Some conditions that are not ideal for laser surgery include keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Sjogren’s Syndrome, Lupus or conditions that affect your immune system or ability to heal after surgery may also make an individual less ideal for LASIK. If your vision, or refractive error, is still changing or has changed in the last 1 to 2 years, you should consider waiting until your prescription has stabilized before undergoing LASIK. It is critical that your eyes be mature and fully developed by the time you undergo laser surgery.
What are the benefits of laser surgery?
LASIK is a corrective eye surgery procedure that restores crystal clear vision for people with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. It is an outpatient procedure that is minimally invasive and involves minimal recovery time. While it doesn’t guarantee that you will be entirely free of glasses or contacts, many patients enjoy perfect vision or better following the procedure. Recovery time from LASIK is also fast and painless. You can resume normal daily activities upon returning home from the procedure. Many patients can return to work the day after the procedure.
Where can I get quality care for LASIK surgery?
To find out more about whether you are an ideal candidate for LASIK, schedule a consultation with Dr. William Boothe, one of the most experienced laser eye surgeons in the United States. During your visit, Dr. Boothe will examine your eyes, ask you about your medical history, and explain what your options are as well as what you can expect from laser surgery. Even if you have a condition that you believe may disqualify you from surgery, be sure to talk to Dr. Boothe. Sometimes, adjustments can be made to accommodate a patient’s conditions.
FAQs about IntraLASIK
What is IntraLASIK?
At Boothe Eyecare, LASIK has very minimal complications when compared to other eye surgeries. At present, there is a vet advanced laser technology which is computer controlled called IntraLase®. A surgery which is performed using the IntraLase technology is often called IntraLASIK. IntraLASIK is safe, precise and provides better results in comparison with older technologies.
Is it safer to do an IntraLASIK?
Surgeries using surgical blades will produce excellent results, but can create a great number of complications while “manually” cutting the corneal flap. In the case of all-laser IntraLASIK procedure, a blade as well as a microkeratome is not used. The corneal flap can be created safely and precisely by using the IntraLASIK laser beam. The reshaping of the corneal flap can be done accurately and thereby eliminate most of the complications involved in other surgical methods. Dr. William Boothe uses IntraLASIK procedure to create a corneal flap to reduce maximum number of complications.
What about the success rate of IntraLASIK procedure?
IntraLASIK surgery has been eliminating eye problems of thousands of people. As far as now, there are no reported complications as a result of doing this procedure. By performing IntraLASIK, you do not have to face risks such as perforation of the eye, partial flaps, incomplete flaps, irregular flaps, no infections and other such problems.
Is the procedure painful?
IntraLASIK procedure is painless and the patients do not face any problems during and after the surgery. Patients may feel some pressure in the eyes, but no pain. A local anesthetic is used to make sure you will not experience pain. Patients will definitely feel comfortable and confident after doing the IntraLASIK procedure.
How much time does it take to complete an IntraLASIK procedure?
The procedure takes less than one minute in each eye to create the flap. Most of the patients can return to their work within two to three days after the procedure.
Are all-laser LASIK, IntraLase®, Bladeless LASIK and IntraLASIK same?
All of these procedures are basically the same and this new technology of IntraLASIK avoids the usage of microkeratome. Because the procedure is not using any kind of blade to create a flap, it is also known as the bladeless LASIK. After creating the flap using the IntraLase® laser, an excimer laser is used for reshaping the cornea which gave the name All-Laser LASIK. The probability of having complications is much lesser than that of the traditional LASIK.
Is there any difference between Custom LASIK and IntraLASIK?
IntraLASIK is a bladeless procedure used for cutting the corneal flap and it is a computer-controlled laser that provides ultra-precise surgery. IntraLase laser creates numerous microscopic bubbles beneath the corneal tissue which together form the perforated flap. After finishing this, the corneal imperfections are corrected by an excimer laser.
Custom LASIK is using Wavefront technology for correcting corneal imperfections that cannot be corrected using an ordinary LASIK. In this case, a unique 3 dimensional map of the eye is created and using the map the unique corneal imperfections are being corrected. This procedure is an individualized surgical procedure in which the map functions as a guide for vision correction allows the precise amounts of tissues to be removed and thereby provide accurate and precise results in vision correction. Our doctors at Boothe Eyecare & Laser Center has vast experience with both of these procedures.
Is it possible to use IntraLase laser in traditional LASIK as well as in custom LASIK surgery?
Yes. IntraLase laser can be used in both traditional and custom LASIK surgical procedures. IntraLase laser is used only to cut the corneal flap so that it can be used in any kind of LASIK surgery.
What are the benefits associated with the IntraLASIK procedure?
One of the major benefits of this procedure is that it is performed without using a surgical blade or microkeratome. According to Dr. Boothe , IntraLase laser provides better vision and the recovery period of the surgery is much shorter than that of a surgical procedure performed by using microkeratome.
Are there any complications related with IntraLase laser?
IntraLASIK surgical procedure also has certain complications and risks as with any other surgical procedure. One of the risks that have been reported is an unusual sensitivity to light, but this is not common and has been seen in about one percent of all patients. Flap wrinkles also may be caused after the IntraLASIK surgical procedure, but again this risk is reduced to a minimal amount when compared to the traditional LASIK surgical procedure. An experienced surgeon will lessen the risks of complications and will know how to fix them quickly.
What is the rate of improvement in vision after the Custom IntraLASIK procedure?
According to studies conducted, about 50% of the patients who had undergone Custom IntraLASIK have a better vision in comparison to their vision using contact lenses or spectacles. Almost all patients experience a significant improvement in their eyesight.
How can you compare the results of the surgery using IntraLASE to that of the traditional LASIK?
According to studies, it provide better cure to vision problems when compared to traditional LASIK procedure. Dr. Boothe says that the new technology is providing a unique level of treatment in all areas of the procedure such as custom diagnosis, custom flap and custom treatment. High order aberrations can be corrected using the IntraLASIK surgical procedure as it is using computer-controlled laser to detect the aberrations in the eyes.
Is it possible to use IntraLASIK to correct Presbyopia?
No, the excimer laser technology cannot be used to correct Presbyopia that occurs in people at the age 40 or more. Presbyopia can be treated only with the monovision technique at this time. New devices are in development and are expected to treat presbyopia as well.
Is it possible to obtain 20/20 vision after the surgery?
You should not expect 20/20 vision after the surgery, however most of the patients are achieving this. You should expect to get improved vision (achieved by using the IntraLASIK surgical procedure) and that after the surgery you will not need any kind of lenses for distance vision.
What all things have to be taken care after the surgery?
Immediately after the IntraLASIK surgery, Dr. William Boothe advises his patients to use eye drops to prevent any kind of infections and to quicken the healing of the eyes. Patients should keep the eyes closed for several hours after the surgical procedure. Dr. Boothe of Boothe Laser Center also recommends the patients to use eye shields at night and avoid squeezing and rubbing of the eyes for one week after the surgery. Dryness of the eyes can be prevented by using artificial tear drops.