LASER EYE SURGERY

Have you imagined what it might be like to go thru most of your day without having to deal with glasses or contact lenses? Perhaps you have seen or heard advertisements for LASIK, or you know someone who had it performed on them. There has been a lot of media attention on these procedures, and we get many inquiries from people who would like to explore all of their vision correction options.

We are proud to be LASIK providers with Woolfson Eye Center, who performed Tiger Woods LASIK procedure, and The Laser Center (TLC).

Dr. Jeruss has had the opportunity to work closely with both Dr. Jonathan Woolfson and Dr Eugene Gabianelli, the surgeons who perform the procedures. They are NOT your "$499 per eye" LASIK factories. For our patients who wish to be evaluated for laser surgery, we require a comprehensive exam, with cycloplegic dilating drops that totally relax the focusing muscles to expose possible prescription overcorrection. We perform all the pre-op and post-op examinations…you will see the surgeon on the actual day of your surgery.

Let us emphasize that, despite all the advertising hype, you will NOT be able to "throw away your eyeglasses or contacts forever". The laser procedures are not and never will be perfect, and you will almost certainly still need a low prescription to get "perfect" clear distance vision. You will ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT need to wear reading glasses when you are over 40 years old…just like every human being will need, unless they happen to be just nearsighted enough to do without one. It is very important that all prospective LASIK patients be informed of ALL the risks involved. At Eye to Eye, you can count on a thorough "Informed Consent" conversation beforehand.

Although the risks, both short-term and long-term, continue to be well documented, the procedures have continued to be improved and refined. In general, the results have been very good… so good, in fact, that Dr. Jeruss decided to have LASIK himself… and he is quite pleased with the overall result.

Technological advances come along all the time, and there will likely be better procedures in the future. Currently, the procedure is safe and very effective, in the right hands.

Click the photo to view our LASIK procedure presentation.

In the meantime, for those whose Rx vision corrections have not stabilized yet (generally the vision stops changing around age 28), and for those who are unwilling to go thru the risk of surgery, there is a non-surgical safer alternative to LASIK called Ortho-K (Orthokeratology) that has been performed for 44 years with similar vision results. In this procedure, the eye is gently re-shaped with specially designed semi-rigid oxygen permeable "corneal retainer" contact lenses, worn while you sleep. In the morning, the retainers are removed and you see clearly for the rest of the day without any glasses or contacts. These corneal retainers must be worn periodically (usually every 1-2 nights) in order to maintain the effect.

This procedure is far less expensive than laser surgery, and has a long, safe, proven track record. One of the advantages of Ortho-K is actually its temporary effect. When you become 40+ years old and need to see better up close, all you need to do is wear one of the contacts less often, so that you remain a little nearsighted in that eye.

And stay tuned! Currently undergoing FDA trials is an enzyme that softens the cornea temporarily while the Ortho-K lens re-shapes it. When the enzyme wears off, the curvature effect and the vision improvement remain permanently. This could possibly be the best procedure ever, and Dr. Jeruss will be able to apply his many years of Ortho-K experience as soon as it is approved for marketing.