Are You Looking for LASIK Eye Surgery Specialists?
If you are looking for a LASIK eye surgery specialist, Millennium Laser Eye Centers proudly offers laser vision correction in the Fort Lauderdale area. “LASIK” stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, which involves shaping the cornea of the eye using a laser. LASIK is one of the most exciting and advanced laser procedures for correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
If you are interested in getting laser vision correction, you can take our proprietary online consultation in the comfort of your home or office. Our ophthalmologist, Cory M. Lessner, M.D. performs LASIK, PRK, and SMILE in our laser suite specifically designed to help patients restore their vision.
What is LASIK eye surgery?
LASIK is a fairly simple process. This brief outpatient procedure is performed by an ophthalmologist using anesthetic eye drops that completely numb the eye without any needles. While the patient is comfortably reclined, the surgeon creates a micro-thin protective flap. This procedure is accomplished at our center using an extremely precise Femtosecond Laser: the FS200 or the VisuMax.
As soon as the protective flap has been created, the surgeon uses state-of-the-art laser technology, the WaveLight EX500 Excimer Laser, to gently sculpt the cornea to reduce the need for corrective lenses. The protective flap is then replaced and heals without the need for any stitches.
The entire LASIK process takes about 10 minutes (5 minutes per eye). During this rapid recovery period, a patient may experience a few hours of mild irritation that, in most cases, can be alleviated with eye drops. Most patients can drive and return to regular daily activity the very next day.
LASIK surgery is an option for most individuals
To confirm your candidacy, specialized corneal mapping with Pentacam and Vario as well as corneal thickness measurements are obtained. Assuming these measurements are within normal parameters and your eyesight is not severely affected by a serious eye-related health condition, then you should be a candidate for corneal refractive surgery. Visual refractive errors that are treatable with LASIK surgery include:
- Farsightedness
- Nearsightedness
- Astigmatism
- Presbyopia
Is laser eye surgery safe?
LASIK is safe when performed by an experienced surgeon using premium technology and provides positive and long-lasting results. Several studies on the safety and efficacy of LASIK surgery have shown that the procedure helps patients reduce their dependence on glasses and contact lenses with minimal side effects and complications. The American Journal of Ophthalmology published a report in 2008 that concluded that LASIK surgery is a safe and effective surgical procedure for patients with corneal refractive errors.
At Millennium Laser Eye Centers, we understand most patients are nervous about undergoing a procedure that involves their precious eyes. Our physician and Medical Director, Dr. Cory M. Lessner, has performed over 40,000 successful corneal refractive surgeries and our entire staff boasts over 100 years of collective experience in the refractive surgery field. Dr. Lessner has pioneered novel surgical refinement techniques for the improvement of LASIK procedures and has shared them with his colleagues throughout the US and abroad.
Need a little more comfort? Feel free to watch some of our patient reaction videos on our website or tune in to our live webcams on our procedure days. Watch how our patients sit up for the first time after surgery and can see! We strive to make our patients feel comfortable in our medical care so that they can see the world the way they were meant to see it.
Are you a candidate for LASIK laser eye surgery?
Candidacy will be confirmed and a questionnaire provided to help determine eligibility prior to visiting our office.
Before you begin the laser eye surgery process, our physicians will also want to know whether certain lifestyle factors might affect your LASIK surgery results. If you participate in martial arts, PRK or SMILE may be an advantage over LASIK. These considerations will be discussed with you prior to your corrective eye surgery.
What is involved in LASIK eye surgery?
LASIK eye surgery generally involves these procedural steps:
- Preparing for laser eye surgery: Before the procedure begins, the ophthalmologist will use anesthetic eye drops to numb your The surgeon will also use a device to gently hold the patient’s eyes open during the surgical procedure, preventing the patient from blinking.
- Creating a protective flap for the patient: While the patient is comfortably reclined, the surgeon creates a micro-thin protective flap in the patient’s cornea. The flap is about the thickness of three human hairs. The surgeon accomplishes this at our center by using a femtosecond laser, on either the WaveLight FS200 or the VisuMax. The surgeons will then lift the flap, allowing access to the area of the cornea that needs reshaping.
- Sculpting the cornea: After the surgeon creates the protective flap, they will then use state-of-the-art laser technology, the WaveLight EX500 Excimer Laser, to gently sculpt the cornea to reduce the need for corrective lenses. During this part of the procedure, the doctor will ask the patient to look up at a green blinking light.
- Completing the procedure: The surgeon will then return the protective flap in place, which heals without the need for stitches. They will prescribe eye drops to use for the post-surgical period and discuss appropriate postoperative instructions to allow for proper healing.
During this rapid recovery period, a patient may experience a few hours of mild irritation, which, in most cases, is alleviated with eye drops.
Patients’ vision may be fuzzy immediately following the procedure, and some have described their vision as vaseline on glass. However, after a few hours, one should begin to see substantial improvements in their vision. You should be comfortable with your eyesight and resume most normal activities by the very next day.
What postoperative care is needed after my LASIK procedure?
After you undergo LASIK surgery, your physician will provide detailed instructions to follow to ensure safe healing and desired results:
- Use eye drops as prescribed by your physician.
- Wear eye shields at night for the first week.
- You may be asked to stay away from certain sports activities such as swimming or boxing until your eyes fully are fully healed, typically within a few weeks to a month. If you wear eye makeup, you may also have to refrain from wearing it for a week.
- Attend your follow-up appointments. After your procedure, you must attend a 1-day, a 1-week, a 1-month, and a 3-month postoperative appointment.
After your surgery, you will need to have arrangements to be driven home, as you will not be able to drive immediately. Most patients feel comfortable driving to their one-day postoperative appointment the next day.
What risks are involved with LASIK?
No vision correction procedure is risk-free. Mayo Clinic lists some of the risks involved with LASIK eye surgery as:
- Dry eye syndrome
- Under or over response, depending on how the tissue in the cornea was altered
- Glare or halos at night
- Issues surrounding the protective flap on the cornea, such as epithelial ingrowth (more common with enhancement surgeries)
- Increased light sensitivity
- Regression, or the process in which your vision diminishes over time
- Loss of best correctable vision, as patients may not be able to see as clearly or as sharply as intended
How can I schedule a LASIK consultation in Fort Lauderdale?
Millennium Laser Eye Centers is Florida’s leader in laser vision correction, having successfully completed over 40,000 surgical procedures. We encourage all patients to take our proprietary Online Consultation in the comfort of their home or office to see if they are a candidate within minutes. Once submitted, a patient care counselor will contact you to review the results in a phone consultation and answer any questions you may have after viewing our Advances and Benefits of laser vision correction informational video.
Begin your online consultation today. We look forward to helping you reduce your dependence on glasses and contacts with these amazing life-changing procedures.
