Our 20/20 LASIK Blog

At the 20/20 Institute our board certified LASIK surgeons have performed more than 80,000 vision correction procedures. Our experienced and caring staff and doctors are committed to achieving 20/20 vision or better for every patient. It’s so important to us that we’ve put it in writing in our 20/20 LASIK Commitment for Life.

In order to reach our goal of 20/20 or better vision for every patient, we focus on a few key areas in our practice. We believe in using the latest FDA-approved LASIK technology and in hiring the best ophthalmology professionals in the business.

Our surgeons are all board-certified ophthalmologists and our staff members all attend educational courses to further their knowledge and experience in laser vision correction. A typical LASIK surgeon attends four years of undergraduate college, medical school, then an ophthalmology residency and many then go on to complete further training in a refractive or corneal fellowship.

We use the WaveLight Allegretto Eye Q laser, the only laser to be designed and built from the ground up to perform wavefront LASIK, the most advanced and accurate form of the procedure, and all our laser eye surgeons receive special and ongoing training on how to maximize the results they achieve with the laser.

Wavefront LASIK is so much more accurate than traditional LASIK, with such a significantly lower incidence of complications, that we have made it standard. While other LASIK providers may call Custom LASIK an option, charge more, or let some patients get non-wavefront LASIK, we believe that everyone’s vision deserves the best.

To learn more about why you should choose the 20/20 Institute for your LASIK procedure, call or email us to schedule your free comprehensive consultation and examination today. We’ll let you know if you are a candidate for LASIK or other vision correction procedures like LASEK or Epi-LASIK.

Epi-LASIK is one of the many tools in the 20/20 Institute arsenal to correct your vision. If LASIK surgery is not an option for you because your corneas are too thin, then Epi-LASIK may be a viable solution for you. Like LASIK, it can correct many ranges of myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism and with similar results.

The biggest difference between traditional LASIK and Epi-LASIK is the way the eye is prepared for reshaping by the laser. With LASIK, a very thin flap is created in the top layers of the cornea. For people with very thin corneas, there is not enough corneal tissue to do this safely. For Epi-LASIK patients, the surgeon makes a flap in the epithelium, which is the outermost layer of the cornea and not in the cornea itself. This epithelial flap is folded back and then the laser-reshaping portion of the procedure commences just as it would in traditional LASIK.

After the procedure, an oxygen-permeable lens is placed in the eye to act as a bandage while the epithelium heals, approximately three to fours days. Epi-LASIK patients experience a bit more discomfort than LASIK patients but this can be controlled with over the counter medications. The end results of the two procedures are comparable.

If you're interested in learning more about the different types of LASIK surgery, please contact the 20/20 Institute to schedule a free LASIK evaluation. We'll find out if you are a candidate for Epi-LASIK or one of our other vision correction procedures.

The 20/20 Institute is proud to offer more and more laser vision correction choices to our patients across the U.S. We still offer All Laser LASIK, the most common laser vision correction option. For some of you though, traditional LASIK is not an option because of your prescription, or because of the depth of corneal tissue you have available for the procedure. In the past, you have been told that you were not a candidate for laser vision correction, but that may no longer be true. LASEK is just one of several options that we now offer and it means a wider set of criteria for patients who were not candidates before.

LASEK Overview
Like LASIK, LASEK is a laser vision correction procedure that produces excellent results. The main difference between the two procedures is that LASIK uses a mechanical device to create a very thin flap in the cornea to prepare the eye for the laser treatment and LASEK does not.

With LASEK, the surgeon uses a sterile alcohol solution to loosen the epithelium (the outermost layer of the cornea) and a hand-held tool called a trephine to create a thin flap in the epithelium. The epithelium is moved to the side and the laser treatment proceeds.

After the treatment, the epithelium is replaced over the cornea and a bandage contact lens placed in the eye until the eye heals, about three to four days.

If you aren't a candidate for traditional LASIK because of thin corneas, LASEK may be the perfect laser vision correction option for you. Please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule your free LASEK consultation.

Like any surgery, LASIK vision correction comes with its own set of risks and complications. The good news is that it is one of the safest surgeries you can have, as the complication rates are very low. And even better news is that the benefits are life-changing.

Studies indicate that the overall complication rate for LASIK is between one and five percent and serious complications fall below one percent. An important thought to keep in mind is that most complications that arise can be resolved fairly easily with medicines or with additional treatments.

Some of the risks that are possible include:

• Sensitivity to light
• Under- or over-correction
• Post-operative glare or haloes, which can be reduced with Custom LASIK
• Irregular astigmatism
• Poor night vision
• Flap complications, which can be reduced with bladeless LASIK
• Infection
• Loss of visual clarity

LASIK eye surgery, or Laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, is an elective procedure used to correct vision problems such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. If you know anyone who has had LASIK they most likely talk about how easy and fast it was or about how quickly they could see clearly again. Thesethings are all wonderful and true, however, it is just as important to understand the ins and outs of the procedure before you decide it’s right for you.

LASIK - Before the Procedure – Your 20/20 doctor and his/her staff will perform a full medical evaluation of your eyes (as well as take a history on your general health), take numerous measurements and take 3-D images with the Pentacam. The surgeon will take all of those measurements into consider when creating your custom treatment plan.

LASIK – Step 1 – The Ziemer LDV laser will create a very thin flap in the cornea, which will be folded back in preparation for the next step of treatment.

LASIK – Step 2 – The Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser, using the 3-D measurements and your surgeon’s directions, will use cool laser light to gently reshape the surface of the cornea, correcting your vision abnormalities.

LASIK – Step 3 – The thin flap is repositioned, and it self-adheres without stitches.

You’ll receive post-operative instructions and return to the center the next day for a check-up. It’s likely that by the next morning you’ll be seeing 20/20 or even better.

For more details on All Laser LASIK, please call or email the 20/20 Institute for your free comprehensive LASIK evaluation. We’ll determine whether or not you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery and answer all of your questions.

The high-tech world of laser eye surgery is a fast-paced one. While some of the basics of LASIK surgery remain the same, advances are made to techniques and lasers all the time. At The 20/20 Institute we make it our mission to research and obtain training in the latest advances so we can bring them to you – all part of our goal to provide the very best in laser eye surgery care. In fact, we refuse to give our patients substandard laser eye surgery, so everyone who receives LASIK at the 20/20 Institute receives wavefront, or custom, LASIK, the most advanced, accurate form. Any other form has too high a risk for vision defects.

We currently offer All Laser LASIK with the Ziemer LDV laser for flap creation and the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser for corneal reshaping for optimal vision results. The Ziemer LDV laser increases precision (over microkeratome-created flaps) and decreases some types of flap-related complications.

We’re proud to have the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser for the corneal reshaping portion of laser vision correction. This laser is unique in that it was built from the start on Custom LASIK technology – other lasers have been modified or “upgraded” to be able to perform this technology. It also is the fastest laser approved in the United States for laser vision correction.

The 20/20 Institute is founded on the principal belief that our guests, or patients, are the most important part of our business. We know that you expect the best in technology, superior results and personalized care – all of which we provide in our 5-star centers. If you want to learn more about laser eye surgery technology and what it can do for you, please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule a free consultation.

LASEK eye surgery is a laser vision correction alternative for some patients who do not qualify as candidates for LASIK vision correction because of thin corneas or corneas that are too steep (high myopia). LASEK is very similar to the more common procedure of LASIK since LASEK also uses a laser to gently reshape the cornea for better vision. The biggest difference occurs in the very first step - the creation of the flap. In LASEK, a very thin epithelial flap is created instead of the thicker corneal flap created in LASIK. The LASEK method reduces the number of flap-related complications sometimes seen in LASIK.

There are other advantages and benefits to LASEK like:

• It's less invasive as there is no incision in the central part of the cornea.
• There is no weakening of the cornea so it’s more appropriate for people who may be subject to corneal trauma in their jobs, i.e. athletes, pilots.
• The recovery time is shorter than its predecessor, PRK
• Its results are comparable to LASIK and PRK.
• It can be performed more than once, if necessary.

If you wanted to have laser vision correction in the past and were told you weren’t a candidate, you may be now. With the evolution of laser eye surgery comes - procedures like LASEK which are able to help people who have thin corneas or the propensity for dry eyes to be able to see clearly again without the aid of glasses or contact lenses.

LASEK is possible for people who have thin corneas because no incision is made into the deeper layers of the cornea. Your LASEK surgeon will use a trephine to define a section of the epithelium to be removed. Then a sterile alcohol solution is used to loosen the epithelium, allowing the flap to be gently folded out of the way. Just as with LASIK procedures, the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser will use cool laser energy to reshape your cornea.

After the laser treatment is complete, the epithelial section is replaced and a contact lens, acting as a bandage, is put over the eye. You’ll wear the lens for 3 to 5 days until the epithelium is healed.

While the recovery time is a bit longer than LASIK, LASEK is a viable option for our patients who are not candidates for traditional forms of LASIK. With results comparable to LASIK, our LASEK patients are very happy to have clear, natural vision again.

To learn more about LASEK and if you are good candidate, please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule a free LASEK evaluation.