Why Choose Us For LASIK
Choosing Vista Eye Specialists means placing your vision in the hands of a fellowship-trained ophthalmologist with more than two decades of experience. Dr. Binoy R. Jani has dedicated his career to providing advanced care for patients across central Virginia. He has performed thousands of successful eye surgeries, from laser vision correction to cataract procedures. Every case is approached with precision and careful planning to ensure the best possible results. That level of experience offers peace of mind when making decisions about your eye health.
Laser Vision Correction, also know as LASIK (Laser-Assisted in-Situ Keratomileusis), is laser eye surgery intended to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism and reduce the dependency on contact lenses and eye glasses. At Vista Eye Specialists, we use the latest technology for our pre-operative exams and vision correction procedures, including PRK and LASIK. All surgeries are performed by our renowned fellowship trained laser vision correction cornea specialist, Dr. Binoy R. Jani.
LASIK Overview
LASIK is the most common type of refractive surgery and is an all-laser procedure designed to restore vision. During LASIK, the surgeon creates a thin corneal flap using a femtosecond laser (All-Laser LASIK). The flap is gently folded back allowing the surgeon to precisely remove corneal tissue. By reshaping the cornea, light focuses more accurately into the eye, resulting in clearer vision.
Lasik surgery has many advantages, including:
- Freedom from or less dependence on glasses and contacts
- Recovery time of 1-2 days
- Actual surgery lasting 10-20 minutes
- Little or no discomfort
- Immediate results by the next day
- Both eyes can be treated the same day
LASIK Procedure
The eye surgeon will first create a corneal flap using a femtosecond laser. After folding the flap back, Dr. Jani will use a laser to reshape the cornea’s curvature to the precise correction (steepened for far-sighted patients, flattened for near-sighted patients).
The laser treatment typically lasts 30 seconds or less depending upon the amount of correction desired. After the cornea is resculpted, the corneal flap is put back in place, like a natural bandage. The entire procedure takes about 10 minutes per eye, and patients are often ready to leave within an hour. The eye heals on its own within a few days with no need for stitches.
The outer layer of the cornea, or epithelium, is a soft, rapidly regrowing layer that regenerates within a few days with no loss of clarity. In LASIK, the epithelium is not removed as in PRK; a flap is used to uncover the deep layers of the cornea. Thus, the recovery time is faster for LASIK. The deeper layers of the cornea, as opposed to the outer epithelium, have very limited regenerative capacity.
At Vista Eye Specialists, we utilize the latest technology to ensure the highest accuracy and optimal visual outcomes.
With LASIK surgery, most people’s vision improves right away, but some find that their vision gradually improves even more over the next few days or even weeks. The recovery time for LASIK is typically 1-2 days. Eye shields are worn after the procedure and it is imperative that the eyes are not rubbed or disturbed for the first 48 hours or the corneal flap created during the procedure could be disturbed and lead to wrinkling of the flap. The various eye drops prescribed by your eye surgeon will help the healing process, while over-the-counter pain relievers may also be helpful to relieve any discomfort.
Vista Eye recommends patients have a few days of rest for recovery. While some activities, like driving and going back to work can resume after a couple of days, certain activities, such as swimming and strenuous exercise, will be limited during the weeks following surgery to avoid any trauma to the eyes.
Refractive Errors That LASIK Can Help You to Overcome
A refractive error is a problem that causes light to bend incorrectly to the retina, resulting in blurry vision. LASIK and PRK are effective at treating the three most common types of refractive errors:
- Myopia: Better known as nearsightedness, this condition makes it difficult for you to see objects in the distance, while your near vision remains clear. Myopia occurs when the cornea’s curvature is sharper than normal.
- Hyperopia: Better known as farsightedness, hyperopia is the contrast to myopia in that your up-close vision is blurry, while your distance vision is less blurry. Here, the cornea’s curvature is flatter than normal.
- Astigmatism: This condition is the result of multiple corneal irregularities that can make vision blurry at various distances.
By undergoing a comprehensive eye exam, Dr. Jani will be able to determine if you are an ideal candidate for LASIK. There are many factors that the doctor considers when developing a vision correction plan for you. At Vista Eye Specialists, we always consider the overall health of your eye, your current glasses prescription and your vision goals. After your thorough eye exam, Dr. Jani may decide that LASIK is not the best vision correction choice and may need to discuss other options in order for you to get the best vision results possible.
Some of the attributes to good candidacy for LASIK include:
- Adequate corneal thickness and corneal curvature
- Stable eye prescription for at least 12 months
- Good physical and ocular health
- Realistic expectations regarding results and vision potential after laser vision correction
- A good understanding of the risks and benefits of LASIK
LASIK Eye Surgery Risks
As with any surgery, there are risks involved. Some risks that can be temporary or permanent include:
- Dry eyes
- Persistent glare and / or halos
- Under or over-correction of your prescription
- Recurrence of myopia or hyperopia
- Corneal haze
- Scarring
- Pain
- Reduced best corrected visual acuity
- Reduced acuity in low light
With LASIK, as with all types of refractive surgery, dry eyedry eyes is the most common risk of surgery and can be permanent.
Some LASIK patients have complained of glare and halos, but many times these symptoms are resolved after a few months as part of the healing process. Under or over correction of the refractive error is possible, especially with more severe myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, since the predictability of healing becomes less exact.
LASIK FAQs
Yes. Vista Eye Specialists offers a variety of payment options. Please call us toll free at 888-393-5264 for more details and to find out about our interest free financing options.
Generally, most LASIK patients can go back to work the next day. If you have PRK, you may need to take a few additional days off.
If you are in your mid 40s and are wearing reading glasses prior to LASIK surgery, then yes, you will still have to wear reading glasses after the procedure. Anyone under the age of 40, who has LASIK, will still need reading glasses in the future when they reach their early to mid 40s. If you are around the age of 50 and would like to reduce your dependence on reading glasses, there may be other options, like premium IOLs available to you.
Laser vision correction is highly successful in reducing nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The majority of patients achieve excellent visual acuity which allows them to reduce the dependency for glasses to drive, play sports, enjoy outdoor activities, and watch TV. Most patients can return to work or normal activity the day after LASIK surgery.
Presbyopia occurs due to natural changes in the lens in people over the age of 40. Because LASIK is a corneal reshaping surgery that does not touch the lens, it does not improve vision affected by presbyopia. If you are interested in reducing your dependence on reading glasses, you may be a better candidate for another refractive surgery like refractive lens exchange, which replaces your natural lens with a premium artificial lens.
Yes. Vista Eye Specialists offers a variety of payment options. Please call us toll free at 888-393-5264 for more details and to find out about our interest free financing options.
Yes, you will remain awake so that you can keep your eyes looking at any targets your surgeon requests.. Fortunately, you should experience no significant discomfort during your procedure thanks to numbing eye drops. You also do not need to worry about blinking since we use a eye lid speculum to keep your lids out of the way.
LASIK Consultations in Fredericksburg, VA
Interested in LASIK? We offer consultations in our Fredericksburg, VA, office. Call 888-393-5264 to book your consultation.