Eye laser surgery Sydney Category

Eye Laser Surgery Hornsby

Brian M Logan — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 02:16:29 +0000

BOOK A FREE VISION CORRECTION ASSESSMENT

Eye Laser Surgery Hornsby is extremely popular with both younger and older patients in Hornsby and the surrounding suburbs. With a strong reputation Eye Laser Surgery Hornsby offers fast and efficient services that will stop you from needing to wear contacts or glasses so you can enjoy the beautiful views that Hornsby offers. It has a very high success rate as well. If you’re curious what laser eye surgery can do for you, read our list of five laser eye surgery benefits.

Five Benefits of Laser Eye Surgery in Hornsby

1. Improved Vision

The most obvious perk of laser eye surgery is improved vision, with many clients coming to Eye Laser Surgery Hornsby suffering from cataracts, eye floaters and lens impairment. Did you know that around 95% of the patients who get laser eye surgery end up with at least 20/40 vision? Additionally, around 85% of patients report that they end up with 20/20 vision or higher after they have laser eye surgery. This means that you’ll be able to take in all of the sights in and around Hornsby.

2. Results Are Long Lasting

You’ll go through a minor stabilisation period after you have your laser eye surgery that lasts around three months. However, once this period is over, your results are permanent, barring the natural degeneration process that comes with aging. You won’t have to worry about follow up procedures unless the first procedure over or under-corrected your vision.

3. Quick Recovery Periods

Unlike other surgery, laser eye surgery has a very quick recovery period. Depending on your daily activities or where you work, you could return to your normal routine within one day, including driving. If you work in a dusty environment, it may take slightly longer to get back to your day to day activities, but it’s still a shorter recovery process than most surgical procedures.

4. Very Little or No Pain

Laser eye surgery is a minimally invasive procedure. Your ophthalmologist performs it on an outpatient basis while you’re still awake. On average, most patients report very little or no pain after they have laser eye surgery. They may experience some itching as the eye heals, which is more of an annoyance than actual pain.

5. Potential for Savings

If you wear contacts or glasses, you know how much they can cost you over the span of a year. Although laser eye surgery may cost you more upfront, it can help you save hundreds of dollars each year because you don’t have to buy contacts or update your current glasses prescription.

If you’re interested in laser eye surgery and you’re in the Hornsby area of Sydney, contact Dr. Moshegov at Eye Laser Surgery Hornsby by calling (02) 9230 0010 or send us an email at info@eyelasersurgerysydney.com.au. We look forward to hearing from you!

BOOK A FREE VISION CORRECTION ASSESSMENT

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4 Reasons Why Procedure Fees Vary Across Laser Eye Clinics

Brian M Logan — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 02:38:45 +0000

4 Reasons Why Procedure Fees Vary Across Laser Eye Clinics

If you’re considering laser eye surgery, you may have done the following:

Looked up the pros and cons online
Asked the advice of a health professional (or two)
Investigated popular clinics close to you to get a ballpark idea of procedure fees

After all, taking the plunge into such life-changing surgery is not a decision to be taken lightly.

However, most people are startled when they realise that procedure fees vary widely, and rightly so; we tend to naturally assume that a particular medical procedure costs a fixed amount, no matter the provider. Thus, many find it difficult to understand why there can be such a wide discrepancy between clinics.

To help explain why there can be such a difference in prices for the same procedure, here are the three most important things you must investigate before deciding upon a surgeon – and centre – for your treatment:

1. Does your health insurance contribute?

It may astonish some to realise that laser eye surgery is not automatically covered by one’s health insurance, even if the plan includes vision insurance. This is because the government classifies it as an elective procedure, hence the reason why Medicare rebates are not available for it either (unless you also qualify for cataract surgery).

Sometimes, a clinic may quote a lower price that reflects the total “out-of-pocket” expenses, which includes a projected reimbursement on behalf of your health insurance provider. In this case, it is wise to read the fine print at each clinic so that you have a clear understanding of how much they charge for the treatment, and what the cost covers.

2. Which equipment will be used?

Consider yourself warned: some clinics advertise extraordinarily large discounts for laser eye surgery. Although their offers appear attractive, not many of them will provide exactly the same procedure. In fact, there are several different methods and types of equipment that can be used in order to carry out the same treatment. To cut down on the cost for consumers, there are clinics that may use slightly older equipment or only partially use a laser when performing the surgery. Check to make sure that your surgeon, and your clinic, is planning to use the most modern techniques and technology to complete your treatment.

3. What about pre-operative, or post-operative care?

The total price of laser eye surgery often includes the cost of pre-operative consultations and post-operative appointments. However some clinics may purposely reduce the number and frequency of these additional meetings in order to provide a lower cost. Or, they may charge you for every visit afterwards. Finally, they may charge extra for any further attention required. Make sure you investigate the amount of ongoing care included with the procedure. As with any surgery, you must ensure that you have the full support of the clinic and its staff, whenever you need it.

4. Surgeon’s Expertise

Needless to say, a fresh clinic or newly qualified surgeon may well need to charge less to boost numbers in a freshly established practice. You should ask if the surgeon specializes in refractive surgery or just performs procedures occasionally in an otherwise busy general eye practice.

Click here for more information on Eye Laser Surgery Sydney or Lasik Surgery Sydney.

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Contact Lenses v Laser Eye Surgery – Which is Better?

Brian M Logan — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 06:11:35 +0000

Contact Lenses v Laser Eye Surgery – Which is Better?

If you regularly use contact lenses or other visual aids, you’ve probably considered taking the leap to get laser eye surgery performed instead. There are many who do. Who hasn’t dreamt of tossing away their contact lenses once and for all? At the very least, having laser eye surgery would mean not having to rush to the late-night chemist to pick up a bottle of contact lens solution after running out unexpectedly. And one would never again having to fumble around under a restaurant table for a lens that came out without warning. Usually on a first date!

What the Medical Research Says

Laser eye surgery can seem a daunting procedure to undertake. But before committing, let’s see if laser eye surgery is actually the right treatment for someone who wears contact lenses. After all, there are those who say that laser eye surgery is risky, or that there may still be some long-term deterioration of one’s vision after the operation. Contact lenses on the other hand, are often considered to be the “safer route” to correct one’s vision impairments, as they don’t require any invasive procedures.

Yet the actual truth of the debate is quite astonishing.

In 2006, U.S.-based ophthalmologist, William Mathers, MD, and his research team conducted an analysis of the data collected from several previous, large studies. They discovered that those who wear contact lenses have a far greater potential risk of damaging their long-term vision than those who do not.

Mathers found that, on average, 1 in 2,000 contact lens wearers ends up with long-term vision difficulties or damage from consistent use.

But how does that compare with those who have had laser eye surgery?

As it turns out, it compares very poorly. Because for those who chose to have laser eye surgery carried out, the incidence rate of long-term vision difficulties, according to Dr. Mathers’ study, dropped sharply to just 1 in 10,000.

This can come as quite a shock, as the eye laser surgery neigh-sayers persistently cling to the belief that contact lenses are safer than laser eye surgery. Yet the results of Dr. Mather’s study proved this hypothesis to be inaccurate.

It’s always worth keeping in mind that contact lenses only manage to reduce the symptoms of vision impairment, whereas laser eye surgery actually stops the downward slide into vision loss, and improves vision on a long-term scale. LASIK eye surgery in particular has allowed 90.8% of patients to achieve 20/20 vision, and 99.5% to attain 20/40 vision[1]. Which is nothing short of remarkable.

Laser Eye Surgery is the Perfect Choice for Improving Your Vision

Laser eye surgery, and LASIK in particular, has been performed on more than 10 million eyes worldwide. Adopted into practice way back in 1989, the technique and the technology supporting it have continued to evolve in the last decade and a half. And today the procedure is not only totally safe, but surprisingly simple and non-invasive.

To book your obligation free appointment with Australia’s leading ophthalmologist, Dr. Con Moshegov, simply call the Macquarie Street surgery on: 02 9230 0010.

Click here for more Laser Eye Surgery Sydney information.

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Wavefront-Guided Myopic Femto-LASIK Based on Measurements With a New Hartmann-Shack Aberrometer

Brian M Logan — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 09:41:21 +0000

Evaluating Ocular Aberrometic Outcomes

We evaluated the visual, refractive and ocular aberrometric outcomes after wavefront-guided (WFG) laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for the correction of myopia using an excimer laser platform with Iris Registration (IR) technology (STAR S4IR excimer laser, Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, CA, USA) and combined with a new Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor (iDesign aberrometer, Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, CA, USA) capturing 1250 data points from a 7.0-mm pupil and using Fourier reconstruction for aberration data. Specifically, we conducted a prospective case series study including 92 eyes of 46 patients with ages between 22 and 46 years and undergoing WFG femto-LASIK for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism using the Advanced CustomVue platform that combines the excimer laser and the new Hartmann-Shack aberrometer as previously mentioned. Mean preoperative manifest sphere and cylinder were 2.81 ± 2.27 D (range, +0.75 to −10.25 D) and −1.22 ± 1.14 D (range, −4.00 to −0.12 D), respectively. In all cases, corneal flaps were created using the iFS femtosecond laser (Abbott Medical Optics, Inc). The visual, refractive and ocular aberrometric outcomes were evaluated during a 3-month follow-up period.

20/20 Vision 3 Month Post-Operative

At 3 months after surgery, the percentage of eyes that achieved 20/20, 20/25 and 20/40 uncorrected distance visual acuity were 90%, 92% and 99%, respectively (Fig. 1). Postoperative manifest spherical equivalent was within 0.5 D and 1.0 D of emmetropia in 96.7% and 100% of cases, respectively. There were no eyes with a loss of two or more lines of corrected distance visual acuity. These results are consistent with those reported recently by Schallhorn et al.1 using the same technology and also for myopic eyes. Likewise, our visual and refractive outcomes are similar and sometimes better than those reported for myopic WFG-LASIK by a great variety of authors with the last generation of excimer laser platforms.2,3 The combination of the STAR S4IR excimer laser with the new aberrometry technology used in the current series seems to optimize the efficacy and especially the predictability of WFG-LASIK compared to the previous version of such technology.2,4 It should be noted that this new aberrometer is the result of the refinement of a previous Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor, the WaveScan, with a lower sampling ability and without Fourier data reconstruction.

Besides visual and refractive outcomes, ocular aberrometric changes were also evaluated. To date, this is the first study evaluating the aberrometric outcomes of WFG-LASIK using the evaluated technology. Mean change in higher order aberration (HOA) root mean square and primary spherical aberration (5-mm pupil) was +0.04 ± 0.09 μm (P < 0.01) and +0.01 ± 0.06 μm (P = 0.42), respectively. This change in primary spherical aberration was lower than that reported by some authors evaluating the aberrometric changes after WFG-LASIK for the correction of a similar range of myopic refractive errors and the same pupil of analysis.5,6 Khalifa and colleagues6 found in a sample of myopic eyes with spherical equivalent ranging from −6.63 to 0.00 D that the mean change in spherical aberration after WFG-LASIK using the STAR S4 excimer laser combined with a previous aberrometer version (Wavescan) was 0.18 μm (6-mm pupil).

In conclusion, WFG-LASIK using the STARS4 excimer laser platform with IR technology and combined with a new Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor capturing 1250 data points from a 7.0-mm pupil and using Fourier reconstruction for aberration data is safe, predictable and efficacious for the correction of myopia or myopic astigmatism. This precise level of correction is combined with a preservation of the quality of ocular optics, maintaining postoperative HOA within a physiological range. A longer follow-up is necessary to study other aspects of surgery, such as refractive stability and change in visual symptoms with time.

Con N Moshegov FRANZCO1,2 and Sara Skaf BHlthSc MClinVisSc1
1Ophthalmology, Private Practice and 2University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Received 17 September 2014; accepted 18 September 2014.

Eye Surgery References

1. Schallhorn S, Brown M, Venter J, Teenan D, Hettinger K, Yamamoto H. Early clinical outcomes of wavefrontguided myopic LASIK treatments using a newgeneration hartmann-shack aberrometer. J Refract Surg 2014; 30: 14–21.

2. Shaheen MS, Massoud TH, Ezzeldin H, Khalifa MA.
Four-year visual, refractive, and contrast sensitivity outcomes after wavefront-guided myopic LASIK using an advanced excimer laser platform. J Refract Surg 2013; 29: 816–22.

3. Feng Y, Yu J, Wang Q. Meta-analysis of wavefrontguided vs. wavefront-optimized LASIK for myopia.Optom Vis Sci 2011; 88: 1463–9.

4. Zhang J, Zhou YH, Li R, Tian L. Visual performance after conventional LASIK and wavefront-guided LASIK with iris-registration: results at 1 year. Int J Ophthalmol 2013; 6: 498–504.

5. Taneri S, Oehler S, MacRae SM. Aspheric wavefrontguided versus wavefront-guided LASIK for myopic astigmatism with the Technolas 217z100 excimer laser. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2013; 251: 609–16.

6. Khalifa MA, Allam WA, Shaheen MS. Visual outcome after correcting the refractive error of large pupil patients with wavefront-guided ablation. Clin Ophthalmol 2012; 6: 2001–11.

Click here for more information about: Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

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What Is iDesign?

Brian M Logan — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 09:40:06 +0000

Macquarie Street Eye Laser Centre has incorporated the latest refinement to the LASIK procedure available.

Its called iDesign and is used in association with iLASIK.

What does iDesign do in LASIK Eye Surgery?

It’s a way of measuring the eye before treating it to get rid of any spectacle error present.

Because it uses more ‘data points’ than older instruments, it gives a more accurate assessment of the eye in planning for it to be able to see without the need for contact lenses or glasses.

Components of iDesign

iDesign consists of a type of camera, called an aberrometer, which uses lights to determine little imperfections in the visual system.

Every eye is very unique in that regard. So it’s like a ‘fingerprint’ of a particular eye. When the short-sightedness, or long-sightedness, or astigmatism are treated by laser in iLASIK these unique imperfections are ironed out at the same time.

Better vision!

iDesign Refines LASIK Eye Surgery

In modern LASIK a laser is used to make a very thin ‘flap’ in the cornea of the eye. The flap is gently lifted from the cornea.

Another laser then reshapes the underlying cornea to the shape that has been programmed into it.

In standard lasik the surgeon and orthoptists ‘tell’ it what shape is to be sculpted. With iDesign the iDesgn machine ‘tells’ the laser what shape that it is to be.

Put another way, the iDesign is the new ‘brain’ of the system which works out what needs to be done.

However, its’ not a black box that just does it and doesn’t tell the doctor what’s being done. It informs the operator about EXACLTY what is planned so there can be no surprises.

Anyway, once the treatment is lasered onto the cornea, the flap is but back and the operation is over.

Is iDesign Treatment Safe?

Still as safe as ever.

Still giving people freedom from contact lenses and glasses. But, just more precise.

To give you an idea, with iDesign treatments of myopia, at 3 months after surgery, the percentage of eyes that achieved 20/20, 20/25 and 20/40 uncorrected distance visual acuity were 90%, 92% and 99%, respectively. Eyes were within 0.5 D and 1.0 D of a zero prescription (which is what we want) in 96.7% and 100% of cases, respectively.

iDesign gives contact lens and spectacle wearers the freedom they want.

Click here for more information about: Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

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Floaters Causes and Their Treatment

Brian M Logan — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 09:33:58 +0000

Floaters are dark, variably shaped, objects which can be seen by people against a bright background. They are very, very common.

They see objects that resemble flies, mosquitoes, maybe cobwebs or strings, sometimes comma shaped other times very elaborate in shape against a whitish wall or a bright blue sky and they can actually be seen to move with eye movements.

Sometimes people think they are going crazy as they imagine these objects are in front of them!

Floaters Causes

Floaters are caused by the aggregation of proteins in the vitreous or the ‘gel’ of the eye. They can present suddenly or be longstanding. If they present suddenly… it’s usually due to something called a posterior vitreous detachment. That’s the natural separation of the gel of the eye from the back part of the eye called the retina.

Often people say they can see ‘flashes’ of light as well. Especially at night (when it’s dark).

It is not to be confused with a retinal detachment which is much more serious.

People Who Encounter Floaters

Some people don’t see their floaters at all. whereas some people see them only if they look hard for them. For these people nothing is needed. However, some people have prominent floaters that can be very close to the centre of the visual axis and be very bothersome. Some people are distracted by them when using a computer monitor or reading. Others can’t even drive without being distracted by them.

They can be a real nuisance.

Floaters Treatment

It has been said that there is nothing you can do about them. However that is not true. There has been an operation available for many years called a vitrectomy. This removes floaters.

However, it’s an operation. An operation which has risks of problems in the eye.

New Procedure for Floaters

Now there is a new procedure for floaters called YAG laser vitreolysis.

A laser, called the Ultra Q Reflex is shone into the eye directly at the floaters and the floaters are vaporised. ‘Dissolved’ if you like.

Listeners will be interested to know that the laser is an Australian invention.

It’s made in Adelaide by a company called Ellex and Adelaide exports them to many countries of the world. Including the US and Germany (these are the countries we often associate with advanced laser technology). So it’s quite amazing!

No procedure is without risk. However, because there is no surgery, that is, there are no cuts made in the eye, no holes into the eye, no scalpels, no needles so there is no risk of infection or haemorrhage and those other potential problems associated with surgery.

Ulltra Q Reflex Laser

If people have troublesome floaters, they should know that there is now an noninvasive option available to them: the Ultra Q reflex laser from Ellex (Australia).

More information is available on: www.ellex.com (this is not Dr Moshegov’s website).

Click here for more information about: Laser Eye Surgery Sydney.

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