Michigan Eyecare Institute

As Seen in...

Sunday, November 9, 2003
Doctors marvel at LASIK surgery
Julie Murphy is a little nervous but feeling no pain as she sits down in front of the LADARWAVE at Michigan Eyecare Institute in Southfield. Even though under sedation, she's firm in her resolve to throw away her eyeglasses forever. Murphy's confidence has grown in the latest	Julie Murphy undergoes corrective eye surgery using the latest technology at Michigan Eyecare Institute.
advances to increase safety and accuracy in LASIK eye surgery since taking a job at the institute three months ago. The Walled Lake woman has had the opportunity to learn firsthand about wavefront and all-laser, no blade technology. "I wanted to do this ever since I had glasses in sixth grade. I had contacts in my teens and didn't like the way they felt," said Murphy. "I went back to glasses and they were hot in summer and slipped down my nose, and fogged in winter. Since I started working here I've seen all of the patients come out doing so well." LADARWAVE technician Susie Leiter had the surgery 4 1/2 months ago. "My vision is incredible," said Leiter of Farmington Hills. "LADARWAVE corrects abnormalities, astigmatism, night halos and glare." TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES Dr. William Myers has been waiting 14 years for the advancements in LASIK surgery that he's seen in the last 11 months. LADARWAVE from Alcon Laboratories sends low-energy laser light in to the eye that reflects off the retina. Wavefront technology (brand name LADARWAVE) then measures aberrations, creating a detailed map of the cornea. A floppy disk with the information is then used to guide the laser to reshape the stroma or middle section of the cornea after the corneal flip is lifted.
"Before, vision was measured with a patient sitting in front of lenses the doctor's flipping back and forth saying is 1 or 2 better," said Dr. Myers, a founding member of the institute with additional locations in Livonia and Dearborn. "Glasses just take care of lower order aberrations	Julie Murphy sits in front of the LADARWave at the Michigan Eyecare Institute. The technology provides surgeons with a detailed map of the cornea by bouncing a low-energy laser light off the retina.
and vision is not totally corrected. By treating the entire eye it's a more refined treatment. You're treating 100 percent of abnormalities instead of a quarter. The floppy disk with glass prescription and higher order aberrations ensure people see better than 20/20 the FDA study showed. "The IntraLASIK technology to create the flap has to do with safety. We no longer use a microkeratome, a steel blade to cut the corneal flap. While flap complications are rare, when they happen they can be serious. With the old device, you could cut too thin or too think. The worse complications are history. IntraLASIK is the greatest thing to happen to refractive surgery." "Within a few minutes Leiter has completed the LADARWAVE and walks the floppy disk down to the environmentally controlled surgical suite. Myers soon begins talking to Murphy, telling her she'll feel pressure on her eye. Myers is observing through the microscope, monitoring the pattern to create the corneal flap. After completing this part of the surgery, Murphy is moved to another table and the floppy disk is inserted with the wavefront data. He lifts the flap and prepares to use the laser. He tells Murphy she might smell smoke. Myers continues talking to Murphy through the procedure. "You're going to feel cold air on your eye." All totaled, the laser took about 70 seconds to reshape each eye. PLEASED WITH RESULTS Minutes later in a darkened room, Myers is happy with the procedure. So is Murphy.
		Dr. William Myers prepares to use IntraLASIK all-laser technology to reshape Julie Murphy's cornea. A computer screen to his right provides a detailed map of her cornea.

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