As Seen in...
You
Look Wonderful!
November 2002
It's not about plopping our charge card out
onto the counter and latching on to some magic potion. It's not
about buying a new sweat suit, although that may help in time.
It's not about envy or regret, or shouldn't be, as much as self
expression and enjoying life more fully. Dance to the music and
all that jazz.
The road to an enhanced physical appearance
for the New Year begins with a solid look in the mirror. Don't
shy away or squint. We must care about what we see there and want
what reflects back at us to look and feel better. Beauty, by which
we mean a body that we are comfortable with and in which we can
achieve the things we wish for in life, begins with self-inspection
and a healthy dose of selfishness.
As long as we are going on about looking better,
how about also seeing better - shedding ourselves of eyeglasses
or contacts, if that is our desire?
Today's procedures for LASIK surgical correction
of refractive vision errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness and
astigmatism) are excellent, says Dr. William Myers of Michigan
Eyecare Institute, with 95 percent of patients achieving vision
of 20/40 or better (good enough to pass one's driver's test),
and approximately 85 percent seeing 20/20 following surgery. These
results are independent of normal age-related changes in our ability
to focus at close distances, the kind for which reading glasses
are prescribed.
Dr. Myers is one of the nation's pioneers in
surgical corrective of refractive errors, having since 1976 completed
more procedures than any ophthalmologist in the United States.
He has also lectured and taught other practitioners worldwide
and was instrumental in introducing to the Midwest, along with
his medical partners, Dr. Mark Rubinstein and Dr. Walter Cukrowski,
the use of the advanced excimer laser for refractive corrections.
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis,
whereby an excimer laser is used to change the shape of the cornea
and correct for refractive errors, as opposed to using external
lenses (glasses or contacts) to correct vision by making lightwaves
focus more quickly or less quickly or along the proper axis as
they strike the retina. LASIK is basically a two-step procedure,
completed today in minutes. A tiny knife, the microkeratome, is
used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of
this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middle
section of the cornea. Pulses from the computer-controlled laser
literally vaporize a portion of this stroma, creating the "surgical
vision prescription." The flap is replaced; it will usually
adhere on its own with contact pressure. Within one day, the patient
can expect normal, comfortable vision. The excimer laser takes
its name from the particular energy level of laser light that
can be best targeted in human tissue without damaging adjacent
tissue.
With locations in Southfield, Livonia and Dearborn,
Michigan Eyecare Institute employs today's most advanced excimer
laser, the Alcon (formerly Summit) LADARVision. One of the few
excimer lasers that are FDA-approved in the United States as a
tracking laser, the LADARVision automatically follows natural
eye movements during surgery for greater precision.
The LADARVision excimer laser employed by Michigan
Eyecare Institute also has received FDA approval for its incorporated
wave front technology, the next revolution in laser refractive
surgery. In this mode, the LADARVision instruments sends out a
wave whose reflected pattern is compared against the original.
The measured difference, which can now be treated by the excimer
laser, can detect higher orders of optical aberrations than what
the traditional eye examination measures or eyeglass prescription
corrects.
"This new procedure will solve such issues
as night vision, spherical aberration and other distortions still
seen after LASIK," says Dr. Rubinstein. "We will be
able to achieve 20/20 night vision and better quality of vision
for many patients, 20/15 will be a new standard and 20/10 is not
uncommon from what we have seen in clinical trials with the LADARVision
wave front technology."
The procedure is expected to be available in the first quarter
of 2003 and Michigan Eyecare Institute will the first ophthalmological
special practice in the Midwest and the only one in Michigan to
offer it, says Dr. Myers. Dr. Cukrowski, adds that, unlike "surgery
only" clinics, the Michigan Eyecare Institute is a full-range
ophthalmological practice, providing comprehensive eye care for
patients before and after surgery.
For more information on LASIK surgery and the
medical staff of Michigan Eyecare Institute, visit www.micheyecare.com.
Return
to "In the News"
