If you are tired of the inconvenience and discomfort of corrective lenses, LASIK eye surgery may be the solution to your problems.

LASIK (short for laser assisted in situ keratomileusis) improves the focusing power of your eye. The goal of LASIK is to reduce or eliminate your dependence on prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, and give you the opportunity to enjoy simple pleasures, such as feeling safe when you have to get up in the middle of the night, or not worrying about breaking or losing a contact lens when you play your favorite sports.

If you are interested in achieving the best vision you have ever had in San Diego, the most important choice you will make is who performs your surgery. The experience and skill of your surgeon heavily influences your outcomes. I worked for a very busy LASIK practice before establishing my own practice, and have performed tens of thousands of LASIK procedures in my career. My ultimate priority is my patients’ well-being, and I am always looking for ways to make treatment better and safer.

There are many ways that I can improve my patients’ vision. You may not meet the criteria for traditional LASIK, but fortunately there are other treatment options to make your dreams of better vision come true. Together, we will explore the available options and select the one that makes the most sense for you.

Traditional LASIK

During a traditional LASIK procedure, I will create a thin, hinged flap on the surface of your cornea. (In all-laser LASIK, I perform this step with a femtosecond laser instead of a microkeratome.) After folding the flap back, I will use an excimer laser to remove microscopic amounts of corneal tissue to improve the cornea’s shape and allow light entering your eye to focus on your retina. Once I am happy with the changes to your cornea, I will restore the flap to its original position, where it will heal on its own.

Wavefront LASIK

Wavefront LASIK is a highly advanced and customized variation of traditional LASIK that involves measuring the miniscule imperfections of your eye’s focusing system. Prior to your surgery, I will use sophisticated technology to create a map or “fingerprint” of your eye’s smallest flaws; then, I will use this information to calibrate the laser that performs treatment.

PRK

PRK (short for photorefractive keratectomy) is the predecessor to traditional LASIK. As opposed to creating a hinged flap like I do during LASIK, I will remove the entire surface layer of your corneal cells to access the underlying tissue. In the days following the procedure, the cells will regenerate by themselves.

PRK is a good option if you have very thin corneas that would be weakened by the creation of a corneal flap, or if you work in a profession that puts you at high risk for flap-related complications (such as law enforcement, the military or professional sports).

What to Expect from LASIK

Total time for LASIK surgery is about 30 minutes, but the actual laser correction portion takes less than a minute. Your eyes will be completely numbed and the procedure should not be painful or uncomfortable. There may be some slight pressure as the laser reshapes your cornea.

Immediately after surgery, your vision may be blurry or hazy. Some people describe it as looking through a lens smeared with Vaseline. You should have someone drive you home and you should rest for the remainder of the day. Many patients notice an improvement in vision a few short hours after surgery.

The day after your surgery, you will return to my office for your first follow-up appointment, where I will personally check your healing progress and answer any of your questions.

Although LASIK results vary, most people achieve 20/20 vision or even better the next day. Once you have healed from LASIK, you will enjoy going about your day without worrying about finding your glasses or putting in your contact lenses. Think of the time, money and hassle you will save when you are free from corrective eyewear!

Book a LASIK Consultation

You probably have a lot of questions about your LASIK treatment options. I invite you to schedule a consultation with me by calling (858) 551-4100 or sending me an email.