Although it is important to be able to see well throughout the day, it is most important when performing what could be considered dangerous activities, such as driving. While trying to drive one needs excellent vision to not only get from one destination to another but also to avoid car accidents. A helpful new technology today has exploded with new ways to talk, work, and drive. GPS is one of the most user friendly, helpful technologies for busy lifestyles and for those that want to be able to concentrate on driving while hearing directions out loud.People from every walk of life can use this.It can be difficult finding a new store location, a friend’s house, or a business you’ve never been to before, but with GPS one can get to these locations with ease. GPS can be found on most smart phones and individual providers such as Garmin or Megallan.With a click away you can navigate yourself in an unknown area in seconds. This saves people time and frustration, not to mention relieving the stresses involved with navigation. Make sure before you invest in a GPS system that you have updated glasses, contacts or have had LASIK to be able to see the system well and drive with confidence. Morris Eye Group provides all solutions to those looking for an answer to problems with driving vision or distance vision. There are several ways to correct myopia or nearsightedness. Distance glasses, contact lenses or LASIK are all solutions for those looking to be able to drive, see the GPS and get where you want to go without having to worry about blurry vision. Morris Eye Group serves the San Diego community when it comes to improving vision.
New Lens Can Reduce Need For Glasses, Contacts
Procedure For People Who Are Nearsighted
POSTED: 4:07 pm PDT May 8, 2006
UPDATED: 5:12 pm PDT May 8, 2006
SAN DIEGO — There’s a new option for people who are nearsighted.
A recently approved intraocular lens (ICL) can eliminate or reduce the need for glasses or contacts.
And the procedure is painless, fast and reversible.
Christine Lord and Miriam Wisniewski are nearsighted and have been that way for most of their lives. Both women have considered lasik or laser vision correction, but they have concerns about permanently changing the anatomy of their eyes.
“I was always afraid of lasik. (I) just didn’t want to have anything altered,” said Wisniewski.
“I didn’t have enough cornea to do the lasik,” said Lord.
Lord and Wisniewski are among the first San Diegans to undergo a new procedure to correct their vision.
A tiny foldable lens about the size of a little finger is placed under the iris, 10News reported.
Ophthalmologist Jeffrey Morris implanted a ICL lens to fix nearsightedness in both women.
Think of it like a contact lens inside your eye. It corrects vision without harming the cornea or other tissue.
“It’s a reversible procedure. You can take the lens out if you haven’t altered the anatomy of the eye,” said Morris.
The lens, made of a special collamer material, corrects moderate to severe nearsightedness by bending light rays to improve blurry distance vision without the need of glasses or contacts.
Within a half hour of having the procedure, both Lord and Wisniewski were seeing things clearly for the first time in decades.
The ICL procedure is approved only for nearsightedness, but it may eventually be available for farsightedness and astigmatism.
The procedure normally takes 10 to 15 minutes.
The ideal candidate is older than 21 years of age and has moderate to significantly nearsighted vision.
The risks are minimal with a rare chance of infection.
Copyright 2006 by 10News.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
There are several types of eye surgeries and the cost of eye surgery can depend on many factors such as a patients insurance. Many patients want to know if their insurance covers the cost of laser eye surgery and the answer is not a simple one. Again, it depends on the patients insurance. There are some vision plans such as VSP that do offer a discount laser service plan or a preferred laser plan which will pay for a portion of the lasik costs. However, there is no insurance company that will cover the total cost of laser eye surgery because it is considered a cosmetic treatment option. Insurance companies believe that because there is another alternative, glasses or contact lenses, that the LASIK procedure is really an elective procedure by their standards.
What costs are associated with LASIK eye surgery? There are many factors that contribute to the cost of the procedure. There are preliminary measurements that need to be taken by highly sophisticated technology, such as the WaveScan (a corneal mapping devise). Laser eye surgery prices also depend on the skill and experience of the eye doctor you are seeing. In addition to the doctor him/herself, there are other staff members and technicians involved in preparing for the surgery and needed for the actually surgery. There is the cost of chair time for the post-operative appointments, and lastly there are the hard costs of the procedure itself that the laser center needs to take into consideration.
On average when going to a LASIK center that has a good reputation, a clean and sterile environment, quality skilled physicians and a built in enhancement policy most LASIK institutes will charge about $2,000 an eye.
At Morris Eye Group, we offer a FREE LASIK consultation where the patient gets the opportunity to meet our staff and doctors. At this appointment the doctor you meet will let you know if you qualify for this life changing procedure.
Morris Eye Group does not base our lasik surgery prices off a patient’s prescription, pupil size or any other medical condition. We believe that all patients deserve the best care from a quality skill physician with the most up to date technology at a flat rate. We also offer a Life Time Enhancement policy so that our patients can rest assure that if they ever do need an enhancement, there is no charge for it.
There are many reasons to choose to come to Morris Eye Group for LASIK. Call our office today for your Free Consultation to see if you qualify!
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common condition where you can see near objects, but cannot see distant objects.The reason for this is because the eye’s shape is too long.As a result, images of distant objects are focused in front of the retina and thus appear blurred.The degree of your nearsightedness determines your ability to focus on distant objects. People with severe nearsightedness can see clearly only objects just a few inches away, while those with mild nearsightedness may clearly see objects several yards away. Myopia may develop gradually or rapidly, often worsening during childhood and adolescence and it tends to run in families
Morris Eye Group offers many different ways to correct Myopia (nearsightedness).After completing your comprehensive eye exam, and meeting with one of our five doctors, you can discuss with them what the best options for your situation are.In both of our Encinitas and Oceanside locations, we have full optical departments where you can choose glasses or contacts to correct your refractive error.
Depending on the health of your eye, and a series of other tests, the doctor may suggest Laser Vision Correction (LVC).When undergoing Laser Vision Correction the doctor will reshape your cornea to flatten the outermost layer.The purpose of this technique is to “shorten” your eye so that distant objects focus more directly on the retina; thus allowing you to see objects in the distance more clearly.This procedure is performed in our Laser Center in our Encinitas Office.
Another option the doctor may suggest for you is Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL).In contrast to Laser Vision Correction, the ICL procedure involves the implantation of a lens that can be removed at a later time if necessary. ICL’s are safe and effective alternatives for people who are not good candidates for LASIK/PRK, including patients with extreme dry eyes, extra large pupils, and very thin corneas. Implantable Contact Lenses can also correct exceedingly high refractive errors, something LASIK or PRK cannot accomplish.This procedure is performed in a surgery facility.
If you would like to set up your comprehensive eye exam with Morris Eye Group at either of our Encinitas or Oceanside locations, please call 760-631-3500. You may also visit our website at www.MorrisEyeGroup.com.
Laser Vision Correction is a procedure many turn to when looking to correct visual problems. Often times patients are tired of wearing glasses or contact lenses and are looking for an alturnative to help change their life. Laser Vision Correction also know as LASIK or PRK is a quick twenty mintue procedure. At Morris Eye Group we have four full time Ophthalmologists that perform the procedure. At Morris Eye Group we pride ourselves in taking the time to really get to know our patients and their visual history. We spend a lot of time reviewing the patient’s chart and their test results before deciding if someone is a candidate. Often times more than one doctor will review the chart and many of our ophthalmologists collaborate before making any medical decisions. Laser Vision Correction is a great option for many individuals, especially those living in the costal community of Encinitas and San Diego. Many patients find that after LASIK they are able to live a more active lifestyle due to the fact that they are not being bothered by contact lens issues. If you are interested in a free laser vision correction consultation please call our office to schdule an appointment. We have availability in both Encinitas and Oceanside.
When light reaches an angled surface it will bend. Convex surfaces bend light toward the center, and concave surfaces bend light away form the center. This phenomenon of bending light is called refraction. Your eye has many different angles that refract light to focus on the retina in the back of your eye.
In a perfect eye, the cornea refracts about 80% of light onto the crystalline lens. The crystalline lens then refracts about 20% onto the retina. If light does not refract onto the retina correctly, a person may suffer from near or far-sightedness. This problem is called a refractive error and can be corrected at Morris Eye Group through LASIK surgery or PRK surgery.
How does the laser work?
Some patients wonder how a laser can correct their vision. The primary function of the laser in LASIK eye surgery is to ablate or remove corneal tissue, thus altering the shape of the cornea, and changing the refraction of light as it passes through. In myopic patients, the curvature of the cornea is flattened. For hyperopic patients, the laser is used to steepen the curvature of the cornea. In essence, the laser is used to reshape the front surface of the cornea. To reach the stroma (the portion of the cornea that is shaped), the corneal epithelium must be removed (as in PRK) or a flap must be created (as in LASIK). A corneal flap can be created using a microkeratome.
In laser vision correction, the goal is to alter the shape of the cornea, so that light passing through is properly focused on the retina. An Excimer laser emits a cool, ultraviolet beam (193 nanometers long) that actually vaporizes tissue by breaking carbon-to-carbon bonds. Corneal tissue can removed with phenomenal precision without harming adjacent tissue. Excimer laser vaporization is technically termed photoablation.
The unmatched precision that can be achieved using the Excimer laser makes it the tool of choice for sensitive laser vision correction procedures such as LASIK eye surgery. Each pulse removes approximately 0.25 microns of tissue. This can be compared to slicing 1/200 of a human hair, 1/28 of a red blood cell, or 1/39 millionth of an inch – this is achieved in 4 billionths of a second. This accuracy allows the refractive surgeon to sculpt the cornea gently yet effectively, producing a cornea that properly focuses light onto the retina.
To learn about the laser used at Morris Eye Group and Custom LASIK contact our San Diego office.
Microkeratomes in LASIK Eye Surgery
Microkeratomes work in a fashion similar to that of a carpenter’s plane. All of the latest designs feature a suction ring, which is attached to the eye to keep the cornea firm. Microkeratome have a plate that flattens the cornea while an oscillating blade incises the flap at a predetermined depth. Stopping the blade at the appropriate point leaves a hinge.
. Some newer versions use high-speed gas motors that produce smoother flaps more consistently. Although it is believed that smoother flaps produce better results, this has not been proven in any scientific paper. Some microkeratome manufacturers are developing disposables. These may prove to be the wave of the future; however clinical experience with disposable microkeratomes has been limited. There have also been some ideas advanced regarding flap placement, but clinical experience has yet to prove these alternate techniques are superior.
In a person with astigmatism, the cornea has an oblong shape, oval rather than circular. This causes light entering the eye to focus on multiple points rather than one. LASIK eye surgery can accommodate people with astigmatism, so that they too can enjoy clear, comfortable vision.
If you suffer from astigmatism, contact our office in Oceanside, to see if LASIK eye surgery is the solution for you.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia refers to the loss of close up vision associated with getting older. This happens because the protein composition of the lens changes over time, becoming less flexible. As the lens hardens, it makes it more difficult for the eye to focus on objects up close. Presbyopia usually starts between the ages of forty and fifty and continues to progress until approximately sixty-five. This may cause some people who already wear glasses to switch to bifocals. Those who never needed glasses previously may require ones for reading.
We can help patients with Presbyopia to be able to read through the LASIK procedure by doing monovision. To find out more about monovision and if you are a candidate for monovision and you live in San Diego, Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas, or Oceanside, contact Morris Eye Group.
Monovision - The LASIK strategy to compensate for presbyopia
Monovision is a strategy in which one eye is corrected for distance vision and one is corrected for near vision. Monovision was first described 40 years ago. However, monovision achieved by LASIK surgery has seen dramatically higher percentages of patient satisfaction in the last three years. A recent study performed in 1999, demonstrated an 86% satisfaction rate. We test our patients that are interested in having permanent monovision through the use of a three day contact lens trial.
In general, the dominant eye is corrected for distance and the nondominant eye is corrected for near. When counseling patients preoperatively, it is important to consider occupation, sports, hobbies, and the need to maintain uncorrected near vision. The primary reason why people choose to have monovision is freedom from glasses for both distance and near. This benefit is reduced by considerations of occupational need, sports, hobbies, and depth perception. Monovision is not recommended for law enforcement officers, airplane pilots, and truck or taxi drivers. While monovision LASIK is more ambitious, requiring careful patient selection and counseling, it can offer excellent visual outcomes for both distance and near. At present, monovision LASIK is the best surgical option to manage presbyopia.
If you are interested in monovision contact Morris Eye Group in either our Encinitas or Oceanside office.
Farsightedness, also known as hyperopia, causes light to focus at a point beyond the retina, resulting in blurry vision. This condition results from an eye that is shorter than normal, or a cornea that is flatter than normal. Nearby objects appear out of focus for these patients, while distant images appear more clear. Hyperopia is different from presbyopia, the difficulty one experiences reading as part of the aging process. Depending on the degree of refractive error, some people with hyperopia may be candidates for LASIK surgery.
To find out if your Hyperopia can be corrected, contact our office in San Diego, California.
Experts agree the most widespread vision problem is myopia. In some parts of the world, the incidence of nearsightedness is close to fifty percent. In the United States alone, as many as seventy million people are believed to be afflicted with myopia. Additional estimates by the National Institutes of Health report that as many as one adult in four suffers from myopia. Living in Vista, San Diego, Oceanside or Carlsbad, our patients understand that with the strong sun and many outdoor sport opportunities it can be frustrating to have to wear contact lenses or glasses.
Understanding the shape of our eye anatomy is important. An ordinary eyeball is a perfect sphere, and the cornea and lens act to focus incoming light onto the retina, the back inside surface of the eye. In myopic – or nearsighted – patients, the curvature of the cornea is too steep for the shape of the eye. Inbound light is focused in front of the retina, causing distant objects to appear blurry.
To learn how LASIK eye surgery can correct myopia, contact Morris Eye Group at 760.631.3500.
LASIK, which stands for Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, is currently the most commonly performed type of laser vision correction. Morris Eye Group performs LASIK in San Diego. LASIK eye surgery is a largely safe and effective treatment for a spectrum of frequent vision problems. The LASIK procedure involves two steps designed to permanently alter the shape of the cornea, the transparent tissue covering the front of the eye. Morris Eye Group performs LASIK surgery on patients all over San Diego county including, Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista.
To understand the LASIK procedure, first, the LASIK surgeon must create a thin flap near the surface of the cornea. Traditionally this step is done by using a microkeratome, however recent technology allows Dr. Jeffrey Morris to create the flap using the precision of a laser. Once a flap is created, it is gently lifted to grant access to the corneal tissue underneath. The second step involves using an excimer laser to reshape the cornea. The laser ablates, or removes, predetermined amounts of tissue from the center of the corneal stroma. New Custom technology allows more precision in the laser pattern and for those who qualify it is the preferred method. The surgeon then carefully replaces the flap to complete the LASIK procedure.
LASIK eye surgery is a quick and typically painless procedure. For most patients, LASIK surgery improves the vision enough to eliminate the need for corrective lenses. However, it is important that LASIK candidates understand that all surgeries entail a certain amount of risk. Patients should be counseled on the potential risks and benefits of LASIK, then make an informed decision. It is also important for those who undergo LASIK eye surgery to have realistic expectations regarding the results of the procedure.
To learn more about the different procedures or technology we offer at our facility in Oceanside, Vista, San Diego, California, follow the link: http://www.morriseyegroup.com/refractive_surgery.html?l=refractive.
For more in-depth information on the safety and process of the LASIK procedure visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s LASIK Eye Surgery Site: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/
