After a long day at work spending some time outside hiking is a great way to relax and get some exercise at the same time. La Jolla offers several hiking spots with spectacular ocean views. As a bonus, the hiking trials are absolutely free. One is Torrey Pines, which is located on the cliffs just north of UCSD. Another great place is the Cliffs, located on La Jolla Farms Road. Both locations are beautiful and you will not be disappointed with the surroundings.
However, it is important to be able to see well while you are hiking. Often times glasses fog up when one is doing aerobic activity and this can cause frustration to the hiker. Contact lenses can become irritating, dry and uncomfortable. LASIK is a great option for those that enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking. Many hikers opt for LASIK as a solution to their visual problems because it provides a hassle free option. For those in San Diego LASIK is a great option. San Diego has such a wonderful climate that many outdoor enthusiasts are attracted to the city; however, if one is struggling to see well it can be difficult to enjoy a good hike.
For those new to the area, the Torrey Pines hike has a few options. You can either park at the beach and hike up the cliff, or you can park at the top of the cliff and hike down to the ocean. This hike can be intense, especially if you start at the beach and hike to the top. But, you can get a great workout while you take in the natural beauty.
The hike located at the Cliffs is more of a leisurely hike and can be completed by all ages. Once you get to the edge you have a great view, from La Jolla Cove, to the Glider Port. This trial is quick, fun, and worth the visit.
These La Jolla hiking locations are great year round, but if you happen to go during the spring you are in for a special treat as the wildflowers are at full bloom.So, whether you are looking for a bit of a workout or just to get outside and enjoy nature, the hiking trails in La Jolla are a great option. Of course one should always consider their visual needs before going on a hike. Although hiking can be great fun and good exercise, one may want to consider the LASIK procedure to avoid contact lens or glasses problems. Contact our eye doctor today to find out if you are a candidate!
When trying to understand how the optics inside the eye works it is best to compare the eye to a camera. For example, take the Nikon L110. It comes with amazing features such as smile recognition that automatically snaps the picture when your subject smiles. In portrait mode, it can focus in on up to 12 faces. Just like the lens inside the camera can focus on these 12 faces, the lens inside the eye helps an individual to be able to focus on a person or an object. In the camera, there is a panoramic feature to take wide-lens pictures of sweeping landscapes, or macro mode for those extreme close-ups. The pupil inside the eye allows certain amounts of light to enter helping an individual to see well in all lighting situations. The lens inside the eye takes that light and can focus in and out just like a camera on a particular object. The human head helps to stabilize images just like the camera has the image stabilization feature which steadies the picture even if there is camera movement.
A cataract is the clouding of the lens inside the eye. To correct a cataract the lens needs to be removed and replaced with a new lens otherwise known as an IOL. There are several types of lens options, monofocal, multifocal and Toric lenses. Each lens provides different levels of focusing for the patient. A monofocal lens implant will create one focal point for the patient. Often times the patient will need glasses after this type of an implant. A Multifocal implant provides the patient with multiple ranges of vision: distance, intermediate and near. Any residual astigmatism after a multifocal lens can be corrected with PRK. A Toric lens implant corrects for distance and astigmatism. The patient will wear reading glasses after the procedure.
To find out if you need cataract surgery, call our office today for an appointment!
There is a lot to think about when planning a wedding. Of course there are the usual timeline and checklist of all things that will need to be accomplished. A typical timeline should include budgeting money and open a savings account specifically for the wedding, dress shopping and deciding which friends or family members will be in the wedding party. There is also a website called theknot.com that can help in all aspects of planning including photos, checklists and forums. Many vendors also advertise on this site so one is able to get a wide range of information. One can find wedding and ceremony locations and request RFP’s directly from one website. This makes the planning of a wedding stress-free! However, there are other factors one should consider when planning a wedding that one my not normally think about. Besides the venue, dress, cake and other details one may want to consider seeing clearly on the wedding day. Of course glasses and contact lenses are one way to see clearly on a wedding day but one should also consider LASIK eye surgery as an option. With all of the planning it takes for a wedding, make sure not to neglect the most important person: the bride. LASIK is a great way to eliminate some stress one might have on their wedding day. With all of the preparing one could forget the contact lenses or lose a lens and then the bride would not be able to see at all on her wedding day. If the bride has the LASIK surgery performed before the wedding day, she will have the opportunity to see clearly throughout the whole process of the wedding, honeymoon and the rest of her marriage. LASIK is a great wedding present to consider giving to a bride or groom for that matter. Although the cost of eye surgery can be a costly procedure, when done correctly, that can last a life time. Consider the gift of sight when planning a wedding!
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.
Corrective Replacement Lens Is Allowed for Seniors Able To Pay an Additional Sum
Medicare has changed its rules so that senior citizens who undergo cataract surgery will be able to opt for a high-tech replacement lens that also corrects reading vision. The change, announced on Medicare’s Web site yesterday, represents a policy shift that could widen access to other cutting-edge medical technologies for patients covered by the federal health insurance plan for the elderly. The lenses are considered a significant advance in vision correction but hadn’t been available to Medicare patients until now. Surgeons who use the implants have been offering them to younger patients willing to spend perhaps $4,500 an eye, but they couldn’t offer them to Medicare patients, who constitute the vast majority of people undergoing surgery for cataracts. Under the old rule, surgeons weren’t permitted to charge Medicare patients for the difference between the cost of a conventional cataract surgery, which uses an older type of lens to replace the eye’s natural lens, and a similar procedure that uses the new implant. Medicare pays about $2,000 for a standard cataract surgery, including the lens and fees for the facility and the surgeon. Now, Medicare patients willing to spend an extra $2,500 or so of their own money can get one of the new lenses instead.
“This is an Emancipation Proclamation for Medicare patients,” declared Jeffrey Whitman, a Dallas eye surgeon who has implanted about 600 of the new lenses. “We have had to tell Medicare patients that this isn’t for you, it’s for everybody else. Now we can be nondiscriminatory.”
More cataract procedures are performed in the U.S. and world-wide than almost any other type of surgery. A cataract is an age-related cloudiness that occurs in the lens of the eye. The rule change recognizes that the new lenses treat two distinct medical conditions: one that is covered by the Medicare program, cataracts, and one that isn’t, presbyopia, the loss of near vision that typically requires people to use reading glasses by the age of 45 or so.
“This is a model we can continue to use and explore when it fits into the category” of a technology upgrade, said Leslie Norwalk, deputy administrator at Medicare, in an interview. “There may be other technologies that come down the road where this approach may make sense — we will have to wait and see.”
Ms. Norwalk said legal issues had slowed the agency’s decision to make the cataract-surgery policy change. The agency wanted to allow patients to purchase upgraded lenses, but at the same time wanted to protect beneficiaries from unethical surgeons who might
try to bill patients more for conventional cataract surgeries. The decision is a giant boost for companies that make the new lenses and the surgeons who are implanting them.
Dr. Whitman uses the Crystalens, made by Eyeonics Inc., a closely held company in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
“This is clearly the biggest decision in our small company’s life — it expands our market four or five times,” said Andy Corley, chief executive officer of Eyeonics. “We believe this is a win-win for everybody.”
“This is a major event for Alcon as well as competitors who are developing and/or marketing intraocular lenses with a presbyopic refractive component,” said Peter Bye, an analyst at Citigroup Smith Barney who upgraded his rating on Alcon’s stock. The analyst said the ruling increases the market potential for such products to 2.8 million procedures in the U.S. this year, five times what had been expected. The decision opens the door to cataract surgeons to promote the technology to their Medicare patients. For surgeons, such procedures are significantly more lucrative than conventional cataract surgery.
Dr. Whitman says the higher fees reflect the much more time-consuming measurements and postoperative care that such patients need. Using the new lenses is “more akin to refractive [vision correction] surgery than cataract surgery” because of patient expectations for excellent vision, he said.
Eyeonics has been trying for five years to get the Medicare rule changed, said Mr. Corley. “There were high-level meetings, but they kept delaying and delaying,” he said. The matter received more attention after U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox, a California Republican, stepped in.
“It was a Catch-22 situation because Medicare would pay for cataract surgery and a lens, but it wouldn’t pay for cataract surgery with a product that was meant to be in lieu of the [standard] lens,” Rep. Cox said in an interview. “Federal policy should not discourage technological advance,” he added.
Wave Front technology is a sophisticated mapping of the cornea to help the patient achieve their best possible vision. By using Wave Front technology a patient is often able to receive clearer crisper vision that they would with a standard treatment. Wave Front technology captures a picture of the cornea and displays a topographical map, illuminating all of the different dips, peaks and curves within an individual’s cornea. This sophisticated treatment allows for the cornea to be treated a lot more precisely than a standard laser would allow. Wave front helps to guide both the doctor and the laser.
Using Wave scan based digital technology, originally developed for astrophysics to reduce atmospheric distortions when viewing distance objects in space through high-powered telescopes, eye surgeons can now identify, measure, and correct imperfections in your eyes 25 times more precisely than with standard methods used for contacts, glasses and conventional LASIK or PRK. This information is transferred to the laser and directs the laser to correct the unique imperfections, providing a new level of precision and accuracy never before possible.
Just like a fingerprint, each person’s visual imperfections (optical aberrations) are 100% unique to each of their eyes. Before the recent advancements in technology, eye surgeons, such as Dr. Jeffrey Morris, were only able to use standard equipment (phoropter and trial lenses) and measurements to correct vision by the Excimer laser. This meant that prescriptions ( -6.00 -2.25 x 90 ) could only provide a certain level of laser vision correction regardless of an individual’s unique vision imperfections called optical aberrations. In the past, the eye surgeon typed in the prescriptions into the laser computer and this drove the laser vision correction.
Now, the VISX CustomVue procedure utilizes the Wave Scan and the STAR S4 and can measure and correct the unique visual imperfections (optical aberrations) so that you can achieve your Personal Best Vision.
Find out how Wave Front Guided technology can help you today! Call our office for a complimentary consultation 760-631-3500
Visian Implantable Collamer Lens provides U.S. Bobsled Pilot with the vision to lead his Team to first Olympic Gold in 62 Years.
In a historic moment for the United States bobsled team, Steven Holcomb piloted bobsled USA-1 to the Olympic gold medal in the four-man event, ending a 62-year Olympic medal drought for the American. Holcomb’s heroic mastery of the treacherous track is made even more significant by the fact that not long ago, he had 20/500 vision — “profound visual impairment” caused by keratoconus– that very nearly ended his bobsledding career. Contact lenses could no longer provide the level of visual acuity required for Holcomb to compete. Finally, with the help of U.S. bobsled coach Brian Shimer, he was deemed a good candidate for the Visian ICL. Holcomb said. “I couldn’t wear contacts the day of the surgery, so they literally had to walk me around the room. And then they did it, I got up, and just like that, I was 20/20. It’s incredible. I call it an eye-opening experience.” Read the rest of this entry »
