Western Laser Eye Associates | Dr. Anderson Penno

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

World Glaucoma Week: Whether You Have LASIK, Epi-LASIK, Intra-LASIK, PRK Or No Surgery - Get Screened At Age 40

SAN FRANCISCO—Glaucoma continues to be a major cause of blindness and vision loss both worldwide and in the United States, where an estimated 2.2 million people have the disease. During World Glaucoma Week 2010, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeSmart™ campaign and EyeCare America Foundation remind Americans that knowing your risks for glaucoma can save your sight. People with the top risk factors for the disease need to be especially vigilant. A recent National Eye Institute (NEI) report found that fewer than 10 percent of Americans surveyed knew that glaucoma has no early warning signs, in most cases.

“Glaucoma’s silent onset is a key reason the disease so often damages people’s vision before they know they have it, and why eye exams are vital,” says Andrew Iwach, MD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and glaucoma expert. “Ophthalmologists–Eye M.D.s–can detect the subtle, early signs of glaucoma and provide treatment that will help people keep their best possible vision.”

Top risk factors for glaucoma are:

Age (65 years and older)
Elevated eye pressure
Family history of glaucoma
African, Asian or Latino ethnicity
Related health problems, including diabetes, low blood pressure, migraine headaches

For people of any age with symptoms or risks for eye disease, such as glaucoma, the Academy recommends seeing an Eye M.D. to decide on eye exam intervals and other needed care. For adults with no signs or risk factors for eye disease, the Academy recommends a baseline screening at age 40—the time when the early stages of age-related eye disorders and vision changes may begin. Based on this screening information, the Eye M.D. will prescribe how often to return for follow-up exams.

NEI and other research show that timely treatment helps save people’s vision. Such studies also give ophthalmologists new data on improving patient care. For example, the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study found that eye pressure-reducing medications lowered the risk of glaucoma by more than 50 percent in high-risk patients.

About Glaucoma
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve that transmits images from the eye to the brain. As glaucoma worsens, cells also die in the retina–a special, light-sensitive area of the eye–which further reduces the optic nerve’s function. The most common form of the disease is primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Fluid builds up in the front chamber of the eye, and the optic nerve is damaged by the resulting increase in eye pressure.

If a person has POAG, the lack of obvious symptoms makes it nearly impossible for him to know he has the disease. Since POAG-related vision changes are so gradual and easily overlooked, regular eye exams are important. Symptoms of the less common but more immediately dangerous closed-angle glaucoma include: blurred vision, severe eye pain and headache, rainbow-colored halos around lights, and nausea and vomiting. Anyone with these symptoms needs to be seen by an Eye M.D. right away

Reprinted with permission from AAO's www.geteyesmart.org.

More information about LASIK, Epi-LASIK, Intra-LASIK and PRK can be found in Dr. Anderson Penno's latest book "Laser Vision Correction: What You Need To Know" available at www.amazon.com.

To book your complimentary refactive surgery assessment contact www.westernlasereye.com or call 403-547-9775.

posted by Western Laser Eye Staff at 8:35 PM 0 comments

Monday, March 1, 2010

Nearsightedness On The Rise

A new study released from the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that rates of myopia (nearsightedness) are on the rise amongst Americans. According to the researchers, the rates of myopia in people age 12 to 54 increased from 25 percent in 1971-72 to 41.6 percent in 1999-2004. The survey included people with mild to severe myopia.

The 66.4 percent increase in myopia in Americans since the 1970s, is significant and will impact healthcare costs as well as vision quality. Today, 47 million Americans aged 20 and older are myopic and billions of dollars are spent annually on glasses and contact lenses. In addition, the majority of LASIK and related refractive surgical procedures in the United States are performed to correct myopia. For more information about myopia visit: http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/correction/LASIK.cfm

This article reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Ophthalmology's EyeSmart™ campaign (www.geteyesmart.org).

More information is available at http://www.westernlasereye.com/ and in Dr. Anderson Penno's latest book "Laser Vision Correction: What You Need To Know" available at http://www.amazon.com/. To book your complimentary assessment call 403.547.9775.

posted by Western Laser Eye Staff at 9:32 PM 0 comments

Friday, February 26, 2010

Calgary Epi-LASIK, LASIK, PRK, Intra-LASIK: What is Custom Wavefront Laser Vision Correction?

Once you decide you are interested in having laser vision correction surgery there are several things to consider. Which procedure is best for you? Which surgeon to choose? How much will it cost? What type of laser will be used?

Laser vision correction can be done by making a corneal flap and placing the laser treatment under the flap; the flap can be made by a mechanical microkeratome for LASIK or with the femtosecond laser with Intra-LASIK. Many surgeons are favoring surface no-flap treatments due to the lower risk and equally good long term results; no flap treatments include PRK and Epi-LASIK.

For either no-flap or flap treatments the application of the laser can be a standard treatment or a customized wavefront treatment. The standard treatment will treat simple sphere (nearsighted or farsighted) corrections as well as astigmatism corrections. For a true custom wavefront treatment measurements are made using a wavefront analyzer before surgery. The wavefront analyzer uses infrared light which is projected into the eye; the light is measured as it exits the eye and analyzed to provide an aberrometry map. The aberrometry map contains information about the simple sphere and astigmatism corrections along with more complex higher order aberrations. Each individual will have a unique set of higher order aberrations. The Wavescan aberrometer uses approximately 240 data points to create a unique aberrometry map that can be used for a truly customized wavefront treatment by the Visx S4 IR excimer laser.

The Visx laser is the most widely used excimer laser in North America. For customized wavefront treatments the wavescan aberrometry map data is loaded into the Visx S4 IR excimer laser for each unique eye to be treated. The wavescan aberrometry map also contains information regarding iris landmarks (the iris is the colored part of the eye surrounding the pupil). This iris information is used during treatment to recognize the unique eye to be treated and to adjust the treatment for cyclorotation and iris centration. Cyclorotation is the rotation of the eye which can occur between sitting upright and laying down. For some people this rotation may be greater than 10 degrees. The pupil may also shift slightly in response to lighting conditions. The iris recognition feature available on the Visx S4 IR excimer laser system allows for the precise application of the laser treatment for optimal results.

While many people have had satisfactory results with standard laser treatments, there is evidence to show that true custom wavefront treatments offer better results. An analogy that is often used is that of an off the rack suit compared to a tailor-made suit. Custom wavefront laser vision correction is tailored to your individual eye.

Choosing to have laser vision correction is a big decision. Considering all the factors involved including laser type and standard versus wavefront corrections will help you make the choice that is best for you.

More information is available in Dr. Anderson Penno's latest book "Laser Vision Correction: What You Need to Know" which is available at http://www.amazon.com/Laser-Vision-Correction-What-Need/dp/143926497X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267248232&sr=1-1#noop.

To book a complimentary assessment with Dr. Anderson Penno contact us at 403-547-9775 or www.westernlasereye.com.

posted by Western Laser Eye Staff at 8:50 PM 1 comments

Friday, February 19, 2010

Epi-LASIK, PRK, LASIK & Epi-LASIK: Laser Vision Correction When You're Over Forty

For those over the age of forty who are considering laser vision correction, it is important to understand the effects of age on the ability to focus up close. This age related loss of focus ability is called presbyopia. For people with good uncorrected distance vision and for those who have a full contact lens correction for distance, presbyopia means that at some point after the age of forty you will begin to need reading glasses (or reading glasses over your contacts) in order to read up close. As this age related process continues you will begin to need glasses for computer work and other intermediate work. People who wear glasses full time will need a progressive lens or a bifocal in order to read with their glasses on. Before progressive (lineless bifocal) lenses were available you would likely get a bifocal sometime in your forties, and then a trifocal to include the mid-range correction in your fifties. People with mild nearsightedness may simply take their glasses off to read rather than getting a progressive or bifocal eyeglass.

Those who wear contacts for distance with reading glasses over their contacts will eliminate the need for their distance contact lenses but will still need reading glasses after laser eye surgery if both eyes are corrected fully for distance. For people who wear bifocal or progressive lenses, laser vision correction will eliminate just the top distance correction if a distance target is chosen. Reading glasses will still be needed following surgery, and if you are in your fifties then a mid-range correction might be required as well. For the mildly nearsighted people who are over the age of forty, they may be trading their distance glasses for readers with a full laser vision correction. For this group, anything the ordinarily do with glasses off will require readers. An example is someone who does desk work all day with their glasses off and then puts their glasses on to drive home; this person will wear readers and possibly computer glasses all day at work and then take them off to drive home. It is important to understand the effects of presbyopia in order to make sure you will be satisfied with the outcome of surgery.

The only alternative to readers for those who undergo laser vision correction and are over the age of forty is to consider monovision. Monovision is when one eye is corrected fully for distance and the other is left mildly nearsighted for close work. This arrangement may work well for some people, but it is important to simulate monovision with contact lenses or with a trial-frame in your eye doctor's office before considering it for a permanent laser vision correction. For a mildly nearsighted person, monovision may mean that a correction is done only in one eye and the other is left untouched. If possible the trial should include both ways - right eye for distance and left for close and then left eye for distance and right for close. Your optometrist can assist you in doing a monovision trial with contact lenses.

If you can adjust to monovision and are over forty, this option will give you the widest range of functional vision without having to put readers on and off. Monovision may not completely eliminate the need for glasses. Some people with monovision might prefer to wear glasses for night driving or to wear readers for detailed close tasks like sewing. Monovision is a compromise. Your best vision will be obtained with both eyes corrected, which is why some people with monovision will wear glasses for specific tasks. People who spend a large amount of time doing hobbies like tennis or golf or who depend on distance vision for their jobs like professional drivers may not be good candidates for monovision. In general, monovision is not recommended for younger people since the benefit of monovision will not be present until sometime after the age of forty.

Whether to do a full correction for distance or to do monovision with any of the laser vision correction techniques is a personal choice. It is important if you are over the age of forty to understand the choice you are making so you are not disappointed by having to wear reading glasses or computer glasses after surgery.

More information on monovision and other laser vision correction options is available in Dr. Anderson Penno's book "Laser Vision Correction: What You Need To Know". It is available at www.Amazon.com - the specific link to the book page is:
http://www.amazon.com/Laser-Vision-Correction-What-Need/dp/143926497X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266637919&sr=1-1

To book your complimentary laser vision assessment call 403-247-9775 or visit www.westernlasereye.com.

posted by Western Laser Eye Staff at 7:26 PM 0 comments

Saturday, February 6, 2010

New Book About LASIK, PRK, Epi-LASIK, and Intra-LASIK

Dr. Anderson Penno is pleased to announce that her latest book "Laser Vision Correction: What You Need to Know" is now available on Amazon.com. This book is an excellent resource for anyone considering vision correction surgery. Follow the link below to access the Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Laser-Vision-Correction-What-Need/dp/143926497X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1265126338&sr=8-1

"Laser Vision Correction: What You Need to Know" is also available at www.booksurge.com and is coming soon to Kindle.

Call 403.547.9774 or visit www.westernlasereye.com to book your complimentary assessment.

posted by Western Laser Eye Staff at 10:20 AM 0 comments

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Recovery after No-Flap Laser Vision Correction: PRK and Epi-LASIK

Laser vision correction surgeries can be divided into flap and no-flap categories. Flap treatments include LASIK and Intra-LASIK. These treatments involve creating a corneal flap, lifting the flap, and then applying the excimer laser energy to reshape the tissue under the flap. The corneal flap is then replaced. Creating a corneal flap carries some risk of flap problems at the time of surgery or possible flap shift after surgery. The flap allows for more rapid recovery of vision and less discomfort in the first few days.

The long term results are equally good according to many studies that compare flap to no-flap treatments. No-flap laser vision correction treatments, PRK and Epi-LASIK, have gained in popularity over the past few years due to the longstanding safety record of surface no-flap treatments. PRK was introduced over twenty years ago in North America. For PRK the surface cells called epithelium cells are removed with a brush or spatula. Epi-LASIK is a newer treatment that uses an epikeratome to remove the surface cells to prepare the surface for laser reshaping.

No-flap laser vision correction carries a lower risk than flap treatments and will take longer to recover from than flap treatments. No-flap treatments like PRK and Epi-LASIK require an investment of time for healing in return for an added level of safety with excellent long term results. The recovery from no-flap treatments can be divided into days 1-4, 3 days to 1 week, 1 week to 8 weeks,2 months to 1 year.

Days 1-4 following PRK and Epi-LASIK are when the surface epithelial cells regenerate. During this time a bandage contact will remain in place to help with comfort. The amount of discomfort in the first few days will range from mildly gritty or sore to more significant burning, stinging, and light sensitivity. During these first few days following a no-flap laser vision correction treatment it is important to use medicated drops as directed, to use copious lubricating drops, and to plan to rest as much as possible with the eyes closed. Most people will find the comfort and vision worsens over the first few days following surgery. Many people find that the worst of the discomfort occurs in the second 24 hours after treatment and then improves. Pain medications including special eye drops are provided for use if needed. While not everyone will need these pain relievers, a minority of people will be staying in a dark room with their eyes closed for a day or two.

Days 3 to 7 will be a period of vision improvement. In most cases the epithelium will be healed and the bandage contact lens will be removed on day 3 or 4. Following Epi-LASIK many people may be legal to drive within 5 days. With PRK the healing may result in vision in the legal to drive range at about 7 to 10 days. It is important to know that legal to drive is a few lines away from 20/20, so some people will chose to wait longer before driving. While many people will return to usual activities in this time, some modifications may be necessary such as more breaks from computer work or avoiding night driving. During this time fluctuations of vision may be present and the vision will continue to improve. Post-operative examinations are usually done every 1 to 2 days until the bandage contact lenses are removed.

Weeks 1 to 8 are a time of continued sharpening up of vision. During this time symptoms of dryness, night vision problems, and overall vision will improve. Some people will continue to need frequent lubrication drops. Most surgeons will recommend continuation of steroid eye drops to aid in healing. While many people will be very happy with their vision within several days after surgery, others will be happier after 1 to 2 months following surgery. Patience with healing is important following PRK and Epi-LASIK.

Post-operative vision checks are usually scheduled every 1 to 2 months for 3 to 6 months. In most cases it is advisable to wait up to 6 months before considering an enhancement surgery (touch up). The majority of people will have a stable correction following PRK or Epi-LASIK for many years following laser vision correction.

When considering a no-flap laser vision correction treatment it is important to understand the benefits of safety and excellent long term results in return for a longer recovery than with flap procedures. The majority of people have excellent results with PRK and Epi-LASIK. For more information or to schedule your free laser vision consultation contact www.westernlasereye.com or call 403.547.9775.

posted by Gary Penno at 6:50 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

LASIK, Epi-LASIK, PRK, Intralase and Diabetes

Diabetes does not automatically disqualify you from laser vision correction surgery. If the blood sugar is under good control and the prescription is stable you may qualify. If the blood sugar is fluctuating to very high or very low levels then the prescription may be unstable. In some cases a diagnosis of diabetes is made when fluctuating vision leads to a check of blood sugar.

Diabetic people are also at risk for diabetic retinal problems. Whether or not laser vision correction is being considered, people with diabetes should have annual eye examinations regardless of age. The American Academy of Ophthalmology's patient education site Get Eye Smart has a campaign to get 10,000 diabetic people committed to annual eye examinations.

Over half of diabetic people do not get annual eye examinations and are at risk for vision loss. Over 90 percent of severe vision loss due to diabetes can be prevented by routine examination. For every pledge to have annual eye examinations the Academy of Ophthalmology will donate one dollar to diabetic eye health education. More information is available at http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/eyecommitted/about.cfm.

For more information about laser vision correction in Calgary contact us at www.westernlasereye.com or call 403-547-9775.

posted by Western Laser Eye Staff at 8:40 PM 1 comments