FAQ

Before we begin your LASIK eye surgery, we will place anesthetic drops into each eye to numb them. With these drops, you will feel minimal discomfort during the procedure. We will have you lie down a table with the laser equipment above it. The eye that is not being worked on will be covered by a protective shield. A special instrument will hold open the eye that Dr. O’Brien is working on, while you look up at a small blinking light.

Your surgeon will create a small corneal flap with a femtosecond laser. Then, the excimer laser beam is applied to the exposed corneal area. With this beam your surgeon will apply a series of small, rapid bursts for less than twenty seconds to reshape your cornea.

After the reshaping of the cornea is complete, the doctor will lay the corneal flap back in place, and it acts as natural bandage with no need for stitches. About one hour after you arrive for your LASIK eye surgery, you will be ready to go home.

There are risks associated with refractive surgery. There is a risk of dry eye syndrome, which can be severe; the possible need for glasses or contact lenses after surgery; visual symptoms including halos, glare, starbursts, and double vision, which can be debilitating; and the loss of vision. For more information on risks associated with LASIK, see the safety information on reclaimyourvision.com

During a consultation, one of our highly trained doctors will evaluate your eyes and look at the condition and health of them, before recommending cosmetic eyelid surgery.

For this procedure you will be given conscious anesthesia. You may be in the operating suite for several hours, depending on the amount of tissue that is to be removed. For the upper eyelids, the doctor will make incisions along the natural folds of your skin so that when the scars heal they will become difficult to see. He will then remove the excess skin, muscle, and fatty tissue that accumulate in the inside corner of the eye.

For the lower eyelids, the doctor will make the incision either inside or behind the eyelid. This is called transconjunctival-blepharoplasty. This method avoids the need for an external incision while still allowing for the removal of fatty deposits. However, if there is excessive skin or muscle folds below the eye, an incision may be made below the base of eyelashes. As it heals, it should become just as invisible as the scar for the upper eyelids.

Post-surgery, bruising and swelling is quite common. This is typically noticeable for a week to a month, but may be longer in some cases. To reduce swelling and bruising and to minimize any discomfort you may feel, use cold compresses and elevate your head when lying down. You may be given eye drops and/or ointments to keep your eyes moist and clean. Discomfort is typically mild and most patients need little, if any, pain medication.

If you suffer from wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), we offer the FDA-approved treatment, Lucentis, eye injections. First, we will prep your eye to help avoid infections. Then, we will numb your eye to limit discomfort during the injection. You may still feel some pressure on your eye, but this is likely all you will feel. Once the injection is complete, the pressure should subside.

Many diseases affecting the retina, macula, and vitreous fluid of the eye require vitreoretinal surgery. Other eye diseases such as retinal detachments, epi-retinal membranes, macular holes, vitreous floaters, and diabetic vitreous hemorrhages may also require surgical treatment. Vitreoretinal surgery is performed inside or around the eye. Vitreoretinal surgery can be risky but it is often the best and only option for a patient. The surgeons at New Vision Eye Center have completed specialized 2-year surgical training and use cutting-edge techniques for our patients. Vitreoretinal surgeries can be completed in one day and do not require hospitalization. There is minimal recovery time with these types of procedures.

Here at New Vision Eye Center we offer everything from general eye exams, to state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, to ophthalmic surgery. We are here to take care of all your needs.

Some of the most common vision problems that we encounter include:

Nearsightedness (Myopia): This occurs when images focus in front of the retina because the eye is too long or the cornea too curved, so objects far away are blurry.

Farsightedness (Hyperopia): This happens when images focus behind the retina because the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat, so objects close to you are blurry.

Astigmatism: This is caused when images are distorted and are not uniform in all directions, so objects both near and far appear blurry.

Presbyopia: This is a disorder caused by the normal aging process that typically affects reading vision.

To hydrate and restore the health of the eye’s surface, artificial tears are a common treatment. Your doctor can provide advice on over-the-counter eye drops and artificial tears for dry eyes. For some patients, custom plans are created that include Restasis drops twice a day in addition to Omega 3 supplements. Plugs in the tear ducts to slow the drainage of the eye’s natural tears may also be necessary.

If you’re suffering from vision problems due to cataracts and it’s interfering with your quality of life, cataract surgery is likely your best treatment option. Cataract surgery is a very common procedure and has the highest success rate of all surgeries in the United States. During cataract surgery the cloudy, natural lens is replaced with a new, clear lens with your own prescription.

If you’ve been told your eyes are not suitable for LASIK, or if your active lifestyle precludes you from having the procedure, Advanced Surface Treatment (AST) may be an option for you. AST is a laser vision correction procedure for nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism, and presbyopia.

We can reduce or eliminate your need for glasses or contact lenses by correcting your visual problems with our custom, topography guided excimer laser technology. The laser emits a cool, ultraviolet light that produces no heat. It gently removes microscopically thin layers of tissue with each pulse, which permanently reshapes the cornea to allow for better vision.

There are risks associated with refractive surgery. There is a risk of dry eye syndrome, which can be severe; the possible need for glasses or contact lenses after surgery; visual symptoms including halos, glare, starbursts, and double vision, which can be debilitating; and the loss of vision. For more information on risks associated with LASIK, see the safety information on reclaimyourvision.com

It is common in aging eye for the jelly in the vitreous humor to drift. As this happens, it can pull on the retina, which sends signals to the brain. Flashes are short signals that the eye initiates internally, instead of responding to an external stimulus.

If you’ve had any serious damage to the back of your eye, you may see floaters. It is common for the retina to detach from the vitreous humor after age 55, but retinal tears can make the condition more serious.

Flashes and floaters become more serious the younger you are. Flashes and floaters are common in older people, but younger people should have the condition checked out by a professional. If you have recently received any trauma to the eye and flashes or floaters begin to appear, get it checked out immediately.

The treatment for glaucoma will often include prescription eye drops, but sometimes laser surgery is necessary. Eye drops can reduce the occurrence of fluid in front of the eye, or increase the outflow of fluid. Potential side effects of glaucoma drops include redness of the eyes, brief stinging or visual blurring, and irritated eyes.

When undergoing a laser trabeculoplasty procedure as a treatment for glaucoma, a non-burning beam of laser light is focused on the fluid draining part of the eye. The result of this is a series of small changes that make it easier for fluid to exit the eye.

As time passes, the effects of laser trabeculoplasty may wear off and continued evaluations are required. Even with the surgery, some patients may need to continue glaucoma medications, but most can reduce or discontinue using eye drops.

After undergoing laser or traditional cataract surgery, some patients may develop a haze in the eye, just behind the artificial intraocular implant. This haze may cause blurred or double vision and glare. This is commonly known as posterior capsule opacity (PCO). Sometimes it is called “secondary cataract”, however, this is misleading as cataracts do not recur after surgery.

Currently, a minor outpatient procedure, YAG laser capsulotomy, is the only effective treatment of PCO. YAG stands for yttrium aluminum garnet, because of the crystal contained within the laser. The laser will create a central opening in the opacified capsule. Through this opening, light rays can pass freely to the back of the eye, which results in restored or improved vision. The procedure is only performed for patients whose PCO is affecting their vision, and it is typically only needed once.

A frequent complication of diabetes is an eye disease that affects the retina called diabetic retinopathy. Poor vision and, potentially, blindness can occur in those with diabetes due to damages in the small blood vessels in the retina. This happens when the tiny blood vessels in the eye weaken and then develop small bulges. These bulges may burst and leak into the retina and the vitreous gel, a fluid inside the eye. Over time, new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina, which causes impaired vision. This is called proliferative retinopathy.

If your question was not covered here, please feel free to contact us or call 772-257-8700 to speak with a member of our friendly staff and schedule your appointment. You may also email us at [email protected]