Refractive Surgery Options: LASIK

LASIK is the acronym for Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. LASIK is a surgical procedure which permanently changes the shape of the cornea. LASIK can eliminate a lifetime of dependence on glasses and corrective lenses.

In LASIK, a microkeratome (an automated microsurgical instrument (similar to a “high tech” carpenter's plane) is used to create a very thin corneal flap.

Next, the cool laser beam gently reshapes the exposed cornea below the flap by removing a thin layer of tissue. The corneal flap is then closed.

Each pulse of the laser removes 39-millionths of an inch of tissue in 12-billionths of a second, enabling surgeons to achieve remarkable accuracy while maintaining excellent control throughout the procedure. LASIK is an extremely effective outpatient procedure that is suitable not only for higher prescriptions but also for patients with moderate to low prescriptions. It can be used to correct even the most severe 1% of prescriptions and has generated considerable excitement in the eye care community around the world.

All excimer lasers are not the same. Dr. Ply is the only surgeon in the Myrtle Beach area with a permanent VISX/AMO CustomVue Iris Registration Laser in a climate-controlled operating suite.

LASIK has a very quick recovery time. Because the surface layer(epithelium) of the cornea is preserved, discomfort following the LASIK is minimal. The LASIK procedure itself involves minimal discomfort and takes only a few minutes to complete.

Performing LASIK requires more technical skill and training than other laser procedures. Surgical skill is a key component in the creation of the corneal flap and Dr. Ply’s experience and success with this procedure is unparalleled in the region. Dr. Ply has personally performed over 10, 000 procedures with impressive results.

With LASIK, the greater your prescription, the longer the procedure takes, yet even the most severe prescriptions require only about one minute of laser time and utilize only a topical anesthetic in the form of eye drops. Although no procedure is perfect, excimer laser technology allows for an unsurpassed degree of precision and predictability, making laser vision correction, in our opinion, the best procedure available for suitable candidates.

To those obtained with standard laser correction, and the dramatic improvement in night vision may be the greatest single advantage of Custom laser correction. Custom correction can be applied to both LASIK and PRK treatment.

Refractive Surgery Options: Custom LASIK

Custom LASIK uses a diagnostic device to map the visual system of the eye, including the tiny distortions and imperfections naturally present in all eyes. The technology employed is based upon mathematical techniques used to improve the performance and image quality of deep space telescopes, and it produces a unique map of your eye that serves as a fingerprint of your vision. The computer in the excimer laser uses this map, which provides extremely precise and detailed information about your vision, to generate a wavefront customized treatment appropriate for your eye. With Custom LASIK patients often achieve vision that is even better than the vision they had with their glasses or contact lenses before surgery.

Results of a published FDA clinical trial demonstrated that 94% of patients treated with Custom LASIK were able to see 20/20 or better without glasses. Four times as many people in the trial were very satisfied with their night vision after Custom LASIK than were very satisfied with their night vision with glasses or contacts before surgery. These results are superior to those obtained with standard laser correction, and the dramatic improvement in night vision may be the greatest single advantage of Custom laser correction. Custom correction can be applied to both LASIK and ASA treatment.

ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation)

Advanced Surfave Ablation (ASA) is a procedure in which the surface of the cornea is reshaped using the excimer laser. ASA may be used to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), or astigmatism. ASA is commonly used in patients who are not suitable candidates for LASIK.

Unlike LASIK, in which the laser is applied to the layer of the eye below the flap, in ASA the laser is applied to the superficial layers of the cornea and there is no flap. Because the protective superficial layers of the cornea must heal post-operatively following ASA, patients who undergo ASA will require significantly more time than LASIK patients to achieve their best vision.

The outcomes of ASA and LASIK are quite comparable at the 6 month post-operative visit and in some patients ASA is a safer procedure than LASIK.

Cataract Surgery & Intraocular Lens Implantation

Cataract surgery removes the clouded crystalline lens (cataract) inside the eye, clearing the path for light rays entering the eye. It is among the most highly perfected, safe, and successful operations in all of medicine. More than 2.5 million cataract operations are performed in this country every year.

Intraocular lens implantation at the time of cataract surgery aids vision correction. During surgery, a small incision is made and a folded polished plastic lens is inserted and implanted into the eye to aid in vision correction. To date, more than 500 million IOLs have been implanted worldwide.

Modern cataract surgery is performed under local or eye drop anesthesia supplemented with only minimal sedation. The procedure is painless and with Dr. Ply’s surgical time is usually less than fifteen minutes. In most cases Dr. Ply performs cataract surgery that does not require injections, sutures, or patches. Astigmatism correction is typically also provided at the time of cataract surgery, if needed. Dr. Ply performs his cataract surgery at Atlantic Surgery Center in Murrells Inlet, a Medicare-approved surgery center that performs only eye surgery.

To learn more about cataract surgery, please contact Dr. Ply at his Murrells Inlet or Conway offices by calling 843-651-8200.

Refractive Surgery Options: Multifocal & Accommodating IOL (IntraOcular Lenses)

By the age of 40-45, most individuals need reading glasses for close vision and most individuals with myopia or hyperopia need bifocals. Multifocal intraocular lens and accommodative intraocular lens (IOLs) make it possible for doctors to offer their patients a range of clearer vision that includes near, distance and intermediate vision.

These procedures are most commonly performed on patients who are having cataract surgery. However, multifocal and accommodative IOLs are now also commonly used in patients with clear lenses (patients without cataracts) who are presbyopic (need reading glasses) with refractive errors that are not treated as well with LASIK.

Traditional replacement lenses used in cataract surgery offer clear vision at one point, typically distance. By contrast, these new IOLs offer vision at near, intermediate, and distant points. Multifocal IOLS accomplish this by incorporating several 'rings' that focus at different distances and accommodative lenses do so by moving within the eye.

Accommodating IOL’s actually move inside the eye to focus light, much like our natural crystalline lens does before age 40 or so. Multifocal and accommodative IOLs reduce or eliminate dependence on distance glasses, bifocals and reading glasses for everyday activities. Dr. Ply has performed more surgery using multifocal and accommodative IOLs than any other surgeon in the Myrtle Beach region.