FAQs at Rochester Eye Care

Proudly serving Detroit, Troy, & Macomb

People everywhere are raving about LASIK and laser vision correction! Laser vision correction is the modern alternative to glasses or contact lenses.

What would it mean to you if you could toss out your glasses or annoying contacts? And how great would it feel to do your favorite activity without relying on glasses or contacts?

Well it’s all possible. In fact, Dr. Weingarten, a foremost Detroit LASIK surgeon, has helped many people just like you transform their poor vision into sharp, crystal-clear sight in just seconds.

This information provided by Dr. Weingarten will give you all the facts you need before you do anything.

Vision Correction Breakthrough

You may have heard a lot of things about LASIK and laser vision correction. It’s being heralded as the greatest breakthrough in vision correction since contact lenses. And chances are you already know someone who’s had their eyes “lasered”. But is it right for you? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s why I’ve written this fact-filled report to help cut through the hype and give you the honest truth about laser vision correction.

You’re going to find out all the benefits of the procedure, and believe me there are many, but I’ll also cover the not-so good points. This way you’ll have an objective perspective and then you can decide for yourself if laser vision correction is right for you.

In order to understand how laser vision correction works, it’s important to first cover vision problems thoroughly.

What’s The Cause of Blurry Vision?

Vision problems like nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism and presbyopia are due to your eye’s inability to focus light correctly on the retina. These are called “refractive” disorders because the light coming into your eyes is not bent or “refracted” properly.

Nearsightedness 
The most common is nearsightedness (or Myopia). About 70 million people in North America are nearsighted. That’s about 1 in 4. Being “nearsighted” means that you can see objects that are “nearer” to you much sharper than objects in the distance. This is due to light focusing in front of the retina instead of directly on ittherefore causing blurry vision at a distance.

Farsightedness 
Farsightedness (or Hyperopia) is the opposite of being nearsighted, you can see objects in the distance better than objects near to you. Farsightedness is caused by light focusing behind the retina. And this is due to an eye that is too short for the curvature of your cornea (which is often flatter than normal, also).

Astigmatism 
Astigmatism is also quite common and patients who are nearsighted or farsighted many times also have some astigmatism. The best way to understand astigmatism is to think of your cornea as being shaped more like the end of a football than a soccer ball, which causes light rays that enter your eye to become unequally bent (or refracted) and this results in a distorted image.

Presbyopia 
If you have difficulty reading a menu or the fine print in a newspaper is blurry — you may have presbyopia. Presbyopia is part of the normal aging process and occurs around 40 or 50. This is due to the eye’s focusing system weakening and a laser cannot correct this. That’s why many people with normal sight will still require reading glasses as they age to read fine print.

Laser will not help correct presbyopia, but here’s one option to consider:

Monovision 
Correcting one eye for distance and leaving the other slightly nearsighted for reading is called monovision. And this allows you to read after presbyopia starts. Monovision is best suited for close-at-hand activities like reading a menu, opening the mail, threading a needle, etc. However, most people will require reading glasses eventually.

Laser Vision Correction Options

Laser vision correction is using a precise, minimally invasive laser to reshape the cornea to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. During the treatment, the lasers cool beam of ultraviolet light removes a small amount of corneal tissue allowing images to be more sharply focused on the retina. It has been performed since 1991 in the United States and earlier in Europe. Millions of patients worldwide have benefited from laser vision correction.

There are two procedures performed using the excimer laser:

  • PRK
  • LASIK

Both procedures can produce remarkable results, but each uses different methods. Let’s talk about PRK first:

PRK

PRK stands for photorefractive keratectomy. Using an excimer laser, doctors change the shape of the cornea to improve your vision. This was a big improvement over the older way of using manual, spoke-like scalpel incisions to reshape the cornea (called radial keratotomy or RK).

PRK is an outpatient procedure that takes about 15 minutes to perform. During the procedure the cornea’s outermost protective epithelium is gently removed. Then the laser will precisely reshape your eye’s curvature. And within 3-5 days the epithelium will be restored and the new cornea shape remains corrected. The major drawback to this procedure is the painful healing of the epithelium and the slow visual recovery.

OK, now what about LASIK?

LASIK

LASIK stands for Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. LASIK involves creating a thin flap on the cornea with a microkeratome and this flap is opened up, almost like a submarine hatch, then the laser is used to reshape the inner layer of the cornea. What’s incredible about this procedure is the flap is repositioned without sutures or stitches and adheres immediately.

So, What’s The Difference?

Make no mistake, both LASIK and PRK are effective for correcting vision disorders.

However most doctors and patients prefer LASIK because of these advantages:

  • Rapid Recovery
  • Correction of a full range of vision problems
  • Less risk of infection
  • Less discomfort after surgery
  • Reduced risk of corneal haze or scarring

Many LASIK patients will even see better the very same day of surgery because there is no incision in the surface of the cornea (epithelium). With PRK it will take about three days for the epithelium to heal. At your vision screening we can determine which method is best suited for you.

Okay, so does all of this make sense to you? I hope so. 
And I hope you’ve found this informative. You wouldn’t find this kind of straight forward information anywhere else. This is why I want to make you a special offer. Although my practice is quite busy, I would like to offer you a chance to come in and talk with me personally.

I would like to buy you a free consultation. 
This will be an opportunity for us to get together so we can discuss your specific situation in detail and see if LASIK is really the best option for you (I’ll give you an honest assessment to the best of my abilities).

Here’s what to do now… 
Before you put down this report, give Patti a call today at Phone: (248) 650-2255 and tell her you got the special report and would like to schedule a free vision evaluation.

I’ve helped a lot of people, just like you, discover freedom from glasses and contacts. And I hope I can do the same for you. But you won’t know unless you come in. So why not spend some time, at my expense, finding out if this is right for you.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Mark Weingarten, M.D.

P.S. Are you still hesitant? Why not call my assistant Patti at (248) 650-2255 and she can answer your remaining questions over the phone.

P.P.S. You could be on your way to seeing better in just seconds with breakthrough LASIK laser vision correction. Call today for your free evaluation and consultation. 

Additional Information

TAKE LASIK CANDIDATE QUIZ

1. What is your age?
2. Do you have dry eye problems?
3. Has your glasses or contact prescription been stable for at least 12 months?
4. Do you know your prescription?
5. Do you wear reading glasses or bifocals?
6. Have you ever had an eye injury or eye surgery?
7. Over 98% of LASIK patients see 20/20 or better after surgery. The results of LASIK laser vision correction have been tremendous for literally millions of people. Despite the amazing safety and results of this procedure there are associated risks. Are you willing to discuss these risks with our LASIK coordinator?