Maine Vision Care
Lasik eye surgery, or Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis,
developed over the course of one hundred years. Knowledge of the eye
in conjunction with sophisticated surgical techniques culminated in
many Europeans acknowledging the possibility of radial keratotomy.
Japanese doctors in the 1930's also saw this potential. However, it
was not until the 1970's Russia that it was actually put to physical
test.
LASIK is the acronym for laser in situ keratomileusis, sometimes
referred to as laser assisted in situ keratomileusis. The name
refers to the use of a laser to reshape the cornea without invading
the adjacent cell layers. In situ is Greek for "in the natural or
normal place". Medically, in situ means “confined to the site of
origin without invasion of neighbouring tissues”. Kerato is the
Greek word for “cornea” and mileusis means "to shape".
LASIK is a surgical procedure intended to reduce a person's
dependency on glasses or contact lenses. LASIK is a procedure that
permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of
the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A knife, called a
microkeratome, is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left
at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the
stroma, the middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a
computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the
flap is replaced. There are other techniques and many new terms
related to LASIK that you may hear about.
Patients are given a topical anesthetic (eye drops) to numb the eye,
so they experience no pain during the procedure. When the surgeon
applies the vacuum ring, the patient experiences a sensation of
slight pressure just before his or her vision fades away for a few
seconds. The microkeratome – the instrument the surgeon uses to
create the flap - and the laser do not cause any pain or discomfort.
For several hours after the procedure, many patients describe a mild
"foreign body" sensation, such as after opening the eyes while
swimming in chlorinated water. Some people feel as though there is a
dirty contact lens in their eye. After the first few hours, this
uncomfortable feeling usually subsides.
The doctors at Vision Care of Maine are among the most experienced
and well-trained in the country. Together they have performed tens
of thousands of surgical and laser vision correction procedures. Our
surgeons have completed extensive training as eye surgery
specialists.
www.visioncareofmaine.com
One Ridgewood Drive,
Bangor ME 04401 (207) 945-6200
Coastal Eye Care Maine
Myopia, more commonly referred to as nearsightedness, is the most
common refractive condition and affects one in four people in North
America. Myopia allows people to see near objects clearly, but
causes distant objects to be blurry. Myopia occurs when light rays
entering the eye are focused in front of the Retina instead of
directly on it. Myopia is usually a result of the curvature or power
of the Cornea being too strong or the length of the eyeball being
too long.
Astigmatism is the result of having a corneal surface that is not
regular in shape. The eye is unable to focus clearly at any distance
because of this irregular focusing surface. Individuals with no
astigmatism have corneas that are shaped like basketballs while
individuals with astigmatism have corneas that are shaped more like
footballs. There are a number of possible types of astigmatic
corneas, which is why your eyes must be examined in order to
determine the degree and type of astigmatism. People with
astigmatism may also be myopic or hyperopic.
Presbyopia is one of the first changes that results from the
Crystalline Lens losing its flexibility. Presbyopia begins at around
age 40 and progresses until about age 65. Until approximately the
age of 40, the Crystalline Lens is both “crystal “ clear and quite
soft and flexible. This flexibility allows the Crystalline Lens to
change its shape and alter its curvature so that it can help focus
your vision at various distances-from far, to near, to arms length,
to far or near again. This flexibility gives you the ability to see
things at all distances.
Lawrence Piazza, MD has been practicing general ophthalmology in
Maine since 1992. After working for two years for a small group
practice, Dr. Piazza established Coastal Eye Care, PA in 1994 to
pursue his interests in cataract and intraocular lens implant
surgery and glaucoma. With over 16 years practicing in Maine, Dr.
Piazza has performed over 9000 cataract surgeries with lens
implants. Dr. Piazza has a particular interest in new technology
intraocular lens implants with the goal of decreased dependency on
glasses as a surgical outcome. He has attended extensive continuing
medical education courses remaining current in such topics as
presbyopic correcting (Crystalens, ReSTOR, ReZoom), astigmatic (Toric)
and aspheric IOLs. Dr. Piazza is committed to bringing the latest
innovations in vision correction and ophthalmic surgery to his
patients in Downeast Maine.
www.coastal-eye-care-maine.com
128 Bucksport Road
Ellsworth, Maine 04605
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