Miami Ophthalmologists

PRK Instead Of LASIK For Thick Cornea? What Is The Healing Time?

my thickness for both eyes corneas are 470 and 472 and i have a little congenital cataracts, the doctor recommended PKR instead of Lasik. Im a good candidate and she also said since my cornea was so thin they wont be able to do enhancements and my eyes could revert back to what it is now in 5 or 10 years. is this true and do you think it is safe to go ahead with the procedure. also on average about how long is healing. If i have a friday surgery, can i go back to school on monday or tuesday?

1.  We do not know your level of myopia.  If you have a low amount of myopia - you can have PRK and later on return for an enhancement.  However - if you are very, very near-sighted - then it is possible  the doctor could be right and you would be treated only once.  There is no way to answer this part of your question without more information

2. Patients with thin corneas who are otherwise normal CAN have LASIK.  All of the peer-reviewed articles on LASIK in thin corneas have demonstrated that LASIK can be done safely and effectively.  However, the topography has to be completely normal.  Feel free to google my articles on LASIK and thin corneas

3. There have been no conclusive studies that have proven that any form of surface ablation:  PRK, LASEK, or Epi-LASIK, provides superior visual results, faster visual recovery, or less risk.  Dr. Chynn's comments are unfortunately incorrect.  I have worked with 2 Epi-LASIK companies and performed LASEK for many years.  The fact is - all surface ablation procedures provide the same visual results - and thankfully the results are quite good - equal to LASIK at 3 months.

Best regards

Bill Trattler, MD

William Trattler, MD

Miami Ophthalmologist

LASIK and Sensivity to Contact Lenses

Hello, I have weared contact lenses for years, until my left eye developed a chronic sensitivity towards contact lenses. I have tried various kinds of contacts, Acuve True Vision, Moist and others but to no avail; as soon as I wear the lens I feel an uncomfortable feeling and I have to remove it.

First - you can have LASIK if you see an eye care specialist - and identify and treat any underlying dry eye.  This is the most common reason for contact lens intolerance.  Speak with your doctor about punctal plugs to raise the tear film, restasis, etc.   Assuming your dry eye is treated - you should be eligible for LASIK - assuming everything else about your eye is normal (normal corneal shape, etc)

  Just to mention - for LASIK - there is no contact lens.  

Best regards

Bill

William Trattler, MD

Miami Ophthalmologist

LASEK Follow Ups for Out of Town Patients

I am considering LASEK, and there is a certain doctor I want to go to (all around me are those "buy one eye, get one free" clinics - no thank you!). Do you get a lot of out of town patients, and what is the follow up like for them? Is it a bad idea to go to a non-local doctor?

This is an excellent question.  The key issue is to make sure that you work with a local doctor that would be happy to see you for postop visits.  That can sometimes be a challenge.  The main issue with LASEK is that there is a 4-5 day healing process where there is a risk of infection - so you need to have someone close and available to see you.  once you are through the first week, you would want to be seen a few times over the first 6 months to make sure that the results are as expected.  The doctor would check you for dry eye and any other issues.

As some of the other doctors noted - LASEK is a varient of PRK - and is a safe and effective procedure.  There is actually no studies that have demonstrated a significant advantage to LASEK over PRK - but regardless - LASEK works (like PRK) and is an option for patients like yourself.

I hope this helps

William Trattler, MD

Miami, FL 

William Trattler, MD

Miami Ophthalmologist