Learn All About Amblyopia
Amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye,” is a relatively common eye condition that develops in children between birth and 7 years, but will typically appear before age 5. Typically, a person will have one lazy eye, and it is estimated that up to 3% of the American population has the condition. As Los Angeles LASIK specialists, we want you and your family to stay informed on eye conditions that may be affecting you or your loved ones. If you have a family history of amblyopia and are concerned your child may be experiencing the condition, it is important you get familiar with the risk factors and know when it’s time to seek medical help.
Amblyopia occurs when a person’s brain favors their better eye, resulting in the other eye’s vision becoming blurry. A person’s weaker eye is apparent to others and can result in embarrassment among peers. It is the most common cause of vision loss in children. Lazy eyes can be the result of multiple pre-existing conditions. If your child was born prematurely, was smaller than average (less than 20 inches) at the time of birth, or has any developmental disabilities, then the chances of them having amblyopia increases. A lazy eye may also be caused by a squint, known in the medical world as strabismus, a droopy eyelid (ptosis), or a cataract (clouding of the eye lens).
It is very important to receive treatment for your child’s lazy eye as soon as possible, as neglecting to do so can result in blindness. All children ages 3-5 should be getting their vision checked at least once and will be able to detect any vision problems present in your child. Treatment for amblyopia is also far more effective in children than in adults.
There are multiple treatments that can be used for a lazy eye, including:
Glasses
As you are most likely already well aware, glasses are typically used to help people with nearsightedness or farsightedness, so while some people with a lazy eye use glasses, it is not the only form of treatment they must use.
Patches
Patches must be worn between 3-6 hours a day and are applied on your stronger eye. This will help get the weaker eye working better, but the treatment does not work overnight and can even take years for the necessary effects to kick in. Following the patch, surgery may be necessary.
Eye drops
These are recommended above patches, as you only need to use the drops once a day. Not only is it less distracting than wearing a patch, but according to the study, “atropine treatment did affect visual acuity in the sound eye at six months more than did patching.”
Under the Food and Drug Administration, LASIK surgery is not approved for children under 18 years of age. The shape of your child’s cornea (the clear, protective outer layer of the eye) is still developing until they reach adulthood, and proceeding with LASIK surgery will result in undesirable outcomes later in their life. It is also worth noting that most adults who do undergo laser eye surgery in Los Angeles will need to continue to wear glasses after their procedure.
As a parent, your child’s well-being is of your utmost concern. At Excel Eye, Dr. Moosa and his entire team are committed to the highest quality eye care for you and your entire family and assist you with any reservations you may have about your eye health. As we like to say, our patients are a part of our family – so if you’re ready to join our happy family today, don’t wait another day! Get in touch with one of our offices right now! We have respective offices in Los Angeles and in Orange County.
Give us a call today at (866) 923-9235.
What You Need to Know About Eye Cancer
Eye cancer, medically referred to as ocular melanoma, is not one of the most discussed types of cancer, and this is for a good reason. However, as an eye patient, it is useful to have surface-level knowledge of eye cancer so that you can better educate and keep your visual health at an optimum level, and as Orange County LASIK surgery experts, it’s our job to answer all your questions on these topics. Here’s what you should know about it to help you address any possible concerns you may have:
First, let’s get familiar with the three layers of your eyes
Sclera – The outer layer, the white part of your eye
Uvea – The middle layer
Iris – the colored part of your eye that is in charge of processing how much light that enters it
What causes eye cancer?
It is not currently known by doctors the exact cause of eye cancer. However, we do know that certain populations are more at risk, including:
People age 50 and over. The average age to receive a diagnosis is 55 years.
Race. Caucasians are more likely to have eye cancer than Hispanics than African Americans.
People with a family history of eye cancer
It is possible that overexposure to sunlight could be a risk factor, but scientists have not yet been able to confirm this speculation.
Classifications of eye cancer
The SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) classifies eye cancer in 3 groups: localized (cancer that has not spread beyond the eye), regional (cancer that has spread outside the eye to nearby areas), and distant (cancer that has spread further into the body). The more localized the eye cancer, the higher the rate of 5-year patient survival. Where exactly in the body the cancer originated from also plays a large factor into this.
It’s rare.
This is the good news. Your chances of getting a form of eye cancer are 6 in 1 million, with only 3,500 new cases reported a year. The most common type in adults are uveal or choroidal melanoma, and the 5-year survival rate of eye cancer patients is an overwhelmingly high 84%. In children, the most common type of primary eye cancer is called retinoblastoma. As its name suggests, this is a disease where the cancerous cells appear in the retina.
Symptoms can include but are not limited to:
Increasingly blurry vision
Partially or completely losing your vision
One of your eyes is bulging
Lumps in the eye
Irritation or redness in one or both of your eyes
Be aware that some of these symptoms may not necessarily mean you have a form of eye cancer for sure. These can also be symptoms of other eye conditions. If you experience any of these, contact your eye care provider immediately for a formal evaluation.
How is it treated?
You may be wondering if specialized Orange County laser eye surgery may be the solution to the problem at hand. The answer is not so simple. Lasik is designated for correcting eyesight and cannot remove any cancerous tumors. Depending on the type of eye cancer, its severity, and an individual’s medical profile, there are several ways an eyecare doctor may go about treating it.
How you can decrease your risk
Although your odds of getting eye cancer at any stage of your life is slim and in itself is difficult to prevent, it is important that you continue to do all the necessary things to take care of your eyes, including taking breaks from cell phone and computer screens, eating healthy, wearing sunglasses when exposed to UV rays, exercising regularly, and refraining from smoking.
Conclusion
You are probably relieved to hear directly from the Orange County LASIK specialists that it’s unlikely that you will develop eye cancer, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t develop other forms of vision problems at some point. In order to remain healthy, you must prioritize every aspect of your body. Treat it as a vessel that is worthy of your respect in your everyday life. Think of it this way: it’ll be hard to look forward to anything if you can’t see!
How To Take Better Care of Your Eyesight as You Age
We all want to stay in our 20s or 30s forever so that we won’t have to experience all the downsides of getting older, but unfortunately, we cannot prescribe a fountain of youth to you, so the next best thing we can do for you is advise you on how to take care of your eyesight over the course of your life. While some people naturally have better eyesight than others due to genetics, there are still things you can do to help yourself. In fact, it is imperative that you prioritize your eyecare because some forms of damage are irreversible. Here are some tips on how to prioritize the best care for your eyesight today:
Always wear your glasses or eye contacts
This sounds like a given, but if you have naturally poorer eyesight and have not yet committed to laser eye surgery in Los Angeles, why would you want to go out and not be able to see anything? Even if your eyesight is not terrible without them, you should be using them at all prescribed times regardless. Also remember to clean your prescribed products accordingly exactly as your specialist instructed you. Don’t cut corners!
Eat an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables
Remember hearing “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” While this very simplistic advice, the point is, just because mom and dad aren’t around to force you to eat your veggies anymore doesn’t mean you should stop. Your diet can have a direct impact on how well you can see and your overall health. It is recommended that you consume foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E.
Take breaks from screen time
If you work in an office, then you are spending roughly 8 hours a day in front of a computer screen. Remember to take frequent breaks from the screen, even if it’s just to get up and get coffee for a couple of minutes. White collar workers also have a higher risk of certain health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity from sitting down in a chair too much, so it’s important to ensure that you are maintaining a healthy diet and exercising enough when you are not on the job. We know it’s difficult in this day and age because nearly everything is done online now, but also consider limiting your cell phone usage since you’re already working on the computer so much most days of the week. You should also stop using all your devices at least half an hour before you go to sleep.
Wear sunglasses
If you are constantly exposed to UV radiation, not wearing the proper sunglasses will come with dire consequences. You will eventually experience blurry vision or in the worst case scenario, blindness or even eye cancer, if you do not wear sunglasses when you need them. You can get UVA ray and UVB ray-blocking sunglasses at your local drug or convenience stores for relatively cheap, so you don’t really have an excuse to not have at least one pair on you!
Protect your eyes when performing certain tasks
If you are in a woodshop class, you must wear the proper eye protection gear at all times. If you are an avid swimmer, make sure that you are wearing goggles every time you take a dip.
Keep it clean
Living in a dirty space can result in dust getting into your eyes. Don’t let any dirt build up in your home or workspace. It’s not only annoying but unsanitary for your overall well-being.
Be wary of your eye make-up
Don’t use certain products if they give you an allergic reaction. You must also always remember to remove your make-up entirely before you go to bed and cleaning your brushes periodically. Failing to do so will result in bacteria forming on your eyes and a higher risk of an infection.
Ditch the cigarettes
It turns out that smoking isn’t only terrible for your lungs, but also for your eyes, but yet a couple of years ago it was surveyed that 34.1 million adults in the United States still smoke cigarettes. While more people are reportedly quitting, it’s best to be aware of the risks before you ever consider picking up the habit. Your body – and your vision – will definitely thank you later.
Be aware of your family history and risks
If you have a family history of certain eye conditions, be sure to communicate this clearly with your optometrist. They will be able to provide you with the best medical advice and treatment plan specifically for you.
If you have other health conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, get that in check.
All of these conditions can directly impact your overall eye health. Ensure that you are getting the treatment you need by visiting your physician or other medical specialist whenever you are due for an appointment.
The bottom line
At Excel Eye, our team is committed to the highest quality care specifically for you. Your eyes are unique to you alone and we want you to feel proud of them. As one of your five senses, we have obtained the highest expertise and technology available on the market so that you can start living your life better today. Our devotion to our patients is not something you will have to “see to believe!” So if you are in need of laser vision surgery, do not put it off any longer. Contact one of our offices in Los Angeles or in Orange County today. As one of the top LASIK eye surgery professionals in Los Angeles, we look forward to assisting you in your eye surgery journey and changing your life for the better.
Are You a Good Candidate for a LASIK Procedure?
If you want the most successful LASIK procedure in Orange County, apart from having a highly experienced LASIK eye surgeon, you have to meet specific patient criteria to determine whether eye surgery is suitable for you.
LASIK and PRK results are usually always good; however, not everyone is a suitable candidate for vision correction surgery.
Below is a checklist from the best laser eye surgery doctor in Orange County to provide you with a good start to help you determine if LASIK or PRK is appropriate for you.
You Should Have Healthy Eyes
If you suffer from a condition that affects how your eyes respond to surgery or how they heal afterward, you have to wait until that condition is dealt with. Good examples of this are:
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Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
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Severe dry eye syndrome
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Infection
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Any type of eye injury
If you have persistent dry eyes, which means you do not produce sufficient tears to maintain lubricated and healthy eyes, LASIK surgery may worsen this condition. Common symptoms of dry eyes consist of burning or stinging, a gritty sensation in the eye, less tolerance to wind, intermittent blurry vision, and even excessive tears in some instances. If you have some of these symptoms, do not hesitate to discuss them with your laser eye doctor before surgery.
Your LASIK surgeon can conclude if you have dry eyes during your preoperative exam and can usually treat the condition successfully so you can then go ahead with laser eye surgery. Possible treatments include artificial tears, punctal plugs, medicated eye drops, flaxseed or fish oil supplements, or a combination of these methods.
Also, cataracts that interfere with your vision and uncontrolled glaucoma will usually prevent you from being a candidate for LASIK or PRK procedures.
Your Cornea Must Be Thick Enough
Many LASIK refractive procedures in Orange County improve visual acuity by modifying the eye’s front surface (cornea). Carrying out laser eye surgery on a very thin cornea or one that has a surface that is very irregular and askew, such as the case of those who suffer from keratoconus, could jeopardize results and impair your vision.
If the LASIK eye surgery team in Orange County previously informed you that you couldn’t have LASIK since your corneas are very thin, recent breakthroughs may mean you’re now an acceptable candidate for laser vision correction. For instance, your eye surgeon can use a femtosecond laser rather than a microkeratome that can help him or her create a thinner corneal flap and, as a result of that, keep more of the underlying corneal tissue for laser treatment.
Moreover, suppose you’re still not a suitable candidate for LASIK or PRK regardless of the advanced technologies and techniques. In that case, another kind of refractive surgery, such as implantable lenses (phakic IOLs), could be a good alternative.
You Shouldn’t Have Very Big Pupils
If you have naturally large pupils, you could be at a higher risk of side effects such as glares, halos, and starbursts in low light, particularly when driving at night.
Your Prescription Must Be Within A Specific Limit
If you have a very high prescription, whether it’s because of farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism, your laser eye surgeon may recommend that you do not do the LASIK procedure.
Plus, very high amounts of myopia, for instance, would need the removal of too much corneal tissue and put you at higher risk of vision problems.
If you suffer from a severe refractive error, another type of vision correction surgery may be a better alternative, such as phakic IOL implantable lenses or refractive lens exchange.
You Have To Be Old Enough
Particular procedures require you to be 18 years old, and there are others that need the patient to be 21 years old. Patients who are younger than these ages can be treated as an exception with the vigilance of a LASIK surgeon and with permission from the patient’s parent(s) or guardian.
Typically, an upper age limit to laser eye surgery does not exist. Nevertheless, it is critical to keep in mind that you may still require reading glasses to correct near vision when you reach your forties because of a normal, age-related condition known as presbyopia.
Obviously, your LASIK eye surgeon may also consider you as a candidate for surgical correction of presbyopia such as monovision LASIK, which can improve your near vision without reading glasses or bifocals.
Considering women are at a higher risk for dry eyes after menopause, men have a greater risk for dry eyes later in life. As mentioned above, you should treat a dry eye condition before LASIK surgery.
Your Vision Has To Be Stable
Teenagers and many young adults often experience adjustments in their contact lens prescription and eyeglass prescription from year to year. Refractive errors need to be stable for at least 12 months before undergoing LASIK or other refractive surgery.
Typically, it is nearsightedness that slowly becomes worse, but there may be other changes as well.
This is why younger people are not appropriate candidates until their eyes have settled down into one prescription. Your optometrist can inform you whether your prescription is stable.
You Have To Be In Good Health
Contraindications to laser eye surgery may include uncontrolled degenerative conditions or uncontrolled autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, type 1 diabetes, and AIDS. People infected with HIV who have good immune cell counts may be candidates for LASIK.
Essentially, if your body has any trouble with healing, you will have a higher probability of an unsatisfactory LASIK surgery result. Opinions vary among LASIK surgeons on which diseases are automatic disqualifiers and which ones might be acceptable risks in specific cases.
Additionally, particular medications can intensify risks linked with laser eye surgery. For instance, immunosuppressants may disrupt post-operative healing, and some medications may increase the chance and/or severity of dry eye syndrome.
Ultimately, the only way to know for sure that LASIK is the best eye correction surgery for you is to contact Excel Laser Vision Institute today!
The Symptoms and Causes of Myopia
The LASIK eye doctors in Los Angeles let us know that Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is the most prevalent cause of impaired vision in people under age 40. Recently, it’s becoming more common at an alarming rate. Around the world, research suggests that in the year 2000, an estimated 25 percent of the world’s population was nearsighted, but by the year 2050, it’s anticipated that roughly half the people in the world will be myopic.
What Are The Symptoms Of Myopia?
When you speak to the best LASIK surgeons in Los Angeles and find that you are nearsighted, you will find it very challenging to read road signs and see distant objects clearly. However, you will find that it is a lot easier to see and do close-up tasks such as computer use and reading.
The LASIK surgeons say that the other symptoms and signs of Myopia consist of squinting, eye strain, headaches, and feeling fatigued when driving or playing sports. All these are symptoms of uncorrected nearsightedness.
If you notice these signs or symptoms while wearing your glasses or contact lenses, schedule an eye exam with your LASIK doctor in Los Angeles to see if you need to modify your prescription to something stronger.
What Causes Myopia?
Myopia happens when your eyeball is too long, with respect to the focusing power of the lens and cornea of the eye. As a result, light rays aim attention at a point in front of the retina instead of directly on its surface.
Essentially, the best laser eye surgery simplifies this by saying that Myopia happens when light concentrates too distant in front of the retina.
Also, nearsightedness can come about when the cornea and/or lens are too curved for the eyeball length. In some cases, Myopia happens because of a combination of these factors.
Typically, Myopia starts in childhood, and you may have a probable chance of having it if your parents have nearsightedness. In most situations, nearsightedness stabilizes in early adulthood, but sometimes it carries on to progress with age.
What’s The Treatment For Myopia?
There are some effective myopia control methods for children with progressive nearsightedness, including myopia control glasses, atropine eye drops, myopia control contact lenses, and Ortho-k contact lenses.
For the rest of us, nearsightedness can be corrected with standard contact lenses, prescription eyeglasses, or refractive surgery.
Depending on how bad your Myopia is, your eye doctor may advise you to constantly wear your eyeglasses or contact lenses or only when you require very clear distance vision. For instance, when you’re driving, seeing a whiteboard, or watching a movie.
Suitable selections for eyeglass lenses for nearsightedness include high-index lenses (for thinner, lighter glasses) and lenses with anti-reflective coating. Also, think about photochromic lenses to protect your eyes from UV rays and high-energy blue light and to scale down the need for a separate pair of prescription sunglasses.
If you’re nearsighted, you may notice that the first number (“sphere”) on your eyeglasses prescription or contact lens prescription will be ahead of a minus sign (–). Keep in mind that the higher the number, the more nearsighted you are.
Refractive surgery can lower or even stamp out your need for eyeglasses or contacts. An eye surgeon carries out the most common procedures using an excimer laser.
- In PRK, the laser takes off a layer of corneal tissue, which flattens the cornea and lets light rays focus more precisely on the retina.
- In LASIK, which is the most prevalent refractive procedure, a thin flap is made on the surface of the cornea, a laser gets rid of some corneal tissue, and then the flap is brought back to its original position.
Last but not least, there is orthokeratology, which is a non-surgical procedure where you wear special rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) contact lenses at night that reshape your cornea while you sleep. When you take off the lenses in the morning, your cornea for a short period keeps to the new shape, so you can see clearly during the day without having to rely on eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Orthokeratology and an accompanying general practitioner contact lens procedure known as corneal refractive therapy (CRT) have been shown to temporarily correct mild to moderate amounts of Myopia. Both methods are excellent alternatives to surgery for individuals who are too young for LASIK or are not suitable candidates for refractive surgery.
Additionally, implantable lenses called phakic IOLs another surgical option for correcting nearsightedness, especially for persons with high amounts of Myopia or thinner-than-normal corneas that could escalate their risk of complications from LASIK or other laser vision correction procedures.
Phakic IOLs work similarly to contact lenses, except they are surgically placed within the eye and are usually permanent, which means no upkeep is required. Unlike IOLs used in cataract surgery, phakic IOLs do not replace the eye’s natural lens, which is left intact.
How To Control Myopia?
Since many people are becoming nearsighted, there is a lot of appeals to discover methods that control myopia progression in childhood.
Various techniques have been attempted, including fitting children with progressive lenses, bifocals, and gas permeable contact lenses. All of these have brought mixed results.
Recent clinical trials revealed that low-dose atropine eye drops could decelerate myopia progression in school-age children, with far fewer side effects compared with higher concentrations.
However, some children don’t respond well to atropine drops.
Based on a 2017 study from the American Academy of Optometry meeting, a dual-focus disposable contact lens decreased the progression rate of Myopia with children between the ages of 8 and 12 years when on par with a single vision lens.
Make sure to visit Excel Laser Vision Institute if you’re having problems seeing near objects or find yourself holding your smartphone or reading material further away to make out the words. The professional, dedicated and caring staff at Excel Laser Vision Institute can treat your nearsightedness.
Is Cataract Surgery Safe?
If you have cataracts, you may probably need cataract surgery in Orange County or Los Angeles. It’s a procedure that stores cataract-related vision loss. When your surgeon performs the corrective eye surgery, the clouded lens inside your eye gets replaced with a clear artificial lens. The procedure is entirely painless, and it typically takes around 15 minutes. Normally, it’s an outpatient procedure and you don’t have to stay overnight at the hospital according to the cataract surgeon in Los Angeles and Orange County.
At first, some patients think cataract surgery is scary. However, it’s one of the most risk-free and efficient vision surgeries around today. Every year, millions of cataract surgeries are carried out in the U.S., and many individuals have excellent results. The more senior a person is, the higher the potential need for cataract eye surgery since cataracts usually develop or worsen.
Based on facts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), cataracts affect
Around 1 in 20 of people aged 50-54
An estimated half of people aged between 75 to 79
More than 2 in 3 people over the age of 80
What Does Cataract Surgery Involve?
The cataract eye surgeon in Orange County and Los Angeles will remove the cloudy lens inside your eye and replace it with a clear artificial lens during surgery. The device that’s used is called an intraocular lens, or IOL for short.
An IOL restores the clear vision you had before the cataracts developed. During any cataract removal in Los Angeles or Orange County, special safety measures are taken to ensure the patient is as pain-free and relaxed as possible. The most a patient will experience is a slight feeling of pressure, but this sensation isn’t painful.
A modern cataract surgery procedure will usually follow these actions:
The surgeon creates a small incision along the side of the cornea.
A high-frequency ultrasound device or laser is utilized to break up the cloudy lens into small fragments carefully.
The lens fragments are carefully removed from the eye using a suction device.
Once all the fragments have been removed, the surgeon puts in the IOL behind the pupil and the colored part of the eye, the iris, in the same place your natural lens used to be.
The incision doesn’t require any stitches to heal.
Your eye surgeon will put a protective shield over your eye to keep it safe during the early stages of recovery.
If you require surgery in both eyes, your cataract surgeon will typically wait for one to three weeks between procedures to allow the first eye to heal.
What Are The Two Different Options For Cataract Surgery?
When you ask for cataract eye surgery cost, you want to know what options you have available for cataract surgery. The most familiar type of cataract removal surgery is known as phacoemulsification, or phaco for short. A phacoemulsification procedure involves high-frequency ultrasound waves to break up the cloudy lens.
Currently, the phaco operation is performed with smaller incisions than ever before, so healing is faster with a much lower risk of complications.
Three main kinds of IOL can be implanted during cataract surgery:
Monofocal lenses – One of the most common options for most surgeries. These may still need the use of eyeglasses or reading glasses after the corrective eye surgery. If prescription glasses are required, your ophthalmologist will prescribe them about a month after surgery. Optionally, presbyopia can be treated by modifying the power of one of your monofocal IOLs to create a condition called monovision.
Accommodating lenses and multifocal lenses – Convenient for individuals who have presbyopia. These lenses can correct your reading vision without surrendering your distance vision. Both of these IOLs offer a huge range of vision after cataract surgery than traditional monofocal lenses.
Extracapsular surgery – rather than break up the cloudy lens with an ultrasound, an eye surgeon will take out the core in one piece, then the rest with a suction device. Extracapsular surgery consists of a longer incision, and antibiotic eye drops before the procedure. This type of cataract surgery procedure is usually only carried out in complicated cases.
Laser cataract surgery, or Refractive Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (ReLACS), is more contemporary option that utilizes more advanced technology.
Instead of ultrasound energy, a specialized laser is brought in to disrupt the existing cataract. The laser doesn’t need as much energy as an ultrasound, which can lower the risk of complications even more.
In some instances, laser surgery can also enhance visual outcomes.
Laser surgery is usually more pricey than standard phaco cataract surgery. During your cataract removal consultation, your eye surgeon can help you understand which procedure is the most suitable for your individual requirements.
How To Get Ready For Cataract Surgery?
Prior to your scheduled cataract surgery, your eye doctor will carry out a thorough eye exam to evaluate the overall health of your eyes and figure out if anything will prevent you from having surgery.
Also, the ophthalmologist will carry out a refraction test to find out if you’re nearsighted, farsighted, and/or astigmatic prior to surgery. Other measurements of your eyes will be taken to determine the shape of your eye and which type of implantable lens you’ll require.
Before your eye surgery, the medical team will advise you on what to expect before, during and after your procedure. This information will help you to make an informed decision about going forward with surgery.
Your eye doctor will discuss with you any medications and supplements you’re on. Some of these can boost your risk of complications and may need to be stopped for a short time
If you have any queries or concerns about cataract surgery, make sure you talk about them with your cataract surgeon and optometric physician before signing the “informed consent” documents that authorize surgery.
At Excel Laser Vision Institute, we have a team of experienced and dedicated staff easily answer all of your questions and put you at ease about your corrective eye surgery. We only use cutting-edge laser technology to perform cataract surgery, and other vision correction alternatives. Our Harvard-trained surgeon, Dr. Moosa, serves at our Orange County as well as at the Los Angeles offices. Once we assess your prescription and eye health, we can talk about which eye correction treatment is best for you, financing, and the next steps. Begin your journey towards a clear vision that eliminates your dependence on eyeglasses and contact lenses today.
What Causes Dry Eyes for LASIK Patients
Patients who come to get LASIK in Los Angeles complaining of dry eyes are told that their eye condition is a chronic lack of lubrication and moisture on the eye’s surface. The eye needs a sufficient and consistent layer of tears on its surface to maintain eye health, remain comfortable, and help a person to see correctly.
Laser vision correction doctors in Los Angeles told us that tears wash the eye’s surface to keep it moist and clear away dust, debris, and microorganisms that could harm the cornea and cause an eye infection.
A normal tear film includes three crucial components:
An oily (lipid) component created by meibomian glands in the eyelids
A watery (aqueous) component is produced by lacrimal glands found behind the outer visible feature of the upper eyelids.
A mucous-like (mucin) component created by goblet cells in the conjunctiva that covers the white of the eye (sclera).
Each component of the tear film has an important role. For instance, tear lipids help keep the tear film from vaporizing too quickly and boost lubrication. Mucin helps anchor and spread the tears throughout the surface of the eye.
The outcome of dry eyes stretches from subtle but consistent eye irritation to serious inflammation. Also, it could cause scarring of the front surface of the eye.
Besides being known as dry eye syndrome, dry eye disease, or just “dry eye,” alternative medical terms used to characterize dry eyes include:
Keratitis sicca. Typically used to describe dryness and inflammation of the cornea.
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Used to talk about the dry eye that affects the cornea as well as the conjunctiva.
Dysfunctional tear syndrome. Used to stress that poor quality of tears can be as critical as low quantity.
What Causes Dry Eyes?
There are many causes of dry eyes:
Aging – Dry eye syndrome can happen at any age, but it becomes more common when you get older, particularly after age 50.
Menopause – Post-menopausal women are at higher risk of dry eyes than men of the same age.
Computer use – When working at a computer, using a smartphone or other portable digital device, we usually blink our eyes less completely and less frequently. As a result, there is greater tear evaporation and an increased risk of dry eye symptoms.
Contact lenses – It can be challenging to understand how much worse contact lenses can make dry eye issues. However, dry eyes are the main reason why people stop wearing contacts.
Indoor environment – Air conditioning, ceiling fans, and air heating systems all can lower indoor humidity. This can accelerate tear evaporation, leading to dry eye symptoms.
Outdoor environment – Dry climates, high altitudes, and dry or windy conditions amplify dry eye risks.
Air travel – The airflow in the cabins of airplanes is very dry and causes dry eye problems, particularly with frequent flyers.
Smoking – Besides dry eyes, smoking has been associated with critical eye issues, including macular degeneration, cataracts, and uveitis.
Health conditions – Specific diseases such as diabetes, thyroid-associated conditions, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren’s syndrome can result in dry eye issues.
Medications – Many prescription and nonprescription medicines boost the risk of dry eye symptoms, including antidepressants, antihistamines, specific blood pressure medications such as beta-blockers or diuretics, and birth control pills.
Eyelid problems – Incomplete closure of the eyelids when blinking or sleeping, known as lagophthalmos), can result in severely dry eyes. Severe dryness can cause a corneal ulcer if left untreated. Lagophthalmos has many origins, including eye infections, natural aging, and nerve damage from trauma or cosmetic blepharoplasty.
LASIK – LASIK and other corneal refractive surgery can sometimes result in dry eyes. In most situations, however, dry eye discomfort after LASIK is short-term and clears up within a few weeks of the procedure. If you have dry eyes before your Los Angeles LASIK, your eye doctor may recommend dry eye treatment before your procedure to ensure your best corrective eye surgery results.
Wearing a mask – Many masks, particularly those worn to protect against the spread of COVID-19, can dry the eyes because they force air out the top of the mask and over the surface of the eye. When you wear glasses with a mask, the air can pass over the eyes even more.
Allergies – Allergies can result in dry eyes, and as mentioned above, taking antihistamines to relieve allergies can also result in dry eyes.
Dry Eye Symptoms
Symptoms and signs of dry eyes and dry eye syndrome are the following:
Sore eyes
Dryness sensation
Red eyes
Itchy eyes
Aching sensation
Heavy eyes
Fatigued eyes
Mucus in or around the eyes
Discomfort when wearing contact lenses
Burning sensation
Feeling like something is in your eye
Photophobia (light sensitivity)
Blurred vision
As strange as it may come across to some LASIK patients in Los Angeles, watery eyes can also be a symptom of dry eye syndrome.
The reason for this is dryness on the eye’s surface can sometimes bring about the overproduction of the watery part of your tears as a kind of protective mechanism. However, this “reflex tearing” does not remain on the eye long enough to repair the underlying dry eye condition.
Besides these symptoms, dry eyes can cause inflammation and sometimes permanent damage to the eye’s surface.
Also, dry eye syndrome can affect the results of LASIK and cataract surgery. So be sure that you don’t suffer from dry eyes when you ask for Lasik eye surgery cost.
Treatment And Prevention Of Dry Eyes
Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing and chronic condition. Revolving around its cause and severity, it may not be completely curable.
Nevertheless, in most situations, dry eyes can be managed successfully. Normally, treatment results in greater comfort, fewer dry eye symptoms, and, in some instances, sharper vision.
Here is a list of dry eye treatments that eye doctors typically use to lower the symptoms and signs of dry eyes. Your ophthalmologist may prescribe only one of these dry eye treatments or a mix of treatments, depending on the cause(s) and seriousness of your condition.
Artificial tears eye drops
Restasis
Xiidra
Steroid eye drops
Lacrisert
Punctal plugs
Meibomian gland expression
Warm compresses
LipiFlow
Intense pulsed light
Nutritional supplements
If you suffer from dry eyes, do not hesitate to get in touch with Excel Laser Vision Institute. These expertly trained LASIK doctors will help you recover from your dry eyes and also prepare those who wish to do LASIK after their dry eye conditions.
What’s The Difference Between Relex SMILE and Contoura Vision LASIK?
It’s safe to assume that everyone has heard of laser eye surgery. However, not many are familiar with specific vision correction techniques of LASIK. SMILE, Contoura, and Orange County LASIK are different versions of laser vision correction techniques. However, many are asking Doctor Moosa, the LASIK surgeon in Orange County, which one is best for them.
LASIK experts in Orange County will help you understand which technique is the most advantageous and we justify why you should go for laser vision to do away with contacts and eyeglasses.
What Are LASIK, Contoura, And Smile Eye Surgery?
When you consider laser eye surgery cost, in its most advanced form, when carried out at Excel Laser Vision Insitute uses two separate lasers, a Femtosecond laser creates a hinged flap that is lifted, and the base underneath the flap is rebuilt with an excimer laser. The flap creation makes next-day vision recovery a possibility.
The excimer laser that executes the reshaping element allows the laser eye surgery in Orange County to utilize the most advanced treatment algorithm, Contura Vision, which at the same time perfects the corneal shape whilst correcting the glasses prescription. This has made room for a new paradigm of visual quality results, representing the first time a person can achieve vision 2 lines better than the vision achievable with glasses.
SMILE LASIK in Orange County is when the eye surgeon only uses a Femtosecond laser to perform the entire correction instead of just the flap creation.
The femtosecond laser cuts a lenticle of tissue from the substance of the cornea that is then extracted through an access incision.
Both procedures correct Myopia. SMILE was initially conceived to reduce the outcome of dry eyes and potentially have a lower risk of an unstable cornea, also known as ectasia. As time has evolved and a more accurate evaluation of the effect of SMILE has emerged, it reveals these advantages have not been correct. Research has shown an occurrence of both dry eye and ectasia that is statistically similar to LASIK.
Since SMILE Does Not Have Advantages Over LASIK, What About Its Disadvantages?
First of all, SMILE is less accurate than Femtosecond LASIK with Contoura Vision.
About 98% of patients achieve vision equal to or even better than 20/20 vision after only one treatment at Excel Eye Vision Institute with Contura Vision LASIK.
The RELEX SMILE procedure only reaches 20/20 vision in about 60-85% of patients in recent studies. The inaccuracy of ReLex SMILE comes from the fact that the smallest amount of tissue taken out with a femtosecond laser is to 4 microns compared to the 0.25 microns attainable with an Excimer laser. This associates with at least sixteen times finer accuracy for an Excimer Laser.
The fact that SMILE lacks accuracy explains the increased number of requiring enhancements, at up to forty percent. Femtosecond LASIK provides next-day recovery with minimal discomfort, while eye enhancements performed with PRK or another surface-based laser can result in more discomfort for about two days and can take a patient six to eight weeks to recover.
Even when SMILE is effective, it usually takes three weeks, which differs from the next day recovery a patient can achieve with LASIK.
SMILE has a more extensive reduced treatment range. It can only effectively correct up to 0.5 diopters of astigmatism, while LASIK can correct up to 6 diopters. Also, It can’t correct hyperopia or mixed astigmatism. It can’t perform the sophisticated surface-perfecting ability that a Contura Vision procedure can accomplish, and as a result, it can’t provide this level of visual quality.
LASIK Laser Eye Surgery
Lasik is an abbreviation for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. It is a laser procedure that improves vision issues and gets rid of the need for corrective lenses.
Lasik surgery corrects the following refractive errors:
Nearsightedness (Myopia): It is an eye condition that involves the person having the ability to see nearby objects clearly but has problems when seeing distant objects clearly.
Farsightedness (Hyperopia): It is a condition that involves a person who can see faraway objects clearly but has issues seeing nearby objects.
Astigmatism: It is an eye condition that involves a person struggling to see both nearby and distant objects. It occurs because of uneven corneal curves or flatness.
Presbyopia: Also known as ‘aging eye, Presbyopia is an age-related condition. It occurs when the eye’s natural lens begins losing its ability to focus on nearby objects.
During a Lasik laser procedure, the LASIK eye surgeon in Orange County creates a corneal flap using a microkeratome instrument and pulls the flap back to get into the corneal tissue in the first stage. In the second stage, the surgeon reshapes the cornea utilizing an excimer laser.
SMILE Laser Eye Surgery
SMILE is an abbreviation for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction surgery. It is a laser eye surgery that is a contemporary advancement in laser vision correction. A laser eye surgeon in Orange County may recommend SMILE surgery to treat Myopia. Also, it can treat astigmatism that’s up to 5 Diopters. Also, it is a minimally invasive surgery that is bladeless. Typically it’s known as Refractive Lenticule Extraction/RELEX.
Why Should You Go For SMILE?
Less Invasive
Uncomplicated
Blade-free and Painless
Quicker Surgery & Recovery
Better Results
Flapless
Painless
Beyond Lasik
100% sterility
SMILE is an FDA-approved procedure that is usually carried out on patients between 18 to 40 years of age. It is a completed automated next-gen procedure that gets done quickly, guaranteeing long-lasting and fixed results. SMILE is a laser vision correction surgery that does not require the eye surgeon to create a corneal flap.
When an eye surgeon performs a SMILE procedure, a laser is used to make a small incision in the cornea. Once that’s done, the laser is used to take out a lenticule (a small piece of corneal tissue). This is the method that reshapes the cornea, and helps to correct vision. SMILE is only done after all required tests are completed to understand the condition of the eyes.
Even though the recovery from SMILE takes a bit longer than Femto Lasik or similar procedures, it provides the least possibility of dry eye as corneal nerves are well preserved. The chances of retreatment are next to nil as it is a keyhole surgery that contributes to the patient’s quick recovery.
Contoura Vision Eye Surgery
Contoura Vision Lasik is a topography-guided technology that is meant to enhance the effects of Lasik. Moreover, this procedure is also referred to as Robotic Lasik. During this procedure, a large flap of 22 mm is created on the top of the cornea. Then another separate laser system, an excimer, is used to remove the spectacle error.
This procedure utilizes an advanced computer algorithm to get details of the cornea over more than 22000 points on its surface. Personalized LASIK techniques such as Contoura uses the excimer laser only. Unlike SMILE, which works on the most advanced femtosecond laser platform.
If you want to learn more about the advantages and differences of SMILE, LASIK, and Contoura, contact Excel Laser Vision Institute today!
How Diabetes Affects the Eyesight of Patients Who Need LASIK
LASIK eye doctors in Los Angeles advise those who have diabetes to make sure they have their annual eye exam because it could save their sight. The Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Diabetes Association encourage everyone over 65 to have yearly eye exams.
Doctor Ferzaad Moosa, laser eye surgery doctor in Los Angeles tells us that Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, affects over 30.3 million Americans. This includes one-fourth of individuals over 65. Also, for those with diabetes, about a quarter don’t even know they have it and are blissfully ignorant of any threat of vision loss.
How Does Diabetes Deteriorate Eyesight?
The LASIK eye center doctor in Los Angeles lets us know that diabetes can harm the eyes, nerves, organs, and limbs because the body can’t effectively use insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas.
The pancreas and insulin are very important since they are responsible for the processing and shipping of blood glucose from your food to your body’s cells.
The LASIK eye expert in Los Angeles says that blood sugar serves as your primary energy source when everything is running smoothly. However, when you intake too many foods that spike your blood sugar or your pancreas starts to slow down, glucose just hangs out in your bloodstream instead of reaching your cells. When this process happens, it can spark vision loss and, eventually, blindness.
That is why it’s important to be diagnosed with diabetes as early as possible so you can get a better visual outcome. You always want to find changes to the eye before the damage is irreversible.
Diabetes affects the small blood vessels. For this reason, excess blood sugar destroys the body’s smallest blood vessels and restricts blood flow, which fasts the tissues’ capillary feed. As a result, there are leaking blood vessels, swelling, and other horrible complications.
Fluid leaks can change the shape and size of the eye’s lens, causing cataracts. Also, these leaks can destroy the retina, which is the back of the eye, where visual images are created.
Diabetes can generate hemorrhages (bleeding) and edema (excess fluid) in the retina that can seriously affect vision. The LASIK eye doctors in Los Angeles say that diabetic retinopathy is the fourth leading cause of blindness in the world.
When your eye bleeds or has retina detachment, it requires surgery, so don’t ask about LASIK eye surgery cost. Because if you don’t get eye surgery in time, severe vision may be permanent. Macular edema is swelling in the retina as it can happen at any stage of diabetes. Hungry capillaries also give rise to glaucoma, an eye disease that harms the optic nerve.
Eye Exams Are Important For Diabetics
Many diabetic patients do not experience visual symptoms. They could experience blurred or wavy vision or patches of lost sight without being aware that these are serious. If you are diabetic, it’s important to get your eye exams to find these conditions early before they cause permanent vision loss or blindness.
Don’t settle for just any visual exam. What you need is a complete comprehensive vision examination. Your eye doctor will dilate the eyes with drops so they can perform a thorough retinal exam.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease. The condition happens after having long-term high blood sugar levels harm blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensing tissue that lines the back of the eye.
The first stage of diabetic retinopathy is called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. This happens when the blood vessels become blocked and start to cut off blood supply to the retina.
When the retina lacks sufficient blood supply, new, abnormal blood vessels start to proliferate (develop) in the retina. Unfortunately, these abnormal vessels can develop scar tissue and leak, which can cause a retinal detachment. Vision loss and various other eye diseases also can happen without early and proper treatment. This more advanced stage is referred to as proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
Although diabetic retinopathy only affects individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is possible for someone who does not have diabetes to have retinopathy, another condition that arises from damage to the retina.
Macular Edema
Macular edema is directly linked to diabetic retinopathy and is a result of fluid from abnormal blood vessels that collect in the macula. The macula starts to swell and thicken as fluid gathers, which distorts eyesight. Important, detailed vision needed for driving and reading depends on the macula, making any related distortion a medical emergency.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is defined by increased pressure within the eye. Leaking blood vessels caused by diabetic retinopathy can increase eye pressure and lead to neovascular glaucoma. As pressure carries on to build, the optic nerve may become damaged, and vision may be affected.
Retinal detachment
Diabetic retinopathy can cause the growth of scar tissue on retinal blood vessels. As more scar tissue develops, its weight can pull the retina away from its connective tissue. This development, known as retinal detachment, needs immediate medical attention, as it can lead to vision loss.
LASIK eye surgeons can help the median stages of diabetic eye disease with laser surgery and injections to the eyes to prevent retina’s swelling and abnormal blood vessels’ growth, known as neovascularization.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology reports that these types of injections can enhance vision in one-third of patients and stabilize the excess of capillaries in nine out of ten.
You can quickly check your blood sugars with an A1C blood test that measures the amount of sugar that sticks to hemoglobin molecules within the body’s cells.
If you have diabetes, make an appointment with Excel Laser Vision Institute in Los Angeles to discuss ways of treating and preventing eye conditions caused by diabetes.
How To Choose the Right Sunglasses After Your LASIK Eye Correction Surgery
Imagine you have just had a LASIK, PRK, or even Contoura in Orange County done, and one of the supportive LASIK team members hand over to you a part of post-operative sunglasses and ask you to wear them. These sunglasses will not be the oversized plastic Cataract shades, but they aren’t going to be a fabulous sporty pair of Ray-Ban aviators either!
The first thing that the best laser eye surgery doctor in Orange County will tell you is to go shopping and get yourself a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes. However, the million-dollar question is, “What makes a pair of sunglasses the best pair to protect your eyes?” The American Academy of Ophthalmology has created the criteria below to give you a helping hand when choosing the best sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun.
Which Sunglasses Should I Purchase?
If you think sunglasses are only a fashion accessory, think again. They are vital protection for your eyes against the harmful rays of the sun. You must understand what type of light you need to protect your eyes from and what type of light is not necessarily harmful. Here is some advice from a LASIK eye surgery doctor in Orange County on picking out the right pair of nonprescription sunglasses.
Sunglasses Should Block The Harmful Rays Of The Sun
Go for the sunglasses that block ninety-nine percent of ultraviolet (UV) rays. This is the most critical attribute of your sunglasses, and you should always choose sunglasses that offer this protection. Long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight is connected to eye disease, including cataracts. Some manufacturers’ labels claim UV absorption up to 400nm. This is the same as 100 percent UV absorption. Some glasses make additional claims for blocking infrared rays, but studies have not shown a close link between infrared rays and eye disease.
A more expensive pair of sunglasses doesn’t necessarily mean a better pair of sunglasses. Many types of affordable sunglasses provide 99 to 100 percent UV protection, so you don’t have to fork over tons of cash on a pair of sunglasses. Inspect the quality of the sunglasses. Besides UV protection, you should also check the optical quality of the lenses. The LASIK eye doctors in Orange County recommend you test the quality of sunglasses by looking at something with a rectangular pattern, such as a floor tile. Get a hold of the glasses at a comfortable distance and cover one eye. Move the glasses gradually from side to side, then up and down. If the lines remain straight, the lenses are good. If the lines zigzag, particularly in the center of the lens, try on another pair.
You want to look for impact-resistant lenses. All sunglasses must meet impact standards that the U.S. food and Drug Administration has set out for safety. No lens is really unbreakable, says the LASIK eye doctor in Orange County, but plastic lenses are not as likely to shatter when hit by a ball or stone. Polycarbonate plastics, utilized in many sports sunglasses, are incredibly durable but scratch easily. If you buy polycarbonate lenses, choose ones that have a scratch-resistant coating.
Make sure to use protective eyewear rather than sunglasses for hazardous activities. If you are going to be busy in outdoor activities such as water or snow skiing that put your eye in harm’s way for injury, don’t rely on your eyeglasses for protection. Protection eyewear is available with UV protection to safeguard your eyes from sunburn and glare.
Lens color tinting and polarization are personal options. There’s no medical reason to suggest one tint of the lens over another. The same goes for polarized lenses that work better at deflecting glare, but they’re not blocking any more harmful UV light than non-polarized lenses.
Undoubtedly you want a nice pair of polarized lenses after surgery. However, it is normal to experience some glare during your LASIK recovery, and polarized lenses are designed to reduce glare. You don’t have to opt for the most expensive pair of polarized lenses. You will know a pair of sunglasses are polarized since they will have a sticker or label indicating polarized.
When shopping for sunglasses, try to go for ones that provide full coverage. The sunglasses that your eye doctor will give you after surgery offer you lots of coverage, including peripheral vision, but you don’t need massive, bulky glasses for that. Try to find sunglasses with wraparound style lenses, which provide full coverage and often showcase a stylish design. It is best to find a pair that offers coverage for all angles of your vision.
When you find the right sunglasses, make sure you wear them, particularly in the summer when UV levels are about three times higher than in the winter. Also, be sure to wear them when taking part in winter sports, especially at high elevations.
Protecting your eyes as they heal after your PRK, LASIK, or Contoura surgery is essential. Unique, quality sunglasses will get the job done. Here at Excel Eye Vision Center, we can provide the sunglasses you need after your eye correction surgery. You are welcome to visit our clinic in Orange County and Los Angeles for a one-on-one consultation. Please call us at (866) 923-9235 if you want to set an appointment or ask questions about our available sunglasses suitable for post-PRK, LASIK, and Contoura cases.
At Excel Laser Vision Institute, we have a team of experienced staff and cutting-edge laser technology to perform Contoura, PRK, LASIK, SMILE, and other vision correction alternatives. Our Harvard-trained surgeon, Dr. Moosa, serves both our Orange County and Los Angeles offices. Once we assess your prescription and eye health, we can discuss which eye correction treatment is suitable for you, financing, and the next steps. Start your journey towards a clear vision that frees you from eyeglasses and contact lenses today.
