Dishler Laser Institute - Blog

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Dishler Laser - Blog

Why LASIK was Invented?

Many patients have asked a relatively simple question, "why was LASIK invented at all?" A decade ago very few people even knew the word LASIK, and while the word had become a part of our lexicon, the real reason that doctors choose to do LASIK escapes many peoples understanding. We were one of the first handful of doctors in the United States to perform LASIK vision correction, and the first to realize the potential benefits of LASIK for vision correction in Colorado almost fifteen years ago. Since that time there are now over 10,000 LASIK doctors in the USA alone and a multiple of this number worldwide. The reasons for the success of LASIK are numerous but in a sentence it provides rapid, accurate, and relatively painless restoration of vision to a wide range of refractive errors. Patients are able to see like they were wearing contact lenses without all of the bother, cost, inconvenience, and risks of contacts. In general they have better visual function than provided with glasses in the same way that contact lenses are better than glasses for so many reasons.

Posted on 11/22/2009 00:14:00

As Seen in Forbes Magazine Top 10 LASIK centers in the United States

Goldline Research is an independent consumer market research firm who picks the top 10 in a variety of professional service firms and then publishes their results in Forbes Magazine. In the November 2009 issue we have been honored as one of the ten LASIK centers selected by their research as the best in the United States. We have been told by their research department that Goldline has identified approximately 10,000 LASIK providers in the USA and from this large group narrowed down their research to a potential group of 1000 LASIK providers. Finally, based on criteria of experience, technology, patient reviews, and their own proprietary methods, we were notified that we made the cut and were included in their designation which is published this month in the prestigious Forbes magazine in the "Most Powerful People" issue. We are very appreciative of this honor and will work even harder to make the experience of all of our patients world class.

Posted on 11/14/2009 19:11:00

One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We talk about astigmatism in abstract terms but seeing it graphically can help to visualize exactly what the problem is and how it can best be corrected. Here we see the actual astigmatism of a real patient which is fairly extreme being over 6 Diopters in amount. What this means is that the cornea is shaped like a football on the front surface, and therefore light rays are focused differently depending on their orientation. This output is from an actual patient we recently treated at our office who is a pilot and depends on clear vision for his job and safety. The 3-D map is created by a device called a Zywave. It works by sending in straight rays of light into the eye and looking at how they are distorted as they travel through the eye, essentially a reflection of the red eye that is seen in photographs of the pupil. Here we can see that there is a significant distortion of the light caused by the irregular shape as seen at the bottom of the cube. The LASIK procedure can reshape the eye, resulting in much lessened distortion of the light and a flattening out of the shape seen in this image. When the shape is flat and in the correct plane this corresponds to sharp clear vision as was exhibited by this patient after his LASIK procedure was completed. Click on the title to see the image discussed above.

Posted on 11/07/2009 03:17:00

How to know if you will be happy with LASIK vision correction

As important as factors related to your doctor are, laser vision correction is not just about the technology that is used, and not just about the empirical results that are obtained. The first and most important step in pursuing laser vision correction or LASIK is to pick both the doctor and the technology which will hopefully deliver for you the best results. Beyond these basics the most important consideration is known as patient expectations. The patient's perception of success is a key indicator since what goes on behind the eyes, that is in the brain of the person who has LASIK, is just as important as the objective results themselves. While most patients are extremely happy with their excellent results, it is important to understand that LASIK is a process, and one needs to look at the most important optical diagnostic instrument available, their own mirror. The bottom line is whether one is the type of person who is happy with substantial improvement in their quality of life or will only perfection be their minimum standard of success?

Posted on 10/29/2009 22:27:00

Are there advantages to i-LASIK?

When we first introduced Intralase, all laser LASIK it was termed IntraLASIK by the company and everyone using this technology. Since that time, the company has been acquired by AMO and they have a new term for the combination of Intralase and the VISX excimer laser which they call i-LASIK. There is nothing new or magical about this combination and in fact many had used the VISX laser with the Intralase for years before this acquisition. While the Intralase laser makes flaps that work well with VISX lasers, they work equally well with any other excimer laser on the market and there is nothing special about this particular combination other than a branding or marketing name. In our practice we have used the Intralase with the Bausch and Lomb laser, the Wavelight Allegretto laser (now owned by Alcon) and the Zeiss MEL 80 laser. All of these combinations work extremely well since the making of a corneal flap is independent of the correction of vision by the second laser platform.

Posted on 10/25/2009 17:01:00

Who is the 'LASIK patient counselor' and why should you care?

Virtually anyone can be called a "patient counselor" since there are no real requirements for the position. Many LASIK centers look for people with sales experience, many of whom have no medical training or experience, to fulfill the position of patient counselor. Unfortunately, this person is many times used as a closer to schedule a prospective patient as their primary objective. We at Dishler Laser Institute have a different view of what a 'patient counselor' represents. For this reason we are going to start using a different term, Vision Concierge [VC], to better describe their duties and relationship with prospective patients and to our staff. In essence, this person is supposed to be a representative who can help to educate a prospective laser vision candidate about both medical and personal details not usually covered by other medical personnel during their examination. They can discuss personal needs, issues, and contingencies that are best kept outside the traditional medical setting. In addition, the Vision Concierge is someone that can guide the patient throughout their entire experience. This provides a degree of consistency and also provides a central contact person who can elevate the experience to the highest level possible.

Posted on 10/21/2009 00:37:00

Nothing to fear but fear itself

Although Franklin D. Roosevelt was talking about the "great depression" when he uttered these famous words in 1933, they have come to symbolize a much greater range of ideas. It may be apropos to remind ourselves of these times since we are now going through what has been called the greatest recession since the depression, but this post is about something else entirely. After more than two decades of performing vision correction procedures, it is obvious to me that virtually everyone is afraid at some level of having their eyes operated on even with the amazing advances that allow this to be a relatively safe and painless procedure. Everyone has a different way of dealing with their anxiety and their method to overcome it in order to achieve a goal of improved vision. While we as doctors cannot and should not completely relieve this anxiety, we can temporarily reduce it by appropriate preoperative medication and full and accurate disclosure.

Posted on 10/17/2009 04:16:00

Own The Night

There are several laser centers that have popped up in the last few years based on marketing 20/20 vision guarantees or the alternative of lifetime enhancement guarantees. While both of these merit discussion, this post is about something different, it is about night vision. There is a big difference between seeing 20/20 on a high contrast eye chart and driving a truck at night down a dimly lit road. Today I was on Martino TV with a patient who told how in just two weeks since his LASIK procedure, not only does he see better than he did with glasses or contact lenses, but he sees more clearly at night than he can remember. When patients make a choice about laser vision correction, they are also making a choice about the technology used on their eyes and they only get one chance to make this important decision. For that reason, let us look at what makes for night vision which is so important to some people in both their occupation and in their personal lives.

Posted on 10/10/2009 02:37:00

No one can guarantee you 20/20 vision

There are several laser centers which are marketing the idea that they can guarantee you 20/20 vision, but in fact, they cannot. What they promise is 20/20 or your money back, but be sure to read the fine print. Most of the better laser centers have re-treatment rates down in the single digits, and some are only around 2% of patients needing an enhancement procedure to obtain the vision that they desire. Therefore, why pay a lot of extra money for a promise that cannot be made, and which is unlikely to be needed? Almost all patients can be corrected to 20/20 within the range of corrections that the "guarantee" has been offered. Even more certain is that with the opportunity to "fine tune" the results with a second procedure, it is unlikely that such a guarantee is necessary. Patients with higher or more difficult prescriptions or ones who cannot have a second procedure are excluded. It is more important to consider the quality of your vision correction team and their commitment to your vision than the exact number on an eye chart. We understand that patients want to reduce or eliminate their need for glasses and we strive to give every patient the very best vision possible.

Posted on 10/06/2009 01:49:00

We are so glad that the competition is trying to catch up!

In 1995 we were the first center in Colorado to perform LASIK, the very first. Many talk about clinical trials, but we are the only center in Colorado to be involved in actual FDA clinical trials for LASIK since the introduction of lasers for vision correction. Then in 2001 we were the first to use the Intralase to perform blade free LASIK. There have been many other "firsts" in vision correction that Dishler Laser Institute has brought to the Denver region. While we have been pretty quiet about discussing it, we were the first to offer the next generation of femtosecond laser, the Visumax. It operated at 200 kHz which is faster than the newest introduction of Intralase IFS that runs at 150 kHz. Of course there is a lot more to a laser than how fast it is, and this difference is not much to brag about. However, we have a new first, and it is the Visumax500 which is now the fastest femtosecond laser running at a blazing 500 kHz. That is 500,000 pulses per second. Now that is something to brag about.

Posted on 09/28/2009 04:24:00

Relax, the eye trackers are fully engaged

Most patients have some nervousness about laser vision correction, and this is certainly understandable. In speaking to thousands of patients I have come to learn that the greatest anxiety concerns their ability to look properly at the target during the treatment. In the early days of LASIK this was extremely important as it was only the patient who controlled where the treatment was applied based on their fixation. With more modern technology, we only need the patient to look in the approximate location of the fixation light, and the laser has one or more eye trackers which take over like an autopilot and guide the treatment to the appropriate location. Knowledge of the fact that the patient can do less than a perfect job of looking and still potentially get a perfect treatment makes most patients feel much more comfortable about the experience.

Posted on 09/22/2009 01:26:00

How is LASIK similar to a Ziploc bag and why should you care?

It was about 1992 when I first went to visit one of my fellow Ophthalmology residents in Louisiana to see for myself that a corneal 'cap' would almost magically stick back to the front of the eye without glue or stitches. This was before lasers, in a procedure called ALK, which was a foreshadowing of the modern LASIK we practice today. Since that time a new revolution has occurred with femtosecond lasers making flaps which fit better and heal faster than ever before. Now there is an even better breakthrough which literally snaps the cornea back into place. Only the very latest in medical technology allows this to happen and the benefits to patients are impressive.

Posted on 09/20/2009 16:13:00

What to do when your perfect vision gets blurry at age 40

It is an interesting statistic that there are more farsighted people than nearsighted, and many of these people do not even know that there eyes are not perfect until they are in their 30's or 40's. This is a group which rarely goes to the eye doctor until one day, everything up close begins to get blurry. As the years go by, the blur gets worse and even distant objects are not as clear but many still chalk it up to old eyes. In fact, after ruling out rare but serious eye problems, this is most likely what we call hyperopia, and the good news is that LASIK can help. Many people ask if LASIK can cure presbyopia, which is the need for reading glasses that accompanies older age, and the answer is not exactly, but in those cases with farsightedness or hyperopia, there is an opportunity to retain or even improve distance vision while at the same time dramatically improve near vision and without the need for reading glasses. This can benefit many people who did not know that LASIK might be able to help them. Here is the reason why.

Posted on 09/08/2009 01:34:00

LASIK is about how you feel about the world not just how you see it

For many people who have significant refractive error, their world is a complete blur were it not for glasses or contact lenses. And while these appliances do wonders to help millions of people cope with their poor unaided vision, they leave many with a psychological feeling of being incomplete. Some express their concern as worry about what would happen if they ever lost or broke their glasses, or perhaps if swimming in the ocean their contact lenses were to wash out leaving them helpless. Others are continually reminded of the heavy glasses on their noses, or an irritation often felt with a foreign material floating in their eye. For these people laser vision correction is not about perfect vision, it is about a freedom from the dependence on glasses or contact lenses to live their everyday lives. We understand these serious concerns and try to work with patients in Denver Colorado who want to discuss not only the technical aspects of LASIK but also have concerns about how their vision and improved eyesight can impact their everyday lives.

Posted on 09/05/2009 22:21:00

In Denver Colorado for a trusted Lasik surgeon look to "Trusted LASIK Surgeons"

When you think about what one word is most important to associate with your doctor, trusted is as good as it gets. If you ask, "how can I find a quality surgeon in the city that I live?" my recommendation is to go to the Trusted LASIK Surgeons website and find someone close to where you live. Because you can't buy your way into Trusted LASIK Surgeons, you have to earn it. In fact, in Denver Colorado (and all of Colorado) there are only two doctors who have been accepted into this organization, and I am proud to be one of them. In fact they state on their site that you are one of the top 1% of all LASIK surgeons in the country based on their analysis criteria. This is independent of what an individual surgeon charges for their professional services. This is a small but prestigious group of doctors and practices who have been involved in refractive vision correction in a defined way that makes you feel comfortable with them taking care of the most important eyes in the world -- yours and your families and friends. In Denver Colorado we are a Trusted LASIK Surgeon center and here are the reasons why:

Posted on 09/01/2009 02:03:00

What is a femtosecond and why is that important?

Light is the fastest thing we know of, it travels 186,000 miles in just one second. And the distance to the sun is reached in under 10 minutes at light speed. A femtosecond is a unit of time, a tiny piece of a second. It is 10 to the -15 power seconds or 1/100000000000000 of a second. How small you might wonder is that, well in a femtosecond that same beam of light that can travel around the earth 25 or so times in a second, travels just a third of a micron in a femtosecond. This means that in 1000 femtoseconds, light travels 300 microns or about 1/3 of a millimeter -- those tiny little gradations on the ruler you can barely see! This is less than the thickness of a credit card in 1000 femtoseconds, and we have a laser that has pulses so short, that they are only a few hundred femtoseconds. This means that the laser is shooting out pulses of light, or photons, in packets that span just a tiny fraction of a millimeter, light photon bullets and these tiny light bullets are what makes femtosecond LASIK possible. The "bullet" is only a micron in size and has very low energy, but when focused at the proper spot will create a very tiny break in the tissue of the cornea. When combined with hundreds of thousands of similar spots, it allows surgeons to cut a precise plane in tissue in a way that is more exact than the precision of any other kind of cutting of tissue that exists. All this techno-talk means that a femtosecond laser can do what no laser has ever been able to do before. It is light years beyond cutting with a scalpel. It is the right tool for the job.

Posted on 08/30/2009 00:28:00

Denver Lasik Blog summer LASIK special

We have a summer special for those of you who mention this blog, it is our Denver Lasik summer special which ends September 21st 2009. We offer All laser blade free custom LASIK for only $2995 for both eyes! This includes all prescriptions, LASIK or PRK (or advanced surface ablation) and one year enhancements at no charge if needed. Compared to other centers in Colorado, this will save you $500 to over $1000 for the best value in LASIK from the first and most experienced LASIK center in Colorado. Don't be fooled by low teaser pricing that probably does not include what you need. We always guarantee the lowest price for all laser custom LASIK but with this special you can save even more. And it still includes the ability to finance (wac) for up to 24 months with no interest! If you have been thinking about laser vision correction in Denver there has never been a better time than now to take advantage of our summer special just mention summer special 2009 when you call or contact us at the link below. Have a great rest of your summer! All of us at Dishler LASIK. First LASIK in Colorado.

Posted on 08/27/2009 16:53:00

Take a tour of the LASIK facility

We have a different philosophy when it comes to prospective patients who visit us and you can see videos of this on our website or on our Facebook page. While many laser centers will give you a cup of coffee (ours is fresh brewed of course) we also invite you to see the inside of our facility and learn just what you can expect if you choose us for laser vision correction in Denver, Colorado. I would suggest that in addition to visiting with a counselor about your eyes and vision, that you ask to see the lasers and get a tour of the entire operation to gain a better perspective on whether this is the best place for your procedure.

Posted on 08/26/2009 02:54:00

LASIK alternative: Advanced Surface Ablation

First there was PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) then there was LASIK, and now you might here about ASA (advanced surface ablation). What is advanced surface ablation, how is it different than PRK, and when is it indicated in vision correction instead of LASIK?

Posted on 08/24/2009 22:19:00

We are Denver LASIK

People who are not familiar with Greenwood Village may be concerned when trying to find a LASIK center close to Denver Colorado when they see our address is not actually in Denver. We are located just one block south of Belleview Avenue which is the southern border of Denver, Colorado. This location is ideal and convenient and very central for anyone within the greater metro Denver Colorado area. We are very close to the intersections of I-25 and I-225 and just a few miles north of where I-25 and I-470 intersect. Because of this, you can reach our office from Denver as well as Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Cherry Creek, Downtown Denver, and many other areas within about 20 minutes. We are also convenient for patients traveling from Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, and mountain locations such as Vail. Even for patients coming from out of state from places like Wyoming and Kansas we are easy to find. Once you get here, we have our own area of reserved parking right next to the front door of this beautiful 15 story office building. We are located on the 12th floor with a panoramic view of the mountains that can be enjoyed especially with our telescope! We have complimentary fresh brewed coffee, a free wifi hookup, and other amenities to make your visit convenient. We are also located very close to several fine dining restaurants, casual restaurants, and several hotels including the Hyatt Place only 1 block away. For a convenient location, and a world class experience we are the first "Denver LASIK" center to perform LASIK and we are located in the center of metro Denver. So when you look at a map or do a search for Denver LASIK we may not come up first, but we should be considered as a prime Denver LASIK location for LASIK and other vision correction procedures.

Posted on 08/23/2009 16:00:00

Blade free LASIK is better LASIK

To say bladeless LASIK is the gold standard, or the standard of care are strong statements subject to interpretation. What I can say is that since introducing bladeless LASIK to Denver Colorado in 2001 we have progressed to a point that in the last several years we only offer bladeless to our patients because we believe it is a much better way to do LASIK. There are several reasons for this. First there has been shown to be less dry eye problems due to the increased gentleness of the procedure. There are also less risks of other serious complications such as loss of suction resulting in a partial or abnormally cut flap. These complications do occur with a microkeratome but are virtually nonexistent with the all laser method. Studies have been performed that show the results are better with the blade free method which may have something to do with how exact the cutting of the flap has been with the laser as compared to a blade. Finally there is the accuracy of depth which is far greater with the all laser procedure than the blade procedure. All of these reasons probably account for the fact that now about 50% of all LASIK is blade free. The only reason not to have all blade free is cost, and it seems that the extra cost is worth it for all of these reasons. Since blade free is so much more common, you can find centers to offer this at no or little additional cost from standard LASIK. This has advanced even more with the VisuMax, now our preferred blade free LASIK procedure and here is why.

Posted on 08/22/2009 03:19:00

Dishler Introduces Latisse

For many years we have been delivering patients in Denver beautiful vision with LASIK and now we are going to start delivering beautiful eyes with Latisse.

Posted on 08/18/2009 02:00:00

LASIK -- What does it mean?

The word LASIK has become a household name for laser vision correction. 15 years ago when we started offering this procedure as the first in Colorado, no one had heard of this funny word before. This post is to describe the meaning of the word and to help bring a discussion of laser vision correction to those who want to experience better vision in Denver Colorado, and throughout Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and elsewhere.

Posted on 08/08/2009 21:29:00

Measure Twice, Cut Once

When it comes to getting excellent results in anything, accuracy is very important. Even when cutting a piece of wood, we are told to measure twice and cut once to be sure we have it right. If an error occurs, we might need to buy a new piece of wood. Obviously, in medical care, we need to be extremely careful and I have been impressed how careful doctors are trained to be, especially in surgery. Although to the casual observer, laser vision correction might seem rather simple, it does in fact require rigorous thought, careful measurements, and analysis to consistently get excellent results. Even with the best of intentions, we cannot always be as reproducible as cutting a piece of wood because what we are doing is far more complex. At our center, Dishler LASIK, we attempt to minimize any variability and this blog entry is to explain some of the steps we have taken to insure the greatest accuracy possible. I invite the comments of any prospective or treated patients.

Posted on 08/02/2009 03:47:00

Location, Location, Location

Why we have maintained our current "Denver" location for over 25 years in a high rise office building that is particularly well suited as a laser vision correction center.

Posted on 07/31/2009 00:22:00

Guaranteed Lowest Price

When considering laser vision correction, there are many things that are relevant in making that decision. First and most important are the medical issues such as whether one would benefit from vision improvement versus the risks of undergoing an elective procedure. Next there are the logistical considerations of who and where would make the most sense for an individual. Finally, there are the financial considerations of affordability and relative cost at different centers. Everyone likes to get good value for the money they spend, and it would seem that like many commodity purchases, the lowest price would be the best. In a complex purchase, it is more difficult to obtain clarity of the cost and value even more than understanding the clarity that can be obtained by the procedure itself. We invite you to read our belief about cost and LASIK and please comment whether this makes sense to you and any suggestions how we might improve our ability to offer you the best vision correction at the most affordable cost. Thank you. sy4r8tf7c9

Posted on 07/27/2009 02:16:00

Dry Eye

Many of us have heard the term "dry eye" and most have experienced this condition at one point or another during our lives. We are now learning many new things about dry eye, how to prevent it, what causes it, and what we can do to treat it. When it comes to LASIK, dry eye is an especially important consideration since any surgery on the eye including LASIK and PRK can make dry eye conditions worse, at least temporarily. The most important thing is to recognize this condition and treat it early before it becomes symptomatic.

Posted on 07/22/2009 03:59:00

Choose the Doctor that Doctors choose

Over 200 doctors have referred their patients to Dishler Laser Institute for correction of their patients refractive error. Our practice works primarily as a referral center since well over 80% of our patients are referred by other doctors (optometrists and ophthalmologists). In addition, we have performed LASIK and other vision correction procedures on a large number of doctors including heart surgeons, radiologists, family practice doctors, and dentists just to mention a few. Rather than picking a doctor based on advertising gimmicks it seems that the doctor who has consistently delivered excellent results for other doctor's patients might be your best choice.

Posted on 07/10/2009 03:01:00

What LASIK costs

LASIK has become one of the most widely accepted surgical procedures in the world. Insurance rarely pays the costs for this procedure. There are a wide range of apparent costs for LASIK at different centers and this post is to discuss what these costs include, and more specifically what we are doing at Dishler Laser to make LASIK more affordable for you.

Posted on 06/30/2009 03:34:00

Astigmatism First

We receive many questions about correcting astigmatism. This is a difficult concept to understand because astigmatism is having an eye which is shaped more like a football than a soccer ball. What this means is that light is bent differently depending on how it enters the eye, and correcting this kind of eye is a complex problem. Fortunately, our modern lasers can treat astigmatism, and the laser we choose to use most, the Zeiss Mel 80, actually corrects the astigmatism before it corrects the near or far sightedness. This is a key advantage as is explained below. This post is my own thinking on this matter, and in no way reflects the opinion of any of the companies discussed. I hope you enjoy reading about why we are so satisfied with our experiences using this laser system.

Posted on 06/18/2009 01:45:00

20/20 vision and what it means in laser vision correction

Most people considering laser vision correction are concerned about getting 20/20 vision as a result. While this is important, 20/20 acuity is only part of what we appreciate with our vision. Some experts say that 20/happy is the real goal. No doctor can guarantee a 20/20 result, and we have outcomes analysis to show what to expect with a given level of vision before vision correction surgery. Almost all of our patients do achieve 20/20 and the few who do not usually have a free enhancement to reach this goal.

Posted on 06/15/2009 01:23:00

Martino TV

Dr. Dishler appears weekly on Martino TV as a vision expert.

Posted on 06/10/2009 21:56:00