LASIK and Eye Surgery Blog - Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center

September 2, 2010
Visian ICL captures the military’s attention
Filed under: Implantable Contact Lenses, Implantable Contact Lenses Mission Valley, Implantable Contact Lenses san diego, LASIK in San Diego, Vision Correction in San Diego — Tags: , , , — Clearview Staff @ 3:58 pm

The Visian Staar ICL, a tiny implantable contact lens, is gaining popularity among soldiers in the military searching for a safe and permanent solution to rid them of a dependence on a contact lens or glasses to see in extreme battlefield conditions. These myopic soldiers have a unique set of visual needs that the Visian ICL has managed to meet and exceed their expectations especially concerning achieving optimum night vision.

The Chief of Refractive Surgeon at the Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas, reported in a recent retrospective study that soldiers are opting for ICL over LASIK.

“There’s something about the quality of vision with this lens that is much better than laser vision correction,” Dr. Parkhurst said. “Due to word of mouth we’re getting to the point that soldiers are now asking for ICLs as their first option, even when their corneas have no extra risk factors from LASIK or PRK.  An OR nurse last week told me he was approached when he was out shopping at the commissary and asked about how to get on the list for a collamer lens.”

Here in San Diego, a very heavily populated military community, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, expert ICL refractive surgeon in San Diego, gives free consultations to discuss ICL and IOL options with military members. She too has seen an increase in soldiers requesting ICL.

The Visian ICL is used to treat nearsightedness and is surgically implanted into the eye, behind the iris and in front of your natural lens. Once in this position, the Visian lens improves your vision by optimizing the way light enters your eye. The results are instantaneous.

This high-definition vision is what soldiers are raving about. It gives them visual clarity they can dependent on in the most unstable, dusty, sandy and dangerous territories on war front lines. Soldiers are finding that due to the position in the nodal point of the eye, vision is sharper, clearer, with greater depth and dimension.

August 27, 2010
Scientists Create a Bio-artificial Cornea
Filed under: Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking (CXL), San Diego laser eye surgeon, Vision Correction in San Diego, vision correction surgery san diego — Tags: , , , — Clearview Staff @ 6:23 pm

This is sci-fi. A new study reported by the Associated Press shows early promise for the first bio-artificial cornea created out of collagen the same tissue that makes up the eye’s natural cornea.

Scientists have found that by using a synthetically generated collagen inserted into the damaged corneal layers spurs the eye’s natural corneal-cells to regenerate the cornea made out of collagen resulting in restoring the eye’s vision. So, really they are inducing the eye to rebuild the damaged cornea from within rather than replace it with a donated transplant, which is the traditional treatment for a damaged cornea.

Vision depends on the cornea to reflect light to the retina and unfortunately this part of the eye is often most susceptible to infection and injury. More than 42,000 people in America need a corneal transplant, yet these are not readily available due to a poor supply of donated corneas.

This study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Researchers in Sweden implanted a bio-artificial cornea in 10 patients and none suffered rejection, one of the risks of donated transplant. In fact, there were no side effects of the eye rejecting the foreign body or even having to inject the eye with an anti-immune suppressant. Even more amazing was that after this collagen bio-artificial cornea that looks similar to a contact lens was implanted, the corneal cells, began regenerating and regulating natural function of the cornea such as tear production, re-growth of corneal nerves and return of sensitivity. Two years later, six patients showed significant improvement on their vision.

To find out more about corneal transplants and restoring your vision, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, renowned corneal and refractive surgeon in San Diego, is available for a consult.

August 26, 2010
Study Reports Children With Wandering Eye Become Outcasts
Filed under: San Diego LASIK Surgeon, San Diego LASIK Surgery, Vision Correction in San Diego, laser vision correction, laser vision correction San Diego, san diego vision correction specialist, vision correction — Tags: , , , , , , — Clearview Staff @ 3:32 pm

As back school nears, we’re trying to get our children prepared physically and emotionally for the new challenges they will face in the classroom and on the playground. Some of the rough, new bumps in the road we can foresee and help smooth out. But others, those that have to do with discrimination on the playground we may not be aware of, yet the psychological ramifications could be detrimental to our children’s social and emotional development.

Take for example, a recent study, about children with wandering eye are more susceptible to social isolation by their peers.  The study recommends refractive surgery for correction of the eye before six years old, because researchers have discovered that’s when the discrimination surfaces. Laser surgery for wandering eye could correct this problem. Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, corneal and refractive eye surgeon in San Diego, can consult with parents on what they could expect as far as outcome from this kind of treatment.

Wandering eye, also known as strabismusis, a disorder recognized by a deviating eye, eye squint and or crossed eyes that stems from an absence of coordination between the eyes resulting in the eyes looking in different directions, according to the National Institutes of Health. Wandering eye is different than the more common lazy eye.

In the study, the researchers altered digital photographs of six sets of identical twins to develop inward and outward strabismusis to compare against normally aligned set of eyes. A group of 118 children from ages 3 to 12 with normal eyes were asked to look at four sets of pictures, one in each pair of the twins showed visible signs of wandering eye. The researchers asked the children who would they invite to the their birthday party. The children under the age of six did not discriminate between the wandering eye and normal eye twins.

The physical distinction surfaced in the group of 48 children ages 6 to 8 years old. Eighteen made a choice to only invite children with a normal set of eyes.  To compare, in the younger set of 31 children ages 4 to 6, only one child didn’t invite a children with wandering eye to the birthday party.

The results become more startling when you add in the researchers asking the children if they noticed anything different about the twins. Nineteen percent of the 4 to 6 year-old group noticed the wandering eye and after the researchers directed their attention to the eyes 39 percent commented on the alignment of the eyes. Likewise, in the 6 to 8 year old group, 48 percent recognized the wandering eye and jumped to 77 percent when attention was drawn to the twins eyes.

This study is telling to what our children are facing on the playground and the need to correct physical disorders such as wandering eye that seems harmless at home but could be a landmine socially for your child on the playground.

Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, an expert corneal and refractive surgeon, is available for a consult with parents on wandering eye and other eye disorders in children that may need special attention and refractive surgery for correction.

August 20, 2010
Restore Your Aging Eyes
Filed under: San Diego cataract, San Diego cataract surgeon, advanced intraocular lens, cataract surgery, cataracts, restor lens — Tags: , , , — Clearview Staff @ 9:26 pm

As recently reported, patients are switching between bifocals for presbyopia, the over 40 years old aging eyes problem, mid-range to now read on the computer and often another set of glasses to drive or engage in outdoor activities. This seems like  too many different glasses to keep track of, it’s hard enough to always reach for one pair when needed let alone three.

As mention in our previous discussion, there are advanced intraocular implantable lens that replace the aging lens known as the crystalline lens in the eye. Crystalen Lens is an implantable lens that can eliminate dependency on all three sets of glasses described above as patients report having hi-definition vision at near, mid and far distances.

  • With Crystalens the eyes can focus in the distance as well as intermediate (i.e. to see your computer, to see far ahead of you for driving) with less dependency on  prescription glasses or contacts.
  • 92% of Crystalens patients can see 20/25 at a distance,
  • 96% can 20/20 at arm’s length,
  • 75% can see 20/25 for near sight activities, and
  • 98% of crystalens patients can see well enough to pass their driver’s license eye test without glasses or contacts

Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, expert corneal and refractive surgeon in San Diego, has suggested another type of implantable lens. It’s also in the family of the implantable intraocular lens that originated from cataract surgery. Cataracts gradually starts after age of 40, but it’s not until people are in their 60s that the effects become so poor, treatment is needed.  By age 80 more than ½ of Americans are living with cloudy cataracts. Here are the upsides to cataract surgery: 2 million surgeries are performed every year with a 98 percent success rate.

Some people are opting to have this surgery early, so they don’t have to deal with mid-range glasses, bifocals and they can enjoy young vision again right now.  With the new multi-focal IOL, such as ReSTOR lens, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, cataract surgery expert in San Diego, can implant bifocal implantable lenses that enable you to see far and near distances without your granny glasses. The 20-minute procedure that is essentially cataract surgery is painless. These FDA approved IOLs are pushing the boundaries of visual freedom and enable you to feel young again while walking on the beach, hiking in the mountains, surfing on the water, scuba diving beneath the sea. Young vision is possible again.

August 18, 2010
No Glasses Solution for a Squinting Nation
Filed under: advanced intraocular lens, cataract surgery, intraocular lens, laser vision correction, presbyopia — Tags: , , , — Clearview Staff @ 9:54 pm

The screens of our computers, laptops, handheld devices, e-readers and other technological devices designed to bring convenience into our lives are an inconvenience for our eyes. Close to 80 percent of Americans sit at a range that is not reading distance while most eye correction prescriptions are set for this proximity, which makes the eyes have to overcompensate by squinting to bring the flickering screen sometimes 18 to 40 inches away into clearer focus, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, “Becoming a Squinter Nation”. Computer Vision Syndrome encompasses a list of prevalent symptoms individuals are complaining about with more frequency at the eye doctor. Below are the symptoms:

Headaches

Fatigue

Blurred Vision

Neck Pain

More than 90 percent of Americans are suffering Computer Vision Syndrome according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety. Add presbyopia, known as aging eyes, when the natural crystalline lens in the lens hardens making it harder to reflect light onto the retina that requires bifocal lens in order for a person to see near and far with one pair of corrective lens and you have a person pulling back or pushing the head forward to try to bring the computer screen into focus. Some optometrists recommend mid-range glasses for the sole purpose of computer reading. Some people are actually switching between two and three pairs of glasses to read on the computer, a book, watch television and drive.

Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, a leading corneal expert and refractive surgeon in San Diego, suggests a permanent solution that eliminates glasses mid-range and bifocal granny glasses all together. There is a new lens implant technology comes from cataract surgery. It’s a painless 20-minute procedure that entails treating the eye with anesthetic drops, then making a tiny incision to washing away that cloudy lens and replace it with a crystal clear, implantable intraocular lens known as an IOL. It’s a tiny implantable lens that looks similar to a contact lens but instead of placed in front of the eye it replaces the internal crystalline lens of the eye. The WOW results are instantaneous.

The adjustable IOL lens flexes like a natural lens of the eye to give you crystal, clear high-definition vision without glasses while reading on the computer, driving in the car or surfing in the water. The Crystalens automatically moves back and forth with the eye’s internal ciliary muscle to give you the ability to focus naturally at distances near, far and everything between at mid-range distances when reading on the computer or a handheld device.

August 14, 2010
Protecting Young Vision
Filed under: Age-Related Macular Degeneration, San Diego cataract, presbyopia — Tags: , , , , — Clearview Staff @ 11:43 am

UV rays obviously ages our skin hence sunscreen and we now know that UV rays also can hasten the aging of the eyes. We’ve talked about some ways to stave off UV rays, but the questions begs how can we slow the natural process of aging eyes and protect our young vision with a wellness program for our eyes.

We’ve all heard about how certain foods are good for our heart or our bones.  Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, expert eye doctor in San Diego, says the same is true with our eyes.  Research shows that a diet rich in antioxidants as well as certain vitamins and minerals may help prevent or slow the progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

More than 10 million Americans have Age-Related Macular Degeneration.  This eye disease is now one of the leading causes of blindness and vision loss for people 65 years or older in this county. Dr. Feldman, a renowned corneal and refractive surgeon in San Diego, has given many of her patients vision wellness programs as preventative medicine for aging eyes. This includes routine eye exams, healthy diet and exercise because your eye functions are connected to your cardiovascular system.

Especially in a health conscious coastal town like San Diego, wellness for the eyes is becoming just as important as for the body. You only have one set of eyes. While there is no cure for Age-Related Macular Degeneration and other eye diseases, new studies show that a healthy diet may play an important part in fighting deterioration of the eye function.

Some tips in eating for your eyes:

  • Lutein and Zeaxanthin both antioxidants found in leafy green vegetables have been linked with decreased prevalence in cataracts in older women. These antioxidants prevent and or slow oxidative damage as our bodies use oxygen to produce energy. Both of these antioxidants defend the eyes against damaging free radicals.
  • Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, may also protect against cataracts but studies show that we might need as much as 300 milligrams, possibly more for a cataract-preventative effect.
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids found in fish, nuts, vegetable oils and leafy greens will lower the risk of and can prevent age-related macular-degeneration.  Research shows us that Omega-3 fatty acids protect the eyes by blocking buildup of plaque in the arteries. These extremely valuable fats can also reduce inflammation, discomfort from dry eyes and other cell damage in the retina.
  • When your mom told you that carrots are good for your eyes, she was giving you good advice. The risk of glaucoma can significantly be reduced with foods rich in Vitamins A, B2 C. Foods rich in beta carotene like carrots, mangos, sweet potatoes and peaches keep your eyes in good health.
August 10, 2010
Eye Health Equals Sunglasses, Diet and Exercise
Filed under: Age-Related Macular Degeneration, San Diego cataract, Vision Correction in San Diego, cataracts, eye health — Tags: , , — Clearview Staff @ 3:47 pm

We’ve been talking about protecting your eyes from UV rays that can ultimately prevent you from getting Pterygium, but also other corneal diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, a renowned corneal expert and refractive surgeon in San Diego, suggests these five tips for choosing a pair of sunglasses deemed as safe protective eyewear.

The best defense against UV rays is a good pair of sunglasses.

  • Check the label, be sure the sunglasses have 100% UV protection
  • Frames should fit close to further protect the eyes from the sun.  For extra protection, wear a hat.
  • Large lenses and wrap around frames offer more protection for the eyes
  • Better lenses provide better optics, cheaper lenses may have aberrations or distortions.  The distortion can cause eye strain and headaches.
  • Expensive glasses do not always mean the best glasses, they usually indicate fashion trends and durability, not UV protection

Lastly, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, expert eye surgeon in San Diego,  offers two other tips to keep your eyes protected and in good health. Vitamin C helps keep eyes young and healthy while protecting some parts of the eye against damage caused by UV.  Foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, green peppers and tomatoes. Exercise is obviously great for the body and mind but also our eyes. Not just a leisurely walk in the park with your dog, you need to work up a sweat and shoot for at least three days a week. This reduces some of the risk factors connected to eye disease such as body-mass, white blood-cell count and blood pressure.  Exercise improves your blood and oxygen through your cardiovascular system and that helps your eyes too. Remember just as you want to protect yourself from signs of aging by warding off UV rays and keeping your body young and healthy, you have to also factor in protecting and preserving your eyesight as it’s the true barometer of your health.

Win a free pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses by referring a friend to ClearView Eye Laser and Medical Center and enter the Summer Raffle. For more information contact ClearView.

August 7, 2010
Protecting Your Eyes From UV
Filed under: Uncategorized, eye health — Tags: , , — Clearview Staff @ 4:09 pm

As summer fun reaches its heights and back to school is around the corner, we find ourselves spending more time soaking in the sun on the beach and playing on the ocean. All the fun in the sun means protecting your eyes with as much vigilance as you protect your skin.

Especially here in sun-drenched San Diego, we are more susceptible to a common eye problem called Pterygium in which a growth occurs on the transparent membrane covering the whites (sclera) of the eye.  It begins as a yellow or pink discoloration on the sclera near the nose, and grows inwards towards the pupil in a fan shape. The most common cases of pterygium happen when there is overexposure to wind and sun (ultraviolet rays). San Diego boaters, surfers construction workers or landscapers are especially vulnerable if they are not wearing quality sunglasses and hats, and tend to be the most common profile of people who develop pterygium.  Men are twice as susceptible as women.

This growth can affect vision if it extends onto the cornea near the visual axis or restricts movements of the eye.  Some of the symptoms include inflammation and redness in the eye.  Some people complain of feeling a foreign body sensation. The growth is visible and often, a cosmetic concern.

At ClearView, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, a Pterygium specialist in San Diego, can perform a suture-less surgical procedure to remove the growth and replace it with normal, healthy tissue. The sutures of the past that caused pain post-op, she replaced with fibrin glue. Dr. Feldman, a leading eye surgeon in San Diego, knows that surgery isn’t the only way to treat Pterygium as it has a reputation for re-growth. My solution is repair that vulnerable area with transplanted natural tissue taken from beneath the eyelid. The painless ten-minute procedure will clear vision and get dedicated surfers back in the water within two weeks.

The next time, you head out for the beach grab a wide-brimmed hat and wrap-around sunglasses that 100% block out UV rays.

July 21, 2010
Alternative to Granny Glasses
Filed under: ICL, Implantable Contact Lenses, San Diego cataract, Vision Correction in San Diego, advanced intraocular lens, presbyopia, restor lens — Tags: — Clearview Staff @ 12:47 pm

No more granny glasses… Today for the first time there is a solution for aging vision. Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, a leading eye surgeon in San Diego, spoke about the latest technology in permanent vision correction when she joined the Good Morning San Diego show on KUSI. The Implantable Contact Lens known as ICLs and the Intraocular Lens  known as  IOL scorrect reading and distance vision. In the past, people had to reach for their granny glasses to read a menu in a restaurant or an article on the computer.

The lens implant technology comes from the surgery to correct cataracts, a clouding of the lens in the eye. The cloudy lens was washed away and replaced with a single focal implantable lens. The advancements in this technology led to the release of permanent synthetic lens implants that can mimic the function of the eye to correct nearsightedness, known as myopia,  and waning reading vision, known as presbyopia.

The lens of our eye works like camera lens reflecting light to the retina so that we can see. Over time the proteins in the lens thicken making it difficult for light to pass through. The result is blurry vision.

Dr. Feldman can clear that blurry vision by implanting an intraocular lens called a multifocal or adjustable lens that not only restores vision, but also improves it. The multifocal lens enables you to see near and far distances. The adjustable IOL, some say, is like having supervision because it flexes like the natural lens in the eye. The lens gives you young vision to be able to drive a car, see distances clearly and read without glasses or contact lenses.

Dr. Feldman, says that as the baby boom generation is aging they are looking for ways to be young again and that is why permanent vision correction especially in the field of implants are on the rise. People are tired of depending on granny glasses to read and now this vision correction surgery not only restores their reading vision but also improves their distance vision. It’s a win win in being young again. The act alone of reaching for the granny glasses makes us feel old. These implanted lenses improve the quality of life for Dr. Feldman’s patients to enjoy surfing, sailing, scuba diving, golfing, biking and reading again independent of glasses. Dr. Feldman offers a free personal consultation to people wishing for visual freedom.

July 9, 2010
LASIK or ICL? Military Reviews Safe Vision Procedures for Soldiers
Filed under: ICL, Implantable Contact Lenses, LASIK in San Diego, San Diego LASIK Surgeon, Uncategorized — Tags: , , — Clearview Staff @ 3:31 pm

Glasses tend to be an inconvenience for many of us. For our soldiers, vision correction is more than inconvenience it’s a hazard on battlefields such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Glasses and contact lens are not a reality for combat soldiers, so doctors in the military have reviewed other, more permanent visual correction options such as LASIK and Implantable Contact Lens for nearsighted soldiers.

LASIK is a visual correction using a laser to reshape the cornea so the eyes are not dependent on glasses or contact lenses. The ICL is an implantable lens that achieves similar visual independence without removing the eye’s natural lens. The initial military study conducted at Fort Hood on 104 soldiers and 206 eyes have shown that the ICL provides better night acuity, safer on the battlefield and results of 20/20 post-op. According to the study, more active duty soldiers are asking for ICL.

Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, of ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center in San Diego, suggests that soldiers have a complimentary consultation so that she can tailor a visual correction plan that best fits their eyes. She’s a leading eye surgeon in San Diego and has treated military service members with LASIK and PRK, another LASIK alternative for near and farsighted eyes.

At Clearview in San Diego, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman understands that visual acuity day or night is critical for soldiers and that is why she uses the customized Wavescan Wavefront System that digitally maps the eye’s imperfections to find the precise prescription. This system is 25 times more accurate than those used in most eye doctor offices. This customized “eye fingerprint” translates to achieving 20/20 vision for 98 percent of her patients. She uses that unique image to decide if LASIK or ICL, or even PRK is best.

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San Diego LASIK Center

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S. :: ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
6255 Lusk Blvd., Suite 100 :: San Diego, California 92121

“She’s the Surgeon to See”