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 About Dr. Andrew Caster and The Caster
Eye Center
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Dr.
Andrew Caster has performed more than 14,000 laser vision correction
procedures.
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The Caster Eye Center is dedicated exclusively to eliminating the need for glasses and contact lenses. When you focus all of your talents and energy in one area, you learn how to do it very, very well.
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Many
world-class professional athletes, including top professionals
in basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, boxing, and soccer, have entrusted
Dr. Andrew Caster to improve their vision and performance with Lasik.
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With over 150 surgeons in the Los Angeles area performing Lasik, Dr. Andrew Caster was selected by Los Angeles Magazine as the "Best Laser Eye Surgeon in Los Angeles." According to Los Angeles Magazine, to be selected as "Best of Los Angeles", "you simply have to do something much better than anyone else does."
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Dr. Andrew Caster was voted by other ophthalmologists to "Best Doctors in America", an honor given by eye specialists to less than 40 Lasik specialists in the entire United States.
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Dr.
Andrew Caster is one of four doctors in the United States (and
the only doctor in California) who is a member of the
Alcon Refractive Surgery Clinical Advisory Board. Alcon
is the largest eye care company in the world. In this
capacity, Dr. Caster works closely with the doctors at
Alcon to advance the science of laser vision correction.
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W
Magazine recently selected Dr. Caster as one of two top Lasik laser
eye surgeons in the United States.
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At
the Caster Eye Center, we will only treat you if we believe
that we can obtain an excellent result. Approximately 30% of the patients that come to us for
Lasik are advised not to have the procedure, because we believe
they are not ideal candidates.
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Caster Eye
Center offers three lasers: WaveLight Allegretto,
LadarVision6000, and Visx S4. These lasers use the wavefront
custom cornea technology to achieve superior daytime and
nighttime vision.
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Dr. Andrew Caster’s book, The Eye Laser Miracle: The Complete Guide to Better Vision,
is now in its 5th printing and is the most widely-read book
in the United States on the subject of laser vision correction.
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Dr. Andrew Caster is one of only a few Lasik surgeons in Southern
California (and one of less than 100 in the entire United
States) to meet the extremely high quality standards required
to become certified by the Council for
Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance.
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Dr. Andrew Caster has been honored by Visx, a laser manufacturer, as one of the "Top 50" Laser Vision Correction doctors in the United States for four years in a row.
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Our laser room is dust-free and has strict temperature and humidity control.
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People travel to the Caster Eye Center from across the United States
and from many other countries. In fact, our patients have come from
every continent in the world. These people know that at the Caster
Eye Center they will receive the highest quality laser vision correction
available anywhere in the world.
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Superior
results require the highest quality equipment, as well as a commitment
to quality in every step of the process. At the Caster Eye Center we use
only the highest quality FDA-approved lasers - the WaveLight Allegretto,
the Alcon Ladar6000, and the Visx S4. These lasers use the wavefront
custom cornea technology to create exceptionally sharp daytime and
nighttime vision.
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A
commitment to the highest quality goes far beyond using the most
advanced equipment. Our laser room is temperature and humidity
controlled to a degree unmatched by other centers. Attention
to detail (such as calibration, maintenance, and technician
quality), use of the finest equipment, and Dr. Caster's extensive
knowledge and experience combine to produce our highly accurate
results.
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| In addition
to treating thousands of patients, Dr. Caster has had his own
nearsightedness and astigmatism corrected with the Lasik technique. This
personal experience helps Dr. Caster to understand your needs and concerns in a very personal way. |
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About
Our Doctors
FDA
Studies at the Caster Eye Center
The Caster Eye Center has been involved in clinical
research since the earliest days of laser vision correction. Caster Eye
Center was one of twenty sites in the United States that performed the
treatments to obtain FDA approval for Lasik with the Visx laser. We have
conducted research using the Alcon LadarVision 4000 and 6000 Custom
treatments. We have also conducted important studies regarding avoidance
of irregular vision.
We at the
Caster Eye Center are proud of our role in helping to develop and test new techniques that will improve the vision of patients
everywhere.
To
see a list of recent Lasik research presentations by Dr. Caster,
please click here.
Technology at the Caster Eye Center
No one
has technology that surpasses the Caster Eye Center. We have a
commitment to using the most advanced and up-to-date equipment
available, and we continue to remain at the forefront of technology for
laser vision correction.
Of course, the manner in which the technology is used -- how it is
programmed, how it is maintained, the many choices made by the physician
-- is more important than the raw technology itself.
Laser Technology
Over the past 10 years, Dr. Caster has used many lasers: Summit, Visx,
LadarVision, and Allegretto. At the Caster Eye Center, we currently
have three lasers to use: WaveLight Allegretto, Visx S4, and Alcon Ladar6000.
By far the most accurate treatments have been obtained with the
WaveLight Allegretto laser, so that is the laser that we use for most
treatments. The Allegretto is the only laser that has been designed
specifically for Custom treatments; unlike other lasers, all treatments
with the Allegretto laser are Custom treatments.
For more information
about the Allegretto laser, please click here
Temperature and Humidity Control
Laser treatments are more precise when the temperature
and humidity in the laser room are carefully controlled. At the Caster
Eye Center, our laser room has precise temperature and humidity control.
Our laser room is also dust-free. By taking these extra steps, we are
able to achieve the most accurate vision for our patients.
Outcome Analysis
One of the most important (but most difficult) tools to improve the accuracy of the results is through Outcome Analysis. Caster Eye Center has been an industry leader in Outcome Analysis, using this technique continuously since 1991. In 1994, Dr. Caster was honored with the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology Alumni Research Award for his development and use of Outcome Analysis.
Each laser is supplied with software formulas that tell the laser how many pulses to use for any given level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. These formulas, however, represent an average number of pulses needed for the typical surgeon using this laser, using a typical technique, in a room with typical temperature and humidity. The problem is: no two surgeons/techniques/rooms are identical, so reliance on the laser software produces average (but not exceptional) results. Many surgeons alter the laser formulas, but not in a reliable, scientific way.
Outcome Analysis is the systematic collection and mathematical analysis of results in a way that allows for adjustment in laser formulas. It is very time consuming and involves use of computer programs that perform multiple regression analysis. By routinely analyzing the multiple regression analyses of these outcomes, we are constantly making small modifications in our laser formulas. This dramatically improves our results. It is an on-going quality improvement feed-back loop that is very difficult and time-consuming, but is one of the most important ways that we produce the most accurate results possible. It only useful in a setting where the technique – the surgeon, the equipment, the room temperature and humidity – are held constant.
Pupil Size Assessment
One of the most troublesome aspects of laser vision correction has been the relatively poor night-time vision that some patients experience. Poor night vision may be the result of the treatment area being too small in relation to the size of the fully dilated pupil (your pupil dilates – enlarges – when you go into the dark). The LadarVision laser allows for dramatically larger treatment zones, resulting in much improved night vision.
It is essential to have an accurate way of measuring the pupil size in the dark. If you shine a light onto the eye to measure the pupil size, then the pupil gets smaller in response to the light, and you are not measuring the true maximum size of the pupil.
The Caster Eye Center was one of the first practices in California to use the Colvard pupillometer to measure pupil size in the dark. This device uses light amplification technology to allow an accurate assessment of the pupil size in the dark. We continue to perform this test on every patient.
A new, more accurate device is now available to measure pupil size in the dark – the Procyon 2000SA Pupillometer. The Caster Eye Center is the first practice in California to own and use this technology. This computerized device makes ten different pupil size measurements at each of three different light levels, and uses imaging software to precisely assign a size to each measurement. This has taken pupil size determination to a much higher level.
Flap Creation
Creation of the Lasik flap is the part of the procedure
that seems to concern most patients. At the Caster Eye Center, we use
two methods to create the Lasik flap: the IntraLase laser and the
keratome. Most patients can have the flap made using either technique,
and they are very similar. Each has small advantages and disadvantages,
and we will discuss the appropriateness of each method for you during
your consultation. After the flap is created, the vision is then
corrected using the treatment laser.
The creation of the flap is not painful and takes about 20 seconds. Most people say that they had a feeling of pressure (not pain) during the flap creation. Also, you are not able to see the flap being made. After the procedure is complete, the flap is simply laid back into position, where it sticks down in place by itself without stitches or glue.
For some patients, it is best to not make a flap at all. This "Lasik without a flap" is known by several names, including Lasek, PRK, and Advanced Surface Treatment. For some patients with relatively thin corneas, large pupils, very high corrections (or a combination of these), Lasik without a flap may allow for the largest treatment size, which may be important in diminishing glare and halos. Also, patients with very significant dryness will benefit from Lasik without a flap, which does not cause any increase in the symptoms of dryness. Lasik without a flap does have a slower, more prolonged healing period. We will discuss with you which option is best for your particular situation.
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AND DIRECTIONS TO CASTER EYE CENTER
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