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Caster
Eye Center Excellence in Laser Vision Correction of Nearsightedness · Farsightedness · Astigmatism |
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Caster
Eye Center Excellence in Laser Vision Correction of Nearsightedness · Farsightedness · Astigmatism |
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Email:
September 19, 2006 Q: I'm currently 15 and I want to have a lasik surgery. I am wondering if this age is okay to have a lasik surgery. My parents have said that it's fine but they need to know how old you need to be or what requirements you need. A: 15 is a little young. You should wait until your eyes have stopped changing for 1-2 years, which often isn't until 18 or older. Andrew Caster, MD Email: September 20, 2006 Q: I am currently 35 years old and was told I was a good cadidate for the LASIK procedure. I currently wear contact lenses for nearsightedness. I am concerned about presbyopia in my 40's. My main reason for wanting to get the LASIK procedure is to get rid of my contacts and glasses due to dry, irritated eyes. If I get the procedure done, would it still be possible to wear contact lenses later on in life when presbyopia becomes a problem? Also, is monovision an option after having LASIK? A: After having Lasik, you can certainly wear contacts, if you so desire. Monovision is also an option with Lasik, and when you get older you can come back to have an adjustment to your Lasik to create monovision. Bifocal contacts only work in a small proportion of people as a solution for presbyopia. Andrew Caster, MD Email: September 24, 2006 Q: I have seen a retina specialist at Loma Linda, Dr. Carlson, and he said I have Central Serius Retinopothy. It cleared up at one point and then it came back after about 7 months. He said it was one of those idiopathic diseases that has no clear method of fixing it. I'm all for a second opinion if you think there is a possibility of taking care of this. What do you think? Yolanda A. A: Generally, central serous retinopathy goes away on its own without treatment. In some cases, if it persists, laser treatment is used. It never hurts to get a second opinion. Andrew Caster, MD Email: September 26, 2006 Q:
Having sucessfully had Lasik 4 years ago and being over 50 with very mild hyperopia in both eyes, will CK , if performed, be done on both eyes, or is this a monovision procedure for both hyperopia patients and presbyopia patients? In other words, if I just have basic hyperopia, do you correct both my eyes? Thank you. Mark G. A:
CK can be used for hyperopia, or to produce monovision in a hyperopic or no-distance-prescription eye. Lasik or PRK can also be used in these identical situations. Andrew Caster, MD Email: September 28, 2006 Q: Dr., I am 42 yrs old and wish to have Lasik monovision surgery performed. What vision do you recommend for my "reading eye?" 20/25? 20/30? 20/40? etc. My present vision is 20/80 in my "reading eye." Thanks, Vinnie A: I suggest that you try varying amounts of monovision in the doctor's office. This can be easily done with practice glasses that the doctor puts together in a trial frame. We have our patients walk around the office with different amounts of monovision to see how they like it. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 05, 2006 Q: I am interested in having the LASEK procedure performed, I have a -2.5 on both eyes, but I heard that this surgery might decrease the contrastic ability, I am an Endodontist (root canal specialist) and deal with very fine objects and perform surgeries, how true is that, and would the correction have an impact on my work? J A: LASEK or any other form of laser vision correction can have a positive or a negative effect on the contrast sensitivity, which a measurement of the ability to distinguish between small amounts of contrast. Some people have an increase and some have a decrease. As a surgeon, who is working with bright lights, this is not likely to have any effect on your work. Contrast sensitivity losses could affect the vision under dim light conditions, such as out in the woods during dusk. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 10, 2006 Q: I had sent an email requesting how much is the insurance and what is the deductible for having Lasik procedure. Who do I talk to enroll. Cost figures are of primary importance. Can somebody help? A: Insurance almost always does not cover Lasik. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 13, 2006 Q: I have had nystagma my entire life. I wear contacts -6.00 in my left eye, -5.50 in my right eye. Would love to get out of contacts but my opthamologist said that since I have nystagma I am not a candidate for Lasik surgery. Are there any known new procedures for people with this condition? Thank You, Lisa A: People with nystagmus can certainly have laser vision correction, because the eye trackers on the lasers follow the eye as it moves. So nystagmus is typically not a problem. I have treated quite a few people with nystagmus, and we have been very happy with the results. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 15, 2006 Q: After lasik operation (a few years), are the corneas more vulnerable to damage such as prolong exposure to sunlight? A: No, prolonged exposure to sunlight is equally damaging to the eyes, whether or not you have had Lasik. In some cases, prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause a slight return of nearsightedness after Lasik. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 16, 2006 Q: I play soccer year round and am looking at getting Lasik done. I was planning on not playing for at least one month and then starting up again. Would you recommend this or not? If not, why not? I guess the only problem would be that I may get hit in the face. Will this be dangerous to the flap? A: If the ball were to hit the flap, it could cause the flap to move, particularly in the beginning. Even after one month, it could conceivably cause the flap to move, but it is much less likely. If the flap moved, you would note a lot of pain and blurred vision, and the flap would need to be smoothed back into place, typically with no permanent effect. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 19, 2006 Q: I have been wearing bifocals for about four years. For the last year I mainly wear reading glasses and use a another pair for distance. I hated the bifocals. Will laser surgery eliminate the need for reading glasses? A: Laser surgery can eliminate much of the need for reading glasses if you opt for the monovision version. Monovision can also be created with contact lenses. One eye is adjusted for distance, one eye for near. You will need to try this with glasses as a test in the office, to see if you like it, before having laser treatment. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 21, 2006 Q: I was diagnosed with having mild keratoconus. My ophthalmologist said that if I have LASIK and my keratoconus gets worse, I would have to wear hard contact lenses permanently. Would you suggest that I not proceed with the LASIK? A: It is recommend that people with even mild keratoconus do not have Lasik. However, it is not clear whether Advanced Surface Treatment, which is Lasik without a flap, is a good idea or not in people with keratoconus. It may or may not cause the keratoconus to advance. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 23, 2006 Q: Hello Dr. Caster, Background: I am currently wearing glasses, but I have a contact prescription written. I don't know what my glasses prescription is, as it's 2 years old, but I am pretty sure that it was along the lines of -10.75 and -11.25, whereas my contact prescription reads -8.00 and -9.5. I'm not sure if my memory is wrong, or if this is actually how prescriptions vary between glasses and contact lenses, but either way I have a question regarding to laser eye surgery: My prescription, as one can see, is pretty high. I haven't been LASIK examined. As far as I know, I have either zero, or a pretty small amount amount of astigmatism. If you are able from this information, could you tell me: Hopefully you are able to answer these questions for me, at least as to whether or not I can get surgery. There is a huge medical center and school on campus (UCSD), so I could probably go ask for whatever test I would need for a doctor to determine what I've asked. (I just don't trust getting a student in med school to diagnose or test me!) Thank you very much, A: Glasses and contact lens prescriptions vary. You may or may not be a candidate; it is difficult to say from the information given. I would recommend that you go to a Lasik doctor for an evaluation. The fee for treatment in both eyes varies from around $4500 to $6500 dollars. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 27, 2006 Q: I am very nearsighted and I have astigmatism. I'm 25. My vision is: o.d. -13.75 -0.50 55 What kind of results could I expect with Lasik? A: You are at the very upper end of what is treatable with Lasik, and many doctors would say that a person with your prescripton should not attempt to achieve a full correction. In such a case, only a partial correction would be possible, which would make you much better but still leave you with thin glasses or contact lenses. Another possibility is the phakic implants, commonly called intraocular contact lenses. Andrew Caster, MD Email: October 29, 2006 Q: My daughter wants the laser eye surgery and she is only 13. Is it possible to sign an agreement stating that she is allowed to get it done? A: It would not be wise to perform the surgery on a 13 year old. The odds are very high that her eyes will significantly change over the next few years, so it is best to wait until her eyes have stopped changing. Andrew Caster, MD More
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