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Dr. Schwartz explains to women what they should know before they consent to having LASIK eye surgery.
Dr. Schwartz:
A patient needs to understand what technology they are looking for. Doctors have a wonderful ability to, and the doctor’s helpers have a wonderful ability to put a nice little spin on whatever technology they have, you know, you make lemonade out of lemons, but if you truly have the best technology you don’t have to do that.
The question to ask, one, “Are you using blades? Are there any blades that are going to be used on my procedure?” If the answer is yes, it’s time to leave. If you’re, you know, using IntraLase® that’s a great start. You want to find out what generation they are using, but any of the IntraLases® are way safer than any of the blades, so even if they are still using second generation IntraLase®, that’s far superior than using a blade on the eye.
The next question is, “Is it going to be custom? Is the laser after the flap is created going to customize the treatment to my eye?” That’s a very important question. If the answer is, “Well, it’s custom-like”, or, “It’s a really great treatment,” then they’re probably not using true custom because you don’t have to mince words when you are using custom. It’s a yes or no question.
If they are using true custom and they are using the most advanced, in my opinion, which is the VISX with iris registration, you’re in a good place. Now if they are using another form of custom, you need to ask a little bit about how much tissue is it removing. You have to ask how is the alignment maintained?
There’s an older version of a laser where the way you lined it up was you took a marker at the slit lamp beforehand and you put two little dots on either side of the patient’s eye and there’s a little bar for the doctor to kind of line up in there when you are doing the laser and I thought, “How Mickey Mouse is this?” That laser still being used today in this area by other doctors and I just find it incredible that they do that. There is better technology available.
Now, we are in a down economy. It costs money to get good equipment, but if you’re not willing to invest in the equipment then people probably aren’t willing to invest in you. So, I mean again, that’s kind of the direction I’ve taken in my practice.
About Dr. Jay Schwartz, D.O.:
Dr. Jay L. Schwartz is arguably the most prolific refractive surgeon in the valley. Having performed over 28,000 LASIK surgeries and offering both IntraLASIK and Custom LASIK procedures, it is not hard to see why professional athletes have trusted the Schwartz Laser Eye Center since 2001. Dr. Jay L. Schwartz is the team ophthalmologist for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, world champion Phoenix Mercury and the team LASIK ophthalmologist for the Phoenix Coyotes. The Schwartz Laser Eye Center is also the official LASIK center of the Suns, Coyotes, and Diamondbacks making it easy to see why Schwartz Laser Eye Center is synonymous with professionalism. In fact, Schwartz Laser Center’s doctors spend every spring assisting numerous professional baseball teams preparing for the upcoming year.
Visit Dr. Schwartz at his website
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