Monday, October 28, 2013

Do Starfish Have Eyes?

The next time you stumble across a starfish while swimming in the ocean, gaze into his arms to see if he notices you. That’s right…his arms!

Oddly enough, most starfish have primitive compound eyes on the tips of each of their arms. A recent study showed demonstrated that starfish use these eyes to process visual information, especially when there was a need to locate food sources. Two groups of starfish were studied: one group with eyes and one group without. The two groups were placed in a sandy area of the ocean and studied how they moved toward the coral reef, which was their food source. The group with eyes was able to navigate directly toward the reef, while the group without eyes wandered aimlessly.

Additional studies into starfish may help researchers learn more about eye evolution.

Researchers are also continually studying human eyes and devising new technologies to correct vision problems. For example, in the past if you were nearsighted, farsighted or had astigmatism, you were stuck wearing glasses or contact lenses for life. Today, people have options, such as LASIK laser vision correction, to potentially eliminate their need for corrective lenses.

That means swimming in the ocean (and checking out the starfish) with clear vision using just a regular snorkel/diving mask or goggles.

If seeing starfish and other sea creatures more clearly sounds attractive to you, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 ocharlestoncornea.com today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. Dr. O'Day isn't an expert on starfish, but he has extensive experience in helping qualified candidates improve their vision. 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Using Flex Plans to Pay for LASIK

Tired of wearing glasses or contacts but not sure how to pay for LASIK? If your company offers a Flexible Spending Account, you can choose to place a portion of your pre-tax earnings into this short-term, tax-free savings account to use for non-reimbursable medical expenses, such as LASIK. You can save up to $2,500 on LASIK, depending on your annual income. This program lowers your taxable income.

Use it or Lose it! Most Flex Plans have strict usage rules. If you don't spend your money on your procedure within the specified timeframe, you will lose your savings.

Follow These Steps for Flex Plan Savings

  1. Find out if you are a candidate for LASIK by scheduling a Free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery.
  2. Find out your company's deadline for open enrollment to sign up for Flexible Spending Accounts.
  3. Find out how the cost of your LASIK procedure so you’ll know how much to set aside in your account. This will be determined during the Consultation. Dr. O'Day cannot pre-determine what procedure will be best for you without examining your eyes first.
Combine Flex Plan Savings with LASIK Financing! Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery to learn more about our 0% interest LASIK financing program, how LASIK is performed and what advanced LASIK technologies Dr. O'Day uses. Contact us today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com



Wednesday, October 16, 2013

How LASIK Works

You've undoubtedly heard the term LASIK eye surgery, and you may even know someone who has had the procedure done. But do you really know what steps are involved in a LASIK procedure?

Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, commonly referred to as LASIK, is a procedure to treat farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. In these vision conditions, the cornea is shaped so light does not focus properly onto the retina so clear vision is not achieved. LASIK uses a laser to actually reshape the cornea so light does focus properly.

LASIK is not performed on a “whim.” An experienced LASIK surgeon will perform a detailed eye exam to determine your exact vision characteristics and determine if LASIK could help or hinder your vision. This procedure isn't right for everyone; some people have corneas that are too thin to support the procedure…others have pre-existing eye health or medical conditions that will interfere with healing.

LASIK Steps
  1. Numbing drops are placed into your eye and a lid speculum keeps the eyelids open.
  2. A corneal flap is created using either a hand-held microkeratome surgical tool or a femtosecond laser.
  3. Once the flap is created it is gently folded back to give the surgeon access to the underlying corneal tissue.
  4. Corneal tissue is removed/reshaped using a computer-controlled excmier laser.
  5. The corneal flap is put back into place where it begins to heal without stitches.
The entire process only takes a few minutes per eye and most people report that it is virtually painless.

There is a whole lot more to know about LASIK! If you are curious, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation to get all of the facts about LASIK. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

How LASIK Works

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term LASIK eye surgery, and you may even know someone who has had the procedure done. But do you really know what steps are involved in a LASIK procedure?
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, commonly referred to as LASIK, is a procedure to treat farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. In these vision conditions, the cornea is shaped so light does not focus properly onto the retina so clear vision is not achieved. LASIK uses a laser to actually reshape the cornea so light does focus properly.

LASIK is not performed on a “whim.” An experienced LASIKsurgeon will perform a detailed eye exam to determine your exact vision characteristics and determine if LASIK could help or hinder your vision. This procedure isn’t right for everyone; some people have corneas that are too thin to support the procedure…others have pre-existing eye health or medical conditions that will interfere with healing.

LASIK Steps
  • Numbing drops are placed into your eye and a lid speculum keeps the eyelids open.
  • A corneal flap is created using either a hand-held microkeratome surgical tool or a femtosecond laser. 
  • Once the flap is created it is gently folded back to give the surgeon access to the underlying corneal tissue.
  • Corneal tissue is removed/reshaped using a computer-controlled excmier laser.
  • The corneal flap is put back into place where it begins to heal without stitches.

The entire process only takes a few minutes per eye and most people report that it is virtually painless.

There is a whole lot more to know about LASIK! If you are curious, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation to get all of the facts about LASIK. 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

In Music, the Eyes Have It

The eyes have been dubbed “the window to the soul.” Maybe that’s why so many eye make-up products are sold and why so many songwriters focus on this expressive facial feature in their music…songs like:

·         Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
·         Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne
·         Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol
·         Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle
·         When You Close Your Eyes by Night Ranger
·         Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
·         Private Eyes by Hall and Oates
·         For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton
·         Angel Eyes by the Jeff Healey Band
·         Behind These Hazel Eyes by Kelly Clarkson
·         Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain by Willie Nelson

If you’re tired of hiding your eyes behind corrective lenses, you should consider laser vision correction. LASIK eye surgery has allowed millions of Americans to showcase their “baby blues” (and other eye colors, of course) for the world to see.

LASIK eye surgery is performed on people who are nearsighted, farsighted and who have astigmatism. No LASIK surgeon can absolutely guarantee that LASIK will free you from corrective lenses forever, but this popular procedure is very effective for most patients…especially when they choose a surgeon who has extensive experience and a proven track record of success…a surgeon like Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston.

If you can think of other “eye” songs, share them with us on our Facebook page. And be sure to contact us soon at 843-856-5275 or on charlestoncornea.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation