Happy Thanksgiving from Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the team at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery would like to take a moment to share a few of the things for which we are thankful.

We are thankful that:

• We've had the privilege of providing eyesight care for the people of Charleston for over 8 years.
• We have an outstanding ophthalmologist who is specially trained and highly experienced in LASIK vision correction.
• The LASIK technologies we've invested in are allowing us to improve vision for even more patients – even some of those who were not candidates in the past.
• Our entire team maintains strong ethical standards and only performs LASIK on qualified candidates.
• We help patients afford the improved vision they desire through LASIK financing options.
• We get the opportunity to help educate people about every aspect of LASIK, whether or not they choose us for their procedure.

Our goal is to make our patients feel thankful that they chose Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery for their vision correction.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy time with your loved ones this holiday season. And if the quality of your vision isn’t something that is making you thankful, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com.  

Improve Your Vision for National Family Literacy Month®

The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) has designated the month of November as National Family Literacy Month®. Having the ability to read with your children can dramatically improve their performance at school as well as their economical, emotional and social development. Family reading time also helps to strengthen the family bond.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we work hard to help adults achieve clear vision so it’s easy and fun to read – both to their children and for their own enjoyment. One way we do this is through LASIK vision correction. LASIK can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism by actually changing the shape of the cornea. When the cornea is properly shaped, light coming into the eye will focus correctly on the retina (the back of the eye).

Some patients are able to eliminate their need for glasses and contacts after LASIK. Of course, every patient is different, but think of how much more enjoyable reading would be if you didn’t have to hunt for your glasses or take out your contacts at night when reading before bed.

Not everyone who wears glasses is a good candidate for LASIK. You need an in-depth examination by a trained ophthalmologist to find out for sure. At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we offer free LASIK Consultations to do just that.

The NCFL has created a fundraising challenge called The Big Give for Families Learning to raise money to support family literacy and learning programs. Participants can win a variety of fantastic prizes. Visit the NCFL website to learn more: http://www.famlit.org/.

Make this a National Family Literacy Month to remember. Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation to find out if LASIK is right for you: 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com.

Busting LASIK Myths

If you have been considering LASIK, but you’re confused about some of the claims being made, you might be falling victim to some common LASIK myths. In this blog, we will provide the reality behind five common LASIK myths.

#1 – Anyone can have LASIK.

This simply isn't true. Certain vision conditions and even your overall health may cause you to be a poor candidate for LASIK. You must have a full LASIK examination by a trained ophthalmologist to determine:

• The thickness of your cornea (if it is too thin, LASIK is not recommended)
• Prevalence of Dry Eye Syndrome
• Prevalence of eye disease, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, etc.
• Your current medical health

If a surgeon tells you that anyone can have LASIK, go somewhere else!

#2 – You’ll never need glasses again after LASIK.

Regardless of whether or not you have LASIK, a condition called presbyopia can “sneak up” on you when you reach your mid-40s. Caused by the stiffening of the eye lens, the eyes begin to have problems focusing on near objects. This is an age-related problem that happens to virtually everyone, and you may need reading glasses later in life to read up-close or in dimly-lit situations.

#3 – If you have astigmatism, you can’t have LASIK.

When you have a cornea that is shaped more like a football than a basketball, advanced LASIK technologies can be used to change the shape of the cornea to create the optimal shape and improve vision. Of course, every patient is unique. You can find out if your particular degree of astigmatism can be corrected by having a full eye exam.

#4 – LASIK is expensive. It’s cheaper to wear glasses.

When you look at the total cost of LASIK, it may seem like an unobtainable luxury. However, studies have shown that in the long run people may spend less on LASIK than on the continued maintenance of eyeglasses and contact lenses…and these are expenses that never end. When you weigh that number against the one-time cost of LASIK, and the fact that excellent LASIK financing options exist, the procedure looks much more affordable.

#5 – If I can’t have LASIK, I can’t get my vision corrected.

There are actually alternatives to LASIK for people who aren’t candidates for LASIK. PRK or ASA procedures do not require that a corneal flap be created, so those with thin corneas are sometimes candidates for this option. Alternatively, Refractive Lens Exchange is a procedure in which the natural lens of the eye is replaced with an artificial IntraocularLens (IOL) to correct vision. There are other options as well, and your doctor should discuss those with you.  

Don’t write off LASIK without knowing all of the facts. Schedule your free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to learn more.

It’s Your Last Chance to Think about Yourself before the Holidays!

The holiday season is right around the corner. That means an endless stream of holiday parties, gift-buying, present-wrapping, cooking, baking, decorating…and on…and on…and on…

Before the holiday craziness hits, take a moment to do something good for yourself...something that will help make your holiday season a little easier…especially if you currently wear glasses or contacts to correct myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism.

We’re talking about LASIK vision correction.

Did you know that more than 14 million Americans have had LASIK to correct a refractive error? This is when your eye is shaped in a way that light does not focus directly on the back of the eye (the retina). LASIK uses lasers to remove tiny, precisely targeted amounts of corneal tissue to create a slightly different shape and allow light to focus properly. The effectiveness of this procedure depends on several factors:

• The LASIK technology being used
• The experience of the surgeon
• The health and condition of your eyes

The best news is that the entire surgery only takes minutes per eye, and most patients are able to return to work (or their holiday preparations) within a day or two after surgery. And, if you’re concerned about spending too much money before the holidays, Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery offers LASIK financing options to make the procedure budget-friendly.

Treat yourself to a free LASIK Consultation. You might learn that you could remove the added stress of glasses and contacts from your holidays. Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston today by calling 843-856-5275 or visiting charlestoncornea.com.

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 or charlestoncornea.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. 

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. 

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.