Doctor Boothe Eye Care

Archive for January, 2012

Boothe Eye Care & Laser Center is very popular among patients and visitors from other countries because Dr. William Boothe has a wide experience in laser eye surgery. He uses surgical skill and effective methods of treatment in order to help his patients be free of glasses or contact lenses.

Laser eye surgery has proved to be a highly accurate and safe approach to getting rid of your glasses or lenses. Accurate diagnosis is a guarantee of success. We should note that not everyone can get laser correction. In fact, success depends on how precisely identified indications and contraindications are for laser surgery. Dr. William Boothe is always glad to offer a wide range of therapeutic measures.
Laser vision correction is performed for patients aged 18 to 45 years who suffer from nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism, presbyopia (age-sightedness) and other combinations. Before surgery, the patient will undergo a comprehensive three-hour diagnostic vision exam. During the eye exam you will work with the radiologist who will take a photo of your eye and will scan the cornea. Finally, Dr. Boothe will do complex check and determine the structure and thickness of the cornea, expand your pupils, check the eyeball, and measure the intraocular pressure and volume of the pupil.

Laser eye surgery is performed under local anesthesia by using anesthetic eye drops. In the first stage of surgery, Dr. Boothe precisely separates the top layer of the cornea. In the second stage, Dr. Boothe uses the laser and creates a new cornea shape. Laser surgery is painless and is carried out one eye at a time. Today, there are techniques that allow the surgery is performed on both eyes at the same time.

At Boothe Eye Center you are able to choose a method of treatment for each step of surgery that will meet your requirements. Today, IntraLasik is a more popular method, because it is a more accurate and safe method of laser correction. During the first step Dr. Boothe makes the incision on the cornea, and the corneal flap is created using a modern computerized IntraLase laser device. In the second stage a corneal excimer laser, which adapts to the individual parameters of the cornea eye, is used to reshape the cornea. Such customized treatment guarantees optimal results.
After the IntraLasik procedure your vision will stabilize more quickly than with any other methods of operation. It completely eliminates the risk associated with the use of a surgical knife. As result, accuracy and visual acuity is increased. This type of surgery is suitable even for those who in the past have been contraindicated for laser vision correction: patients with very wide pupils and with very thin corneas, and high degrees of myopia and astigmatism.

Very often before undergoing a medical option, we want to be fully informed and know that we chose the best solution. It is good to find out all pros and cons about a procedure in order to avoid the risks and complications. Lasik eye surgery includes many advantages and minor disadvantages. Everyone who is considering undergoing Lasik must weigh all the positives and negatives

Dr. Boothe of Boothe Eye Center has been performing LASIK for about 20 years. It is a special laser surgery that improves vision for people who suffer from hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism. Lasik procedure has a lot of benefits:

• Patients who underwent the Lasik surgery immediately experienced great results.
• Lasik is a very quick procedure. It takes less than 15 minutes to finish the entire procedure on borth eyes.
• Laser eye surgery is painless. Before the Lasik procedure the nurse uses a special anesthetic drop that numbs your eye.
• The postoperative period does not take much time. Most patients are able to go back to their normal activities the day after their surgery.
• Due to Lasik, it is possible to restore peripheral eyesight, which is not possible with eyeglasses.
• In most cases Lasik procedure is a final solution. You can forget about wearing glasses and contact lenses forever.
• Dr. Boothe creates individual treatments, which affects the cost. Each patient of Boothe Laser Eye Center was satisfied with the reasonable cost of treatment.

If you are hesitant about whether or not you should undergo Lasik, visit Dr. William Boothe of Boothe Eye Center who will answer all your questions and help you decide if it is right for you.

Why is Lasik the most recommended treatment by Boothe Eye Center?

LASIK is a modern and reliable method of treatment for people who constantly use eyeglasses or contact lenses. Many refractive surgeons believe that Lasik is the best technology for vision correction. This method is able to treat different types of eye diseases like nearsightedness (up to 15D), farsightedness (+- 4D) and astigmatism (+-3D0. The excimer laser used is FDA approved and considered the most gentle and safe because it does not harm the cornea of the eye. The majority of eye clinics and centers prefer Lasik procedure as an effective way of eyesight restoration.

The individual approach

The modern method of Lasik involves an individual approach to treat the diseases of the vision. Before the correction procedure, Dr. William Boothe of Boothe Eye Care performs a thorough eye examination , which reveals the extent of the disease. All of the resulting diagnostic data is entered into the computer, which calculates the laser influence on the inner layers of the cornea. This allows Dr. Boothe to perform laser eye surgery with a maximized accuracy of vision correction.

The principle of laser eye surgery

The principle of the method of the vision correction by Lasik surgery consists of a short-term influence of a laser beam on the inner layers of the cornea. The restorative eye surgery is carried out on an outpatient basis and under local anesthesia. After Lasik surgery the majority of patients have the ability to see sharper, brighter, and clearer in the daytime and at night without eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Eye examination before laser vision correction

Dr. William Boothe can find out through a careful preliminary eye examination if laser treatment is the right thing for you. Many factors aside from the severity of refractive error are considered before recommending treatment:

- Visual acuity (refraction): The quantity of dioptries will be determined, which is the optical power of your eyes. Patients should not wear contact lenses for 24 hours before the eye examination

-  Thickness of the cornea (pachymetry): This is defined during the ultrasonic examination. Before surgery it is one of the most important indicators that affect the decision carry out a laser eye procedure

-  Front and back surface of the cornea/curvature of the cornea (astigmatism): the so-called topography of the eye shows different heights and rates of curvature. Using this, Dr. Boothe is able to determine a disease or scarring on your cornea

- Diameter of the pupil: Coreometry is used to determine the maximum diameter of your pupil in the dark. This indicator is also important in addressing whether laser treatment is suitable in your case. The maximum diameter should not be greater than the laser-treated corneas. Otherwise, after surgery your eyes will be more sensitive to light than before

- Length of the eyeball (biometrics): This is determined using a special instrument called the IOL-Master

- Retina: after artificial expansion of a pupil by eye drops, it is possible to define degenerations on a retina and weak places, especially on its edges

- Measurement of intraocular pressure.

Lasik eye surgery is used to treat many different vision problems. The majority of patients who have had Lasik eye surgery have reduced or eliminated their dependency on eyeglasses or/and contact lenses. Lasik surgery is performed by laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis and the surgery usually does not take a long time.

Today, Lasik eye surgery is the most popular type of refractive surgery. During the Lasik procedure Dr. William Boothe creates corneal flap in order to change the shape of your cornea. This procedure improves vision to a point where it is possible to see without eyeglasses or/and contact lenses.

Vision Problems Treated with LASIK

Lasik treatment is suitable for you if you suffer from:
• Myopia (nearsightedness): This is when an individual is able to focus and see things that are near, but things that are far appear blurry.
• Hyperopia (farsightedness): With this vision problem objects within a close distance appear blurry
• Astigmatism: This problem is revealed like disrupting among near and distant vision.
• Presbyopia: This problem usually affects older individuals who, over time, have lost the ability to focus on near and far ojbects.

Dr. William Boothe will evaluate your individual condition and needs before recommending a suitable method of treatment for your refractive error.

Possible Risks & Complications

• Overcorrections: This usually happens with patients who suffer from hyperopia, and the laser removes too much corneal tissue from the eye. Overcorrections can be retreated.

• Undercorrections: This is common for patients who are nearsighted, and the laser removes too little cornea tissue from the eye. In that case, the patient will not end up with the desired improvementfor their vision. When this happens, you can undergo re-treatment to remove more cornea tissue within a year.

• Astigmatism: This can happen if the laser unevenly removes the corneal tissue. Astigmatism can be retreated by additional laser surgery.

• Halos, glare & double vision: Sometimes patients who undergoLasik eye surgery have difficulty seeing at nighttime. Side effects such as glare, halos around bright lights, or double vision appears and can be treated with special eye drops, such as corticosteroid. Some cases require a second surgery Also, after surgery your vision may be worse to a considerable degree in dim light than it was before the surgery.

• Dry eyes: After laser surgery the tear system in the eye can be imbalanced and the patient may experience dry eyes. Dr. William Boothe recommends that you use eye drops in order to reduce dry eyes. If you experience severe dry eyes Dr. Boothe can recommend a special procedure.

• Flap problems: The most important step in LASIK surgery is the creation of the corneal flap. Some complications include infection and swelling.

Are You A Good Candidate?

Some factors that reduce possibility to have laser surgery are:

• rheumatoid arthritis
• HIV
• persistent dry eyes
• pregnancy
• unstable vision
• keratoconus

If you are considering Lasik surgery, talk with Dr. William Boothe about your concerns and questions. He will thoroughly explain risks and complications involved with the different treatments that he provides.

How Do I Prepare For Lasik?

Dr. Boothe recommends that you stop using contact lenses for several weeks before your procedure. It is very important to switch to eyeglasses full time because contact lenses distort the shape of the cornea and this can affect the accuracy of the eye measurement. The laser eye treatment is individually customized, so Dr. William Boothe will provide guidelines depending on your personal circumstances.
In order to minimize the risk of infection you should avoid wearing make-up a day before your procedure and for a couple of days afterwards. Before the surgery the assistant will instruct you to clean your eyelashes more than one time for a day remove all debris.

Also, you will need to ask someone to drive you to the Boothe Eye Care Center and after your surgery. Very often after laser surgery the patient’s vision may be blurry.

What to Expect from LASIK

Lasik eye surgery is a procedure guided by a computer program. The laser is programmed to remove the needed amount of corneal tissue from your eye. Lasik eye surgery takes little time and very often is performed on both eyes immediately.

Before surgery Dr. William Boothe examines your eye with special equipment that measures your corneal and irregularities. Such precise measurement produces a detailed medical history and provides more accurate results. Dr. Boothe uses a wavefront-guided system that creates a highly detailed “map” of your eye during LASIK surgery. This measurement allows more accurate removal of corneal tissue resulting in better results.
During Lasik surgery you may be given a sedative and numbing eye drops. First, Dr. Boothe creates the corneal flap and uses a laser to reshape your cornea. After, the corneal flap will be folded back into its initial place. During the surgery your sight you should be focused on a point of light- this helps you keep your eye fixed.

After surgery you may feel some discomfort. Your eyes will probably burn, itch and be watery. But you will be provided with all necessary medications and these side effects should disappear within a couple of hours. A follow-up consultation with Dr. William Boothe should be scheduled a day after your procedure in order to examine your vision and check for any complications. Your vision should stabilize after 4-5 months.

Schedule A Free Consultation!

Dr. William Boothe successfully uses refractive surgery to improve vision and gives his patients freedom from eyeglasses or contact lenses. The majority of his patients end up with 20/25 vision or better because of the state of the art technology used during treatment. 98% of patients who have undergone refractive surgery at the Boothe Eye Care Center no longer need to use eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Thomas is a professional football player who was dependent on eyeglasses and contact lenses for 12 years. Eventually, he made the decision to undergo laser eye surgery at Boothe Eye Care & Laser center to eliminate his dependency on them. Thomas felt uncomfortable wearing eyeglasses when he had football practice and games. He shares: “Maybe contact lenses are more comfortable and not as cumbersome as eyeglasses but for me it was difficult to put them in and take them out. Also contact lenses did not provide good night vision and depth perceptions. I was fed up with eyeglasses and contact lenses, and I was tired with the inconvenience of my poor eyesight.”

Along with a strong desire to improve vision, Thomas was hesitant on getting laser eye surgery. For one thing, Thomas needed to finish college in order to be financially stable enough to afford the surgery. Also, Thomas wanted to find the right practice and the right surgeon for greater confidence in the successful result. “Each person is afraid even to think about surgery especially when it concerns the eye. In order to overcome this barrier of fear I had to be sure of the quality of care and proven results”.

Before moving to Houston for the NFL, he visited Boothe Eye Care Center for his annual eye examination. “I needed change my contact lenses and eyeglasses, but during a consultation with Dr. Boothe I asked him about laser eye correction surgery. During my eye examination I became better acquainted with Dr. William Boothe and his staff and they impressed me with their friendly attention and professionalism. Back home I began to do extensive research on the Boothe Eye Care center and I determined that it was the right place for me to do my surgery. I liked the fact that Dr. Boothe was honest about all the advantages and disadvantages of the surgery and that he did not “push” me to get the procedure. I was allowed to make an independent decision about which procedure was right for me.”

Finally, Thomas underwent laser eye correction surgery at Boothe Eye Care & Laser Center and did not in any way regret of his decision. “I am so happy because I made the best decision of my life! I have better than 20/20 vision and also I also corrected my night eyesight & depth perception.”

Through many years the majority of patients including professional sports players who underwent laser vision correction surgery at the Boothe Eye Care center were confident that it is the best ophthalmology center that they can trust. Each day Dr. Boothe performs a large number of refractive surgeries using state-of-the-art-technologies. With his experience, Dr. Boothe is able to individually considered visual disturbances and offers the most customized treatment for each patient.

You can visit Boothe Eye Care & Laser Center or call (214) 328-0444 to schedule a free consultation with Dr. William Boothe.