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| Virginia Beach Alexandria VA
Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry
Belle View Shopping Center
1632-A Belle View Blvd
Alexandria,VA 22307
(703) 660-9494
The Eye Center
4900 Seminary Road
Suite 350
Alexandria, VA 22311
(703) 931-9100
Amherst VA
Harman Eye Center of Amherst
413 S. Main Street, Suite 109
Amherst, VA 24521
(434) 946-2020
Appomattox
VA
Harman Eye Center of Appomattox
191 Old Courthouse Road
Appomattox, VA 24522
(434) 352-0700
Arlington
VA
Northern Virginia Doctors of
Optometry
Crystal City Mall
1800 S. Bell St.
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 413-1400
SeeClearly Vision
1715 N George Mason Dr # 206
Arlington, VA 22205
(877) 234-2020
Charlottesville
VA
Whitten-Perraut Laser Eye
Associates
630 Peter Jefferson Pkwy # 180
Charlottesville, VA 22911
(434) 817-5273
Chesapeake
VA
Lasik Plus Vision Center
732 Eden Way N
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 420-0037
Tidewater Eye Centers
805 N. Battlefield Blvd., Suite 111
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 549-4848
Danville VA
Danville Eye Center
734 Main Street
Danville, VA 24541
(800) 759-5500
Fairfax VA
Linda Dressler M.D., F.A.C.S.
Dressler Ophthalmology Associates, PLC
3930 Pender Drive, Suite 10
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 273-2398
The Eye Center
The Yorktown Building
8316 Arlington Boulevard
Suite 235
Fairfax, VA 22031
(703) 573-8080
Falls
Church VA
Northern Virginia Doctors of
Optometry
Loehmann's Plaza
7263-E Arlington Blvd.
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 573-1200
SeeClearly Vision
2946 Sleepy Hollow Road
Falls Church, VA 22044
(877) 234-2020
Forest VA
Eye Surgery Center of Central
Virginia
1834 Graves Mill Road
Forest, VA 24551
(434) 385-5151
Harman Eye Center
1825 Graves Mill Road
Forest, VA 24551
(434) 385-5600
(800) 476-EYE1
Fredericksburg
VA
Willis Falkenberg Eye Care
10 Chatham Heights Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
(540) 371-2777
(800) 572-2722
Glen Allen
VA
Lasik Plus Vision Center
10571 Telegraph Rd # 100
Glen Allen, VA 23059
(804) 627-0520
Lipstock Lasik & Cataract
Center
10120 W Broad St
Glen Allen, VA 23060
(804) 288-1543
Haymarket
VA
Dominion Eye Care
15195 Heathcote Blvd.
Suite 310
Haymarket, VA 20169
(571) 261-3033
Herndon VA
Lasik Builders
12814 Briery River Ter
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 437-0890
Leesburg VA
The Eye Center
44055 Riverside Parkway
Suite 106
Leesburg, VA 20176
(703) 858-3170
Lynchburg
VA
Lynchburg Eye Physicians &
Surgeons Inc.
2108 Langhorne Road
Lynchburg, VA 24501
(434) 845-2020
Piedmont Eye Center
2402 Atherholt Road
Lynchburg, VA 24501
(434) 947-3984
1 (877) 684-2020 toll free
Town Center Eye Care
1503 Enterprise Drive
Lynchburg, VA 24502
(434) 832-0700
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Manassas VA
Dominion Eye Care
8140 Ashton Ave.
Suite 120
Manassas, VA 20109
(703) 361-3128
Mclean VA
Mclean Eye Clinic
6845 Elm Street, Suite 611
Mclean, VA 22101
(703) 356-6880
TLC Laser Eye Centers
1750 Tysons Boulevard
McLean, VA 22102
(888) 565-2737 Newport
News VA
Cullom R Douglas MD
11800 Rock Landing Dr
Newport News, VA 23606
(757) 643-8800
Hampton Roads Eye Associates
11800 Rock Landing Drive
Newport News, VA 23606
(757) 875-7875
Portsmouth
VA
1). Tidewater Eye Centers
3235 Academy Avenue, Suite 101
Portsmouth, VA 23703
(757) 483-0400
2). Tidewater Eye Centers
3603 County Street
Portsmouth, VA 23707
(757) 397-4666
Reston VA
Northern Virginia Doctors of
Optometry
Plaza America
11656 Plaza America Dr.
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 467-9080
Reston Eye Clinic
1800 Town Center Drive, Suite 317
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 437-3900
Richmond VA
Lasik Center of Virginia
Stony Point Surgical Center
8700 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 120
Richmond, VA 23235
(804) 343-2020
(804) 330-9303
1). Lipstock LASIK & Cataract
Center
3701 Westerre Parkway, Suite A
Richmond, VA 23233
(804) 288-1543
2). Lipstock LASIK & Cataract
Center
4630 South Laburnum Avenue
Richmond, VA 23231
(804) 288-1543
TLC Laser Eye Centers
2301 N Parham Rd # 3
Richmond, VA 23229
(804) 527-5273
Virginia Eye Institute
North End of Huguenot Bridge
West End
400 Westhampton Station
Richmond, VA 23226
(804) 287-4200
(800) 348-2393 toll free
Roanoke VA
TLC Laser Eye Centers
3800 Electric Rd
Roanoke, VA 24018
(540) 904-0540
Sterling VA
The Eye Center
21475 Ridgetop Circle
Suite 300
Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 430-4400
TLC Laser Eye Centers
46169 Westlake Dr # 240
Sterling, VA 20165
(703) 444-4990
Vienna VA
Liberty Laser Eye Center
8321 Old Courthouse Road,
Suite 110
Vienna, VA 22182
(571) 234-5678
Warrentonc
VA
Dominion Eye Care
388 Hospital Dr.
Warrenton, VA 20186
(540) 349-0906
Williamsburg
VA
Cullom Eye & Laser Center
120 Kings Way
Suite 1300
Williamsburg, VA 23185
(757) 345-3001
Doctors Surgery Center
120 Kings Way
Suite 1500
Williamsburg, VA 23185
(757) 645-3131
Vision Correction Center of
Hampton Roads
120 Kings Way
Suite 1100
Williamsburg, VA 23185
(757) 345-3001
Winchester
VA
Shenandoah Lasik & Cataract
Center
John A. Stefano, M.D., FACS
142 Linden Drive
Winchester, VA 22601
(540) 722-6200
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Laser Eye Surgery
One of the most common terms used when talking
about laser eye surgery is Lasik. However, laser
eye surgery and Lasik, are not synonymous. There
are two fundamentaly distinct types of laser eye
surgery: Lasik and PRK. Lasik is just one type of
laser eye surgery.
The term Lasik or LASIK stands for
Laser-Assisted-in-Situ Keratomileusis, and
represents an effective surgical treatment option
for individuals with refractive errors such as
myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia
(farsightedness), and astigmatism. The Lasik
procedure is designed to reduce or correct these
refractive errors by permanently changing the
shape of the cornea (the clear covering of the
front of the eye). The procedure combines the use
of microkeratome (a surgical instrument used to
perform a flap in the cornea) and the excimer
laser to remove thin layers of cornea. When the
cornea is reshaped, the eye's focusing power is
increased and the individual's visual acuity is
enhanced.
The standard Lasik surgical procedure includes
five steps:
1). The eye is numbed with anesthetic drops.
2). The surgeon will place a special instrument
in the patient's eye in order to hold the eyelids
open and prevent blinking.
3). In order to avoid unnecessary eye movements
the patient is asked to fixate their eyes on a
designated light while the surgeon creates a flap
in the cornea with the help of the blade device
called microkeratome. The flap stays hinged to
the rest of the cornea at one end.
4). A computer-controlled laser light (which was
previously programed based on the correction
required by the refractive error) is applied to
the inner layers of the cornea reshaping it.
5). At the end of the surgery, the surgeon gently
replaces the flap to the original position
allowing the eye to heal itself naturally.
When Lasik procedure is performed, the cornea
surface will be reshaped based on the eye's
refractive error that requires correction.
In patients with hyperopia
(farsightedness) (where the
cornea is not round, which causes the
light to focus behind the normal focal
point), the laser beam will steepen the
surface of the cornea causing the eye's
focus point to be moved closer to the
normal focus point for creating a clearer
image.
In patients with myopia
(nearsightedness) (where the
cornea is too steep causing the images to
focus in front of the normal focus
point), the laser beam will flatten the
surface of the cornea allowing the light
to focus at the normal focus point in the
back of the eye.
In patients with astigmatism
(where the cornea is curved irregularly
impending the light to focus properly on
the retina), the cornea is being reshaped
in order to allow the eye to focus
properly.
There are three advanced alternatives to the
standard Lasik procedures: CustomVue
Lasik, Conventional IntraLasik, and Custom Vue
IntraLasik.
CustomVue Lasik
is a custom-tailored laser vision
procedure designed to correct the
imperfections of the eye by using the
conventional hardware used in a standard
Lasik procedure in combination with
advance software called Wavefront. This
procedure uses a 3-dimensional
measurement of the optical system in
order to offer an extremely precise,
individual vision correction, that cannot
be achieved through the traditional Lasik
procedure.
Conventional
IntraLasik is an alternative to
the standard Lasik, where the corneal
flap is created using a computer-guided
femtosecond laser beam - significantly
decreasing the risks associated with the
microkeratome incision.
Custom Vue
IntraLasik is a procedure that
utilizes the methods of the above two
procedures. The corneal flap is created
using the femtosecond laser while the
excimer laser that reshapes the cornea is
guided based on the CustomVue Watvefront
technology. This procedure is the most
expensive laser eye surgery.
PRK stands for PhotoRefractive
Keratectomy, and is the original laser
surgery that preceded Lasik. Although it used to
be the most common refractive surgical procedure,
PRK became one of the alteratives available for
patients that cannot have a flap cut into their
cornea and therefore undergo the standard Lasik
procedure. PRK is a procedure where the
epithelium (outer layer of the cornea) is
manually ablated (rather than cutting a flap in
the cornea) in order for the laser beam to
reshape the remaining corneal tissue. Although
PRK requires a longer recovery period and more
discomfort following the procedure than the
standard Lasik option, PRK reduces the risks
associated with having a flap cut in the cornea
and the risks of ectasia (a condition in which
the inner eye pressure can push against the
thinned corneal wall causing it to bulge and
worsen the vision).
The PRK procedure includes three steps:
1). The eyes are numbed with a special anesthetic
administrated as eye drops.
2). The surgeon will place a retainer in the
patient's eye in order to keep the eyelids open
and avoid blinking.
3). In order to avoid unnecessary eye movement,
the patient is asked to look at a target light,
while the laser (programmed by a computer) sends
pulses of light which painlessly removes corneal
tissue based on the patient's particular
prescription.
There are two advanced forms of PRK that are
performed: LASEK and Epi-LASEK.
LASEK,
which stands for Laser Assisted
Sub-Epithelial Keratomileusis, is a
relatively new variation of PRK where a
solution of alcohol is used to soften and
remove the epithelium (the outer layers
of corneal tissue) with the help of a
fine blade (trephine). The removed tissue
will be placed back after the laser
reshapes the underlying corneal tissue.
LASEK is an effective alternative to
Lasik in patients that have a too thin or
too steep cornea. This procedure has been
associated with a faster recovery of
sensation or nerve function on the
cornea.
Epi-LASEK,
which stands for Laser Assisted
Sub-Epithelial Keratomileusis, is the
newest addition to the refractive eye
surgeries. The Epi-LASEK procedure
involves a gentle loosening of the
epithelium sheet using a blunt, plastic
oscillating blade called epithelial
separator. The advantage offered by this
procedure is that the plastic blade
separates the epithelium tissue from the
eye, avoiding possible adverse reactions
caused by the alcohol solution used in
the LASEK procedure. Once the procedure
is over, the removed epithelium sheet is
placed back on the eye and will be kept
in place by a special oxygen-permeable
contact lens that will allow the
epithelial cells to grow back normally.
This procedure is recommended in patients
with a thin cornea who don't have enough
tissue to cut a flap or in individuals
that have professions or hobbies with an
increased chances to be hit in the eye
(reducing the risk of the flap to be
dislocated).
Sources:
American College of Eye Surgeons, American Board
of Eye Surgery, What is Lasik?, Date unknown
TLC Laser Eye Centers, What is Laser Vision
Correction? Lasik, Date unknown
USA Food and Drug Administration, Lasik Eye
Surgery, 2008
Medem, Medical Library, Laser in-situ
Keratoermileusis: Lasik, October 1997
AllAboutVision, PRK: The Original Laser Eye
Surgery, by Liz Serge, October 2007
AllAboutVision, LASEK Eye Surgery: How it Works
by Liz Serge, July 2008
AllAboutVision, Epi-LASEK Eye Surgery: How it
Works by Liz Serge, May 2007
WiseGeek, What are the Different Types of Laser
Eye Surgery?, Date unknown
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