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 Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center at 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. Dr. Lipstock isn't an expert on starfish, but he has extensive experience in helping qualified candidates improve their vision. 

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. Lipstock at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center in Richmond.

If you can think of other “eye” songs, share them with us on our Facebook page facebook.com/LipstockLasik  And be sure to contact us soon at 804-288-1543 or on lipstocklaser.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. 

LASIK Joke of the Day

In honor of National Tell a Joke Day on August 16, here’s a “cornea” one for your enjoyment:

It’s been said ophthalmology is a “contact” sport.

There is a bit of truth in this! Ophthalmologists do deal with patients who wear contact lenses and glasses. In fact, at Lipstock LASIK and Cataract Center we are concerned with helping people reduce or eliminate their need for these corrective lenses through LASIK eye surgery.

If you’ve been considering laser vision correction, remember that choosing the right ophthalmologist for your LASIK eye surgery is no joke. You should never choose a LASIK surgeon based solely on someone else’s recommendation. You should feel 100% confident in each one of the factors listed below by doing your own research before you put your trust into any doctor. You’ll want to determine things like:

·         The doctor’s medical training, certifications and professional organization affiliations

·         The doctor’s real world experience with LASIK

·         The doctor’s demeanor (do you feel a good rapport with him?)

·         The doctor’s LASIK success rate

·         Your confidence in the LASIK technology being used

·         The doctor’s willingness to discuss the potential risks or complications of LASIK

·         The friendliness and proficiency of the office and support staff

·         The cleanliness and comfort of the office

You can learn all about Dr. Lipstock at Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center  by scheduling your free LASIK Consultation in Richmond. Not only will you find out if you are a good candidate for LASIK, you will also have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you want about Dr. Lipstock's credentials. Contact us today at lipstocklaser.com or 804-288-1543.

Possible Cause for High-Grade Nearsightedness Discovered

A recent study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics has identified gene mutations associated with severe, high-grade myopia (nearsightedness). Researchers at Duke Medicine found these mutations in the SCO2 gene that metabolizes copper, which is important to regulate oxygen levels in eye tissue. When there is too much oxygen, the eye’s development can be altered.

"This is the first time a gene mutation for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic high-grade myopia in Caucasians has been discovered," said senior author Terri Young, M.D., MBA, professor of ophthalmology, pediatrics and medicine at the Duke Eye Center, Duke Center for Human Genetics and the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS). "Our findings reflect the hard work and collaboration of our international research team."

"Our findings, plus information from the literature, suggest that copper deficiency could predispose people to develop myopia," Young said. "While this wasn't directly tested in this study, it's possible that our diets - which are deficient in a number of minerals and vitamins - play a role, and it may be something as easy as taking a supplement with copper that helps thwart the development of myopia."

Other factors besides gene mutations are likely responsible for myopia development. Additional myopia research will continue.

Nearsightedness is one vision condition that is often corrected through LASIK eye surgery. However, laser vision correction is not appropriate for all patients who have myopia, especially high-grade. The FDA has approved certain lasers to treat varying levels of myopia, even up to -.12 diopters; however, some doctors may recommend a different type of procedure for patients who don’t meet the right vision requirements.

If you have any degree of nearsightedness and would like to know if you are a good candidate for LASIK, contact Lipstock LASIK & Cataract Center in Richmond to schedule a LASIK Consultation: 804-288-1543 or lipstocklaser.com.

Why Parents Should Consider LASIK

So many of our patients that have young ones at home tell us about how happy they are that they can finally see without glasses and contacts. Their excitement usually comes from the same place – freedom to enjoy their kids without concerns of glasses and/or contacts.

It’s easy to imagine a child playing with glasses or accidentally poking a parent in the eye and a contact falls out. However, there is another underlying issue that is a huge concern when you need lenses to see: Safety.

When a child wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, do you have to stumble to find your glasses first? Do you have to blunder down the hallway half-blind because you don’t have time to put in your contacts? Or do you have to wake up your significant other to handle the issue because you simply cannot see?

It’s time to put an end to your worries. We want to help you obtain your vision goals so that you have one less thing to worry about. Come in to see us for a free, no-obligation consultation. We can discuss your concerns and talk about how we can help you achieve your vision goals. Give us a call today at 804.288.1543. You can also schedule online.

The Cost of LASIK

Often one of the biggest reasons lens wearers hesitate to have their vision corrected is the cost. They aren’t sure how much it may cost them, if they will need to pay for multiple surgeries, if they will be able to really stop wearing lenses, and if continuing the on-going cost of lenses would just be easier.

We’d like to take a moment to educate you on a few of these points, but first, the most important decision you must make is to visit a reputable surgeon. In order to get the care and results you are expecting, you shouldn’t just trust your eyes to ANY LASIK surgeon. There are thorough surgeons and there are “other” surgeons. A thorough surgeon is an ophthalmologist that is reputable in the community, trusted by multiple patients and staff, will ensure you are an excellent candidate for LASIK (and offers other procedures if you are not), has performed at least 5,000 surgeries AND has a low enhancement rate (the rate at which a doctor needs to enhance the original results in order to get the patient to their visual expectations).  An excellent enhancement rate is less than 10%.

Multiple Surgeries

Often patients have the misconception that to have excellent eyesight, they will need multiple LASIK surgeries. This is not true.

Some surgeons perform multiple surgeries on one patient because they were not accurate the first time, they are new to performing eye surgery, or they didn’t take accurate measurements prior to performing surgery.

As we said before, an expert surgeon will have a less than 10% enhancement rate. There are very few cases where they may need to enhance the original results, but it is mostly due to patient error in after-care or an agreed-upon course of treatment prior to surgery. These enhancements should be covered in the original cost of surgery and should NOT be a whole new surgery charge.

Stop Paying For and Wearing Lenses

This is a concern for almost every patient. After all, why would anyone in their right mind agree to eye surgery if they have to continue wearing lenses?

If you are a good candidate for the procedure and you have chosen a reputable surgeon, then you should be able to have many, many years of lens-free vision. How many years depends on how old you are at the time of surgery. Our eyes age along with us and there will be age-related issues, like Presbyopia, that require glasses for reading. Presbyopia occurs in the lens of your eye and not in the cornea (where vision issues like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism occur). LASIK or other vision correction procedures correct the cornea and the younger you are when you have the procedure, the longer you have to enjoy lens-free vision.

Lenses or LASIK – Which is Easier?

Ultimately, this decision is going to be up to you. LASIK and other vision correction procedures are a one-time cost. We offer payment plans that will help you break down the cost of the surgery to an affordable range, and we may even be able to offer you no-interest or 0% for up to 24 months. If you chose that option, after 24 months (or two years), you will be free of the cost of lenses, contacts, or vision correction payments!

If you have a flexible spending account, it's even easier than that! Give us a call and we'll explain the details.

Or you can continue to make payments for lenses, replacement lenses, contacts, replacement contacts, cleaning solution, travel cases, travel solutions, etc. for the next 10, 15, 20, 25+ years.

The choice is yours.

Payment Plans

We are here to answer any questions you may have about payment plans and how to fit LASIK into your budget. Please feel free to give us a call at 804.288.1543 – there is no need to set up an appointment. We’ll answer any questions you may have and you can come in whenever you are ready.

How to Learn About LASIK Without Being "Sold"

LASIK is a medical procedure aimed to help you see clearly. With so much information on the internet, how do you find out about LASIK? Where do you go to research the procedure and how it works? How do you make yourself comfortable enough to finally contact a LASIK practice to being the process? ARSC, or the American Refractive Surgery Council, has a few pointers that may help you out. EYE ON HEALTH Going Online To Learn About LASIK

(NAPSI)-Social networks and blogs have taken the information-rich resources of the Internet and made them a part of everyday conversation: According to a recent Pew Internet study, 80 percent of Internet users, or 59 percent of U.S. adults, look online for health information. Networks like Facebook, review sites such as HealthGrades and Yelp, and comments and questions posted online are extremely useful tools for researching personal health matters. Popular topics of inquiry include learning about procedures, specific medical conditions, understanding treatment options and finding a doctor. When considering an elective procedure, such as vision correction with LASIK, having access to online resources can make becoming an informed patient much easier. The American Refractive Surgery Council offers these tips on using the Internet and social networking to research whether LASIK is right for you. • Use Facebook and other social networks to ask friends and followers about their LASIK experiences. Were they happy? What surgeon would they recommend? • If you're curious about exactly how the surgery is performed, you can check out surgery videos on YouTube or Vimeo. These videos of actual procedures can be very instructive (though be warned, they are graphic). Also, many surgeons post procedure videos on their sites. • Use forums, message boards and other online discussions to hear from other people firsthand. Literally thousands of communities have formed around common areas of interest where LASIK can make a difference-from parents to outdoor enthusiasts. This is a great avenue for finding people who share your interests and hearing about their experiences with the procedure. • You can find out about prices online; just remember, getting a great deal should not be the deciding factor for any surgical procedure. A consultation with a refractive surgeon should be balanced, detailed and personalized to you and your vision. It should never feel like a sales process. • Use authoritative medical websites such as WebMD or the Mayo Clinic to learn about the procedure. Research the risks as well as the benefits and understand what the procedure can and can't do. For example, LASIK can free you from glasses and contact lenses-or reduce your dependence on them. But it has limitations. In particular, LASIK can't stop the aging process. Your eyes will continue to age and you may need glasses for reading at some point in the future. Finally, some common sense about using the Internet: Because anyone can put anything on the Web, the source matters. Make sure the information you are relying on to make a medical decision comes from a credible source and that you verify the information with your surgeon or personal physician. Learn more at www.americanrefractivesurgerycouncil.org. Information online and in social networks can help you make up your mind about LASIK.

Common Consultation Questions – Part 3

For the past couple of weeks, we have addressed some of the most common questions asked by different patients about LASIK. Here are a few more.

How old do you have to be to have your vision corrected, either by LASIK or another laser vision correction procedure?

The rule of thumb on this question is 18. Your eyes are like any other organ in your body. They grow and develop as you age. The most important thing is for your eyesight to be stable prior to having LASIK. If a LASIK surgeon corrects your cornea and your vision hasn’t stabilized, they run the risk of under- or over-correction. You wouldn’t be happy with your results and most experienced LASIK surgeons won’t take that chance.

Isn’t it just safer to wear my glasses/contact lenses?

The truth to this question may come as a surprise. While contacts or glasses may be a viable option for many patients, the longer you wear them, the more likely you are to experience complications.

Complications of glasses or contacts include contracting bacterial infections, dry eyes from long exposure, or even trauma caused from an accident. Some patients may wear contacts or glasses for decades and never experience an issue. However, keep your contacts in your eyes for too long (or sleep in them) and you can instantly understand the issues these devices can cause.

This isn’t to say that LASIK isn’t without its risks as well. You can experience dry eye after LASIK. While the majority of patients overcome this side-effect quickly, some patients may need prescription eye drops to solve it.

The true question is not one of safety, but rather what you are willing to do to see clearly. LASIK can provide clear eyesight for many years to come, without the continual expense of lenses, solutions, etc.

We’d love the opportunity to discuss the possibility of life without lenses with you. Please feel free to call our office with anymore questions, check out our website, or schedule a Free LASIK Consultation.

Common Consultation Questions – Part 2

Last week we addressed some of the most common questions asked by different patients about LASIK. Here are a few more.

Can I have LASIK while I am pregnant?

The answer to this question is no. When you are pregnant, your body goes through many changes. One of these changes can be your eyesight. These changes can throw off our exam results. We pride ourselves on superior results for our patients; therefore, we will not perform laser vision correction on any woman who is pregnant. After birth, we may ask a patient to wait from six months to a year for their vision to stabilize again before correcting their vision.

There are people, even famous people, speaking out against having LASIK because they had a not-so-great experience. Why?

There is always something important to be learned from others’ mistakes. This is one. LASIK is not for everyone. Even so, some surgeons will perform LASIK on anyone who wishes to have the procedure. This is a BAD IDEA.

If you perform LASIK on patients who are not optimal candidates, their sight may be negatively affected with the outcome. At Lipstock LASIK and Cataract Center, we won’t take this risk. We will first ensure you are a candidate. If you are not, we will explain why and also let you know if there is anything we can do (i.e. another procedure) to help you see clearly.

This practice of performing LASIK on everyone who walks in the door is more common in a corporate-owned LASIK practice. Corporate practices are more concerned with their income, thus they’ll opt to do as many LASIK procedures as possible.

We will continue this discussion next week. If you are seeking answers immediately, please feel free to call our office, check out our website, or schedule a Free LASIK Consultation.

Common Consultation Questions

The purpose of the free LASIK consultation that we offer is three-fold:

1. To ensure you are even a candidate for the procedure
2. To answer all of your questions and make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision
3. If you are not a candidate, we will also take the time to educate you on some of the other options to correct your vision

Often people come into our offices rather reluctantly, afraid of being sold on something they aren’t quite sure they even want. It’s more often that people won’t even come near our offices until they are absolutely SURE they are even considering having LASIK.

We offer a free consultation to anyone willing to consider vision correction because we believe that education is the key to making an informed decision. We don’t wish to “sell” any patient on a procedure that they may not want. We don’t like the stereotypical “car salesman” approach, and we know you don’t either. That’s why we train our staff to be patient, answer any and all questions, and we don’t pay them a commission to book surgeries. 

During the consultation, we often hear some of the same questions asked by different patients about LASIK. We’d like to take a moment to address a few of them.

My [optometrist/doctor/friend/family member] told me that LASIK won’t correct Astigmatism. Is this true?

No, this is not true. LASIK can actually correct astigmatism. While not every patient suffering from astigmatism is a candidate for LASIK, it does not mean that everyone with this refractive error cannot have their vision corrected. The only way to know for sure if LASIK will correct your astigmatism is to have a full evaluation by an ophthalmologist. We perform these exams during our free consultation and we will describe exactly how we can correct your astigmatism to help you see clearly.

Note: LASIK can also correct nearsightedness and farsightedness.

If I have LASIK this young (20s or 30s), will I have to have it again as I get older?

No. LASIK is a one-time correction of the cornea in your eye. This correction helps to fix the way light refracts onto your retina and transmits signals to the brain. Once corrected, your cornea will remain that shape, unless you contract an eye disease that may affect the cornea. LASIK will not give you any such disease.

It may be necessary to do what is called a LASIK enhancement. This is where the ophthalmologist may need to finish the correction of the cornea. However, if you seek out a board-certified, expert ophthalmologist, they will have an enhancement rate of less than 8% of their patients. 

My refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) is very severe. Does this mean I will have to have LASIK a few times to get the accurate correction?

This is usually not the case if you visit an expert ophthalmologist who has performed thousands of operations. During the consultation and pre-op appointments, your ophthalmologist will plan a thorough and complete treatment plan for your eyes. This treatment plan is very precise and should not require additional surgeries. 

Every pair of eyes is unique. There may be the need for enhancements, but again, with a qualified and experienced surgeon, they will have a very low rate of enhancements needed to get a patient seeing clearly.

We will continue this discussion next week. If you are seeking answers immediately, please feel free to call our office, check out our website, or schedule a Free LASIK Consultation.

LASIK vs. PRK

LASIK vs. PRK Vision Correction. What’s the Difference?

Laser Vision Correction

When your cornea is misshaped, you experience refractive error, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Laser vision correction is the procedure through which a laser is used to reshape the cornea of the eye, in order to achieve better vision.

While the actual correction of the cornea is completed with a laser, the steps leading up to this correction, and subsequently the healing after, will differ depending on the specific procedure the surgeon chooses for the patients’ eyes. The two main procedures used are LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratectomy) or PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy).

LASIK and PRK

Dr. Kenneth Lipstock says, “Most people have heard of LASIK and end up having the LASIK procedure. However, in some cases, LASIK isn’t the best procedure for them. This can be due to a multitude of reasons, but most often if their cornea is too thin, LASIK will not be advised.” This is why visiting an ophthalmologist that performs more than just LASIK is so important. “Other procedures, such as PRK, can be recommended and performed to achieve the same results,” continued Dr. Lipstock.

The main difference between LASIK and PRK comes during the second step of the process – creating the corneal flap. During LASIK, the surgeon must create a flap within the first few layers of the outer surface of the cornea, so that the laser will only reach the area that needs to be corrected. This can be done with a microkeratome blade, or during bladeless LASIK it can be done with a second laser that separates the outer layer of the cornea. After the primary laser is applied to correct the refractive error, this flap is folded back into place where it bonds readily.

PRK, which is performed on patients with thin corneas, removes the outer layer of the cornea completely. These cells are discarded and the body will regenerate new cells to replace them through the healing process. The results of PRK are equal to that of LASIK, however the healing time may take several weeks longer than LASIK.

Visiting a Qualified Ophthalmologist

Performing LASIK on a patient that is better suited for a procedure like PRK will increase the likelihood of potential risks, such as poor night vision or less than optimal results. To decrease these risks, visit a board-certified ophthalmologist who is skilled at multiple vision correction procedures. This will ensure you the best possible chances to achieve the vision results you are seeking.

BACKGROUND

Kenneth Lipstock, MD, founder of Lipstock Laser and Cataract Center, is Richmond Virginia's leading provider of LASIK laser vision correction and an accomplished cataract surgeon. He is one of the only surgeons in Central Virginia to routinely perform the most advanced technique known as No Needle -- No Stitch -- No Patch Cataract Surgery for added patient safety and convenience.

Lipstock Laser and Cataract Center - 3701 Westerre Parkway, Ste A Richmond, VA  23233 - (804) 288-1543