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Dr. Harmon Stein, LASIK surgeon at Total Eye Care Centers, is committed to offering you the latest technology available to ensure the best possible outcome for your LASIK procedure.
Dr. Stein has personally performed over 15,000 procedures over the past 15 years, and many members of the Total Eye Care family, including Dr. Stein himself, have had LASIK eye surgery. We are proud to offer our patients the latest technology including custom LASIK, Bladeless LASIK, and PRK. During your free LASIK consultation, our doctors will let you know which procedure is right for you.
After your eyes have been completely numbed with eye drop anesthesia, an eyelid holder is put into place to prevent you from blinking. The next step is to create a thin protective flap in the cornea.
This flap can be created using a microkeratome, which is a precise surgical instrument with a blade, or with a femtosecond laser for a 100% blade-free LASIK procedure. The blade-less, “all-laser” LASIK procedure, uses ultra-fast pulses of light to create a flap for your unique corneal shape.
Every patient then receives a customized LASIK treatment using state-of-the-art technology called the Wavelight® ALLEGRETTO WAVE platform. This laser reshapes the cornea to correct your vision.
The protective flap is put back into place, where it will act as a natural bandage. No stitches needed! The entire procedure takes about 20 minutes, and many people sit upright after LASIK eye surgery and notice the dramatically better vision.
As part of the recovery process, Dr. Stein will prescribe eye drops to prevent infection and reduce any irritation. It is recommended that you use an over-the-counter, preservative-free lubricant eye drop to keep your eyes moist and comfortable.
You will also be given a pair of eye shields to wear while sleeping for 1 week after your LASIK procedure to prevent accidental disruption of the corneal flap.
Your eyes may feel irritated or “scratchy” for 24 to 28 hours after LASIK- this is normal. Sunglasses are recommended for light sensitivity. When showering the first week, avoid getting soap or shampoo in your eyes, and remember NO RUBBING your eyes.
More information will be provided in the surgery packet you receive from our office. Click here for our LASIK FAQs.
Only after careful examination by one of our doctors can it be decided if bladeless LASIK surgery is right for you. Bladeless LASIK is a good option for patients with very high prescriptions and/or astigmatism.
Dr. Harmon Stein utilizes the most advanced laser system during our blade-free LASIK procedures – the Ziemer Femtosecond Laser. This technology allows our blade-less LASIK patients to experience less discomfort, faster recovery times, and better visual outcomes.
In addition, patients who choose the blade-free LASIK option are entitled to a lifetime guarantee or free enhancements for life! Read more on bladeless LASIK surgery here.
Total Eye Care’s Rosa recently had LASIK surgery by Dr. Stein. She’s thrilled with her new vision and wanted to share her experience with our patients! In the video, the procedure is just finishing up.
Dr. Stein is re-positioning the corneal flap and smoothing it out with a special instrument. Note: Content in this video may be considered graphic to some viewers.
Dr. Stein was recently interviewed by NJTV News on the latest in LASIK laser vision technology. Click on the video below to watch the full segment. It’s a great video for those who may be nervous or apprehensive about having LASIK. The link to
NJTV’s full article titled “Lasik, an Alternative to Glasses, Contacts” can be found here.
We are pleased to offer our patients interest-free, convenient monthly payment plans for LASIK, and other procedures (subject to credit approval). Because your vision is important to us, we offer CareCredit, a healthcare credit card specifically designed to pay for vision and other healthcare not covered by insurance.
Every CareCredit transaction is eligible for a No Interest or Low-Interest Payment Plan – and you can use the card at all healthcare practices that offer CareCredit. Call our office or visit the link to the right for more details.
At Total Eye Care Centers, we pride ourselves in offering our patients the widest scope of innovative techniques and treatments tailored to your specific ocular needs.
If it is determined to be your best option, we now offer our patients a Custom LASIK treatment that is 100% blade-free! If a patient opts for the bladeless LASIK procedure vs. our standard LASIK procedure (microkeratome) they will also receive free enhancements for life, our “lifetime guarantee.”
Blade vs. Bladeless LASIK: During all LASIK procedures, the first step is to create a thin flap of the cornea with either a microkeratome (blade) or femtosecond laser (blade-less).
The Ziemer Femtosecond Laser is the world’s most advanced laser system for creating the corneal flap. Using this technique, ultrafast laser pulses of light are used to create a specific flap for your unique corneal shape.
For years patients have been told they were not a candidate for LASIK due to the shape or thickness of their corneas.
Excessively steep, flat, or thin corneas have long been factors that have prohibited candidates from enjoying the freedom of life without glasses. With the Ziemer Femtosecond Laser, many of these patients can now safely enjoy the benefits of LASIK!
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page to read about some of the differences between bladeless and standard LASIK at Total Eye Care. Only after careful examination including ultrasound measurements and corneal topography, can one of our doctors decide if the Ziemer Femtosecond Laser is best for you.
Dr. Stein is certified in this technology and technique and is able to use the laser to quickly and painlessly create your customized corneal flap. Your flap is specific to your eye’s shape and thickness. As a result of Ziemer’s innovative design, patients experience less discomfort, faster recovery times, and better visual outcomes.
For more than 20 years, patients around the world have been enjoying the freedom of life without the dependence on glasses or contacts, thanks to Laser Vision Correction.
Over the past few years, great strides have been made in making LASIK even more precise than once imagined. With the use of custom-guided, wave-front technology, Dr. Stein and the team at Total Eye Care & Cosmetic Laser Centers have been able to improve patient’s vision often beyond the traditional ‘perfect 20/20.’
To simply say vision correction is nearsighted, farsighted, and astigmatism is like saying music is simply bass, treble, and volume. There are nuances within the visual system that the best-measured glasses or contacts cannot correct.
Specific to each individual, these ‘higher-order aberrations’ are corneal irregularities that affect the sharpness of vision, especially during nighttime driving.
Using state-of-the-art technology called the Wavelight® ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Laser platform, Dr. Stein is able to create a completely-customized treatment, taking into account your unique visual needs ensuring you receive the best results. This customized treatment can decrease aberrations such as glare and halos especially noted during nighttime driving.
‘Sometimes patients can complain about vision quality problems such as not being able to see in dim or low light. This is referred to as poor contrast sensitivity,’ according to Roger Steinert M.D. Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Harvard Medical School.
In further agreement, according to a U.S. Navy study in 2004, patients with custom LASIK achieved better nighttime vision than those who were treated with traditional LASIK. We can now measure and correct many higher-order aberrations that can affect contrast sensitivity. Many of our custom LASIK patients express improved nighttime vision after the procedure.
Although the opportunity for high definition vision may seem like the best option for every refractive surgery patient, traditional LASIK will always remain a treatment option. Not every patient is a candidate for Custom Laser Vision Correction.
The health, shape, and thickness of your cornea are all factors that our doctors may discuss with you that could influence whether Custom LASIK is your best treatment option. We encourage you to schedule a Free LASIK consult today with a member of our LASIK team to discuss your best plan to maximize your personal visual outcome.
Being a candidate for a refractive procedure is best determined during a free LASIK consultation appointment with one of our eye care professionals.
During the consultation, measurements will be taken which include the stability of your prescription, the thickness of the front surface (cornea) of your eye, and the overall health of your eyes. While there is no “ideal” age to have LASIK, we recommend a patient be over the age of 18 and have a stable prescription.
There are many ocular and systemic conditions that may have an effect on the final outcome of your procedure and should be discussed with our doctors during your examination.
Because of the effect some of these conditions can have on the shape and health of the cornea or on your prescription, it is important to discuss all options and outcomes before the procedure. Contrary to popular belief, astigmatism is correctable with a laser vision procedure.
With all of our refractive procedures, your vision and the health of your eyes is our foremost objective and a positive outcome is our number one goal. Together we can achieve your goals by offering the highest quality procedures for our patients.
Some patients are not good candidates for LASIK due to certain eye conditions or because their corneas that are too thin to allow the surgeon to create the corneal flap which is required in the LASIK process. For these patients, Dr. Stein may recommend an alternative laser eye treatment known as PRK (photorefractive keratectomy).
During PRK, instead of using a laser to create the corneal flap, Dr. Stein will brush away the thin protective layer of tissue. He then uses an ultraviolet light beam to remove tissue from the cornea in order to reshape it and correct the patient’s vision errors.
Although the procedure itself is painless, PRK generally involves more discomfort than LASIK, and recovery time tends to be a bit longer. However, the outcome of PRK is similar to that of LASIK: the patient’s vision is usually better than 20/20 after surgery.
For PRK candidates, we recommend opting for our bladeless, “all laser” LASIK treatment, which will allow the doctor to utilize the latest technology using a femtosecond laser, thereby eliminating the need to create a corneal flap, substantially decreasing discomfort, and allowing patients to have a much quicker recovery time.
Patients who previously were not a candidate for LASIK now have the option for Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICL) to help improve their vision. Total Eye Care Centers performs the ICL procedure using the FDA approved Visian ICL®. The ICL is inserted during a surgical procedure in which a contact lens is placed inside the patient’s eye, thus decreasing their dependency on glasses and contact lenses.
Visian ICL® works best for patients who have thin corneas or prescriptions that reduce them to wearing thick glasses, eliminating their candidacy for a LASIK procedure because of the risks involved. The Visian ICL® has a major advantage over the Veriseye since a much smaller incision is needed to insert the contact lens.
The smaller incision eliminates the need for sutures. The Doctors of Total Eye Care Centers offer the Visian ICL® as a strong alternative for patients who are extremely nearsighted, extremely farsighted, and those suffering from other conditions.
The ICL procedure is a simple outpatient procedure that is performed right at the office. The doctor will make a small incision in the cornea and inserts the foldable lens between the iris and the natural crystalline lens.
The procedure only lasts about 15 to 30 minutes for each eye and only requires topical anesthesia (numbing eye drops). Vision is normally restored within a few hours following the surgery.
The placement of the Visian ICL® makes it invisible to the patient and to others trying to see the ICL. Another benefit to the Visian ICL® is that it avoids contact with other eye structures, providing safety, stability, comfort, and predictable outcomes. Once in place, the lens stays in place indefinitely and should require no maintenance.
No, LASIK does not hurt. Your eyes are anesthetized and you are awake during the entire procedure. You are given 5mg of Valium (pill form) to help you relax. It is not unusual for patients to experience a sandy, gritty sensation in the eyes during the initial healing period of 24 – 48 hours after the procedure.
In every LASIK procedure, the first step is to create a thin flap of the cornea. This flap can be created using a microkeratome, which is a precise surgical instrument with a blade. This instrument is used during our Standard LASIK procedure.
The flap can also be created with a femtosecond laser for a 100% blade-free procedure. The laser uses ultra-fast pulses of light to create a specific flap for your unique corneal shape.
Regardless of which procedure you choose, the next step in the LASIK procedure is the same for all patients. Everyone receives a customized LASIK treatment using state-of-the-art technology called the Wavelight® ALLEGRETTO WAVE platform.
This machine allows Dr. Stein to create a completely customized treatment taking into account your unique visual needs to ensure you get the best outcome possible.
Only after careful examination by one of our doctors can it be decided if the bladeless procedure is right for you. The innovative design of the Ziemer Femtosecond Laser allows patients to experience less discomfort, faster recovery times, and better visual outcomes. The bladeless procedure is a good option for patients with very high prescriptions or astigmatism. It also helps to reduce nighttime glare.
In the past, patients have been told they were not a candidate for LASIK due to the shape or thickness of their corneas (excessively steep, flat, or thin). With the bladeless procedure, many of these patients are now able to safely enjoy the benefits of LASIK. In addition, patients who choose the bladeless LASIK option are entitled to a lifetime guarantee or FREE enhancements for life.
It is realistic to expect vision comparable to what you were able to see with glasses or contact lenses after the procedure. At least 98% of all people can see well enough to pass a driver’s license test without any correction. We cannot, however, promise that you will never have to wear glasses again.
While almost everyone has significant improvement in their best-uncorrected vision (what you can see without any glasses or contacts), some people may still need to wear a much milder prescription for reading or driving after the surgery, particularly if you are over 40 years of age.
If Dr. Stein needs to perform an enhancement, this can be done once the vision has stabilized. Less than 4% of his patients need any additional procedures.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks and potential complications. You may temporarily experience glare, light sensitivity, irritation, or a mild fluctuation of vision within the first few days of the procedure. The most common adverse effect after the LASIK procedure is dry eye.
There are various ways of treating this condition (artificial tears) and the discomfort is usually short-lived. The risk of serious vision-threatening complications such as flap tears, striae, and infection or scarring is exceedingly rare and less than 1%. Under and over-corrections are certainly possible and treated through enhancements, which fine-tune the refractive outcome of the LASIK procedure.
Most of our patients are able to drive themselves to their first post-op appointment the following day! Most people can return to work within 24 hours, however, please ask your surgeon what is best for you.
Refractive surgery is generally considered to be an elective procedure and is not covered under most insurance programs. However, there are select vision insurance plans that offer a discount towards the LASIK procedure. Call our office for details or check with your insurance company to see if you are eligible. Many of our patients choose to use our 0% financing option through CareCredit, which provides an affordable monthly payment plan interest-free for 2 years.
Disclaimer
*Our limited-time promotion is $500 discount per eye. Prices vary by location and are subject to change without notice. This offer may not be combined with other offers. Other conditions may apply. Individual results will vary.
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