Your eyes are your windows to the world. But to your eye doctor they're also windows to your overall health.

"The eyes are one of the body's most amazing organs. They reveal a great deal to an eye doctor who not only can detect early signs of cataract and macular degeneration but symptoms of hypertension, diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol and even multiple sclerosis," says Dr. Farid Eghbali, associate doctor at the Maloney Vision Institute, the premier Los Angeles laser eye surgery center.

Even if your vision is excellent or you've had vision correction surgery such as Los Angeles LASIK, a comprehensive eye exam once a year is recommended strongly, especially for adults, for early detection of both eye diseases and other health problems, Dr. Eghbali said.

What is a comprehensive eye exam and what can it reveal?

To begin with, said Dr. Eghbali, "The doctor will thoroughly review your family and personal health history. Your eyes will be tested to determine how clearly you see. Your eye pressure and field of vision will be tested to diagnose glaucoma. After your eyes have been dilated, we will be able to look inside your eyes for signs of a wide range of health problems."

For example, he said, approximately 16 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Additionally, nearly 5 million are unaware they have diabetes which goes undiagnosed.

Vision loss leading to blindness occurs in as many as 24,000 diabetic patients every year. Visual impairment does not develop until the disease has advanced into its later stages. At this point, not even surgical vision correction Los Angeles can reverse vision loss. People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than are people without diabetes. However early signs of diabetic eye disease can be readily seen with an annual dilated pupil eye examination.

Not only is diabetic eye disease easily detected through an annual dilated eye examination but, when discovered in time, severe vision loss or blindness can be prevented. Diabetes also increases the risk of glaucoma, which has no warning signs, by 300 percent. Having regular eye examinations and being aware of the risk is among the best preventive measures you can take, Dr. Eghbali said.

If you need a recommendation of a general eye doctor or a Los Angeles LASIK surgeon in your area please visit our website at www.maloneyvision.com for the list of our affiliated doctors or call us at 310-208-3937.

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.

New technology now gives hope of fully corrected vision to people whose eyesight was unintentionally damaged by eye surgeons inexperienced in laser eye surgery when it was introduced several years ago.

Lee Philipson, the Assistant District Attorney for Napa County, Calif., is one example of a person whose vision in his left eye was severely distorted by LASIK eye surgery Los Angeles eight years ago.

“It felt like I was trying to see while standing under the shower,” Mr. Philipson said after the failed procedure.

But with the help of the new, state-of-the-art Wavefront mapping technology at the Maloney Vision Institute, Mr. Philipson’s vision has been restored and is now 20/25. It is one of the most gratifying outcomes in Dr. Robert Maloney’s 20-year ophthalmology career as a Los Angeles LASIK surgeon.

Wavefront technology comes from the process of adaptive optics, first proposed by scientists in 1953. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to compensate for the light distortions in the atmosphere. Further studies in adaptive optics became available from declassified information developed for the so-called Star Wars missile defense shield.

In Mr. Philipson’s case, the Wavefront technology has enabled him to once again live a normal life and with excellent vision. Mr. Philipson, who grew up in Southern California and graduated from UCLA, said the Napa area surgeon he chose generally was well thought of and “a very likable person.” But he says he should have done more to check the doctor’s experience and qualifications.

The new VISX Wavefront system is the latest major advancement in ophthalmology. In contrast to conventional Lasik treatments which measure one point in the eye, the Wavefront guided laser vision correction Los Angeles system enables eye surgeons to digitally map 200 points on the eye. It gives the surgeon an extraordinarily detailed topographical picture with which to perform either Lasik or photorefractive keratectomy, commonly known as PRK.

“The Lasik procedure on the right eye went fine. But the doctor made a very bad flap on my left eye. He put the flap back down and told me to come back in three months when it healed,” he said. But during the intervening three months, Mr. Philipson’s left eye developed epithelial cells that the doctor failed to detect when it was time to have the LASIK Los Angeles procedure completed.

The after-effects were tragic for Mr. Philipson and marked the beginning of years of frustration and blurry vision. Mr. Philipson immediately began a search to find a qualified surgeon who could repair the damaged left eye. That search led him to the Maloney Vision Institute.

“When I first met with Dr. Maloney he worked on my eye and improved my vision enough so I no longer felt I was in the shower – a huge improvement. But he also told me that there was little else that could be done until new technology arrived that would take care of my problem. That gave me hope,” he said.

On May 17 Mr. Philipson again visited Dr. Maloney, who was an FDA investigator on the new Wavefront technology that now was approved for use. For Mr. Philipson the new technology delivered on its promise. The procedure was enormously successful.

“Wavefront technology enables physicians to customize eye prescriptions for individuals with greater precision than ever before,” Dr. Maloney said.

For the average patient seeking vision correction, Wavefront allows doctors to boost vision beyond 20/20.

“Let me put it this way,” Mr. Philipson said. “For eight years I could not ignore my vision. I thought about it all the time. I don’t even think about it now. With both eyes open my vision is 20/15.

“I have no doubt that Dr. Maloney saved the vision in my left eye,” Mr. Philipson said. “He’s such a kind, decent, compassionate man. If lawyers were like that there wouldn’t be a whole lot of lawyer jokes. He’s a lifesaver as far as I’m concerned.”

Disclaimer: This blog or article is for information purpose only, and should not be treated a professional advise or price protection guarantee. This blog is mainly used for search engine optimization and other commercial purposes and it is advised that readers seek professional consultation in the field of interest for more information.

The most popular variation of laser treatment is called Lasik (for "laser in-situ keratomileusis"). In this technique, the Los Angeles eye surgeon applies the laser upon the cornea, rather than near the corneal surface. This is accomplished by creating a protective flap in the front 20-25% of the cornea and then applying the laser treatment to the tissue beneath the flap. This protective flap can be made with a laser or with a keratome.

The vision correction treatment can also be applied near the surface of the cornea (instead of under a protective flap), in which case the technique is referred to as Advanced Surface Treatment, or "Lasik without a flap". This technique has several minor variations, which include PRK (for "photo-refractive keratectomy"), Lasek, and Epi-Lasik.

In PRK, the thin layer of soft tissue coating the outside of the eye (the epithelium) is removed and the Beverly Hills Lasik surgeon applies the laser energy to the firm tissue underneath.

In Lasek--with an "e"--the soft tissue on the surface is replaced after the laser treatment. In Epi-Lasik, this thin layer of soft material is folded back using a machine. PRK, Lasek, and Epi-Lasik are very similar to each other.

When the laser treatment is applied to the tissue deep within the cornea (as in Lasik) instead of near the surface (as in Advanced Surface Treatment), the healing is quicker with more rapid vision recovery. Patients usually see quite well the next day after a Los Angeles Lasik treatment. In "Lasik without a flap" the intial healing takes about a week. However, after the healing period is complete, the results are the same with each of these techniques.

Lasik requires an additional surgical step, which is the creation of the protective flap. The flap is created with an instrument known as a keratome or with the IntraLase laser. Creation of the flap takes about 15 seconds and is virtually painless. Complications with the flap occur about 1% of the time. Almost all of the complications are mild and can be easily treated, often by lifting or repositioning the flap. The most serious complication would involve improper creation of the flap; when this occurs, the patient is asked to wait three months, and then can return for a repeat treatment.

With either Beverly Hills Lasik or "Lasik without a flap", there are two types of computer software that can be used, known as conventional and Custom. Both of these use the same laser to perform the vision correction treatment. The conventional software works like glasses or a contact lens; there is one prescription that covers the entire eye. Obviously, this produces excellent vision, just as do glasses and contact lenses. With Custom treatment, an additional modification is made in the treatment to account for additional irregularities in the vision. On average, the Custom treatments produce slightly better vision than the conventional software.

At the Caster Eye Center, we perform all of the variations of laser vision correction. All of the variations produce excellent vision. During your consultation, we will obtain measurements of your eyes, and Dr. Caster will personally talk to you and determine which procedure is the best for your specific situation. In this careful way, we obtain the best vision possible for our patients.