The following information is to help educate you on the difference between two excellent refractive surgical procedures that Dr. Birchansky offers to help you to “lose the glasses” or reduce your dependency on glasses and contact lenses. The ideal procedure for you is customized and determined after a thorough comprehensive eye exam.

All LASER LASIK uses the state of the art Ziemer Femtosecond laser to fashion a thin flap on the cornea. The flap is reflected and the state of the art Alcon Allegretto Excimer laser is used to sculpt the underlying cornea to correct the prescription. The thin flap is repositioned and vision is instantly improved. The advantages of LASIK is that instant gratification is achieved with little post-operative discomfort. Within a day you are typically seeing great. There is more dry eye associated with LASIK compared to surface treatment such as Epi-LASIK. With LASIK, there is a flap that could move with direct injury. Visual stability is achieved early on.

Surface treatment such as PRK, LASEK, E-LASIK and Epi-LASIK all are very similar procedures and share similar outcomes. With surface treatment the skin of the cornea is removed and the state of the art Alcon Allegretto Excimer laser is used to sculpt the corneal surface to correct the prescription. A bandage contact lens is placed for several days to help the new skin to heal the cornea. Once healed, the bandage lens is removed and vision is markedly improved, but continues to gradually improve over the next few months. Advantages of the surface treatment is much less dry eye issues and there is no flap so there can be no flap related issues down the road. The downside is the slower recovery, a few days of mild postoperative discomfort, eye drops for a longer period of time to minimize scarring and there is no instant gratification. Quality of vision is excellent by 6 months time.

Dr. Birchansky started performing office laser vision correction in 1996 and has performed thousands of corrective procedures. His outstanding reputation in surgical eye care is widely recognized and supported by healthcare providers and their families. He is a compassionate dedicated physician with a caring bed side manner. He will help you choose which customized procedure is best for your eyes.