WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE YOUR LASIK DONE BY DR. SLADE?

Since Dr. Slade performed the first LASIK procedure in the U.S., he has the longest experience with LASIK in the nation.  Custom LASIK is offered by Dr. Slade at our state-of-the-art facility in Houston, Texas. In fact, we have more than one custom laser to choose from in our facility.  We have 2 femtosecond lasers, and 2 excimer lasers.  Since no two eyes are the same, you can feel confident that with the advantage of having a variety of the latest and most advanced technology, along with Dr. Slade's experience and expertise, that you will have the best results and best care with your custom procedure here at Slade & Baker Vision Center. 

OUR LASER TECHNOLOGY SETS US APART

The two laser platforms our patients have available to them here are the Bausch & Lomb Technolas laser and the Allegretto Wavelight laser by Alcon.  Each of these laser platforms are the latest lasers from Germany.  With LASIK, we use a femtosecond laser to make the flap, and an excimer laser to do the treatment.  We have the latest femtosecond lasers to make the flap: the Intralase and the Wavelight FS 200.  Dr. Slade & Dr. Baker were the first doctors in the U.S. to use the Bausch & Lomb Technolas custom laser.  This Technolas laser is the only excimer laser in the U.S. that actively tracks a patient's astigmatism. Therefore, it yields special benefits for astigmatism patients.  The Allegretto Wavelight laser boasts both the fastest and newest femtosecond (Wavelight FS 200) and excimer lasers to be released in the country.  Dr. Slade has found that the Allegretto's technology is beneficial to patients with higher myopia.   We encourage you to visit the FDA's website to view all approved lasers for LASIK.

Click here for more information on the Allegretto Wavelight laser by Alcon.

Click here for more information on the Technolas laser by Bausch & Lomb.

WHAT DOES "CUSTOM LASIK" MEAN?

With Custom LASIK, we take more measurements and create a procedure that is more specific to your eye. This procedure may be wavefront guided, wavefront optimized, or a blend of our measurements. It's like having a suit custom-made for you, rather than buying one off the rack.  The fine points of your vision are treated.  During your free consultation we can answer any questions regarding your vision or your treatment options.

The custom or wavefront exam covers thousands of points across the entire visual system of your eyes with our wavefront diagnostic devices.

Until recently, LASIK treatments were strictly based on a patient's optical prescription.  They did not take into account that each patient's eyes have a unique set of naturally occurring optical imperfections.  This was known as "conventional LASIK." 

Today, with the advent of wavefront diagnostic technology, wavefront guided and wavefront optimized excimer lasers can now treat patients according to the uniqueness of their eyes, not just their prescription.

Wavefront technology compares distorted waves of light exiting the eye to flat waves of light that would have returned in a perfect optical system.  This information is converted to a 3-D Map that then serves as a guide for the excimer laser to reshape the cornea. Another technique Dr. Slade and Dr. Baker use is "wavefront optimized."  This is the newest treatment pattern approved by the FDA and offers superb results for many patients.

THE FUTURE

There is a new LASIK technology that is actually guided by the actual topographical details of the cornea.  Dr. Slade and Dr. Baker also have the longest experience in the US with this technique and they have been performing this new topographical-based LASIK in an FDA trial in the U.S.  This FDA trial has ended and patients are currently awaiting FDA approval of this form of LASIK to be able to have this form of LASIK.

CUSTOM LASIK RESULTS

Results have shown that different forms of LASIK including wavefront guided, topographical based, wavefront optimized and Planoscan can reduce some of the unwanted visual effects associated with conventional LASIK; especially those effects associated with night vision such as glare and halos.  Custom LASIK has the potential to improve the quality of vision and make patients see even better than they could with glasses or contact lenses.  We are pleased to be able to offer treatment with several different lasers and with several different treatment plans in order to try to match the best treatment pattern to our individual patient.