Did you know: Dr Trujillo had LASIK surgery on his eyes more than 20 years ago!
The Procedure
LASIK (Laser in-situ Keratomileusis) is a procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The procedure involves two basic steps the first is the creation of a corneal flap followed by the second step where the cornea is reshaped to achieve the desired correction. The flap is then replaced to protect the area of reshaping and speed up the recovery.
The flap creation was initially done with a blade instrument called microkeratome; however, this has been replaced by a laser called a femptosecond laser that creates a very precise flap without the need for blades. The safety of the procedure has improved significantly due to this new procedure. The prescription correction is achieved by a second laser called an eximer laser. The combination of these two lasers in the skilled hands of an experienced surgeon have produced a highly predictable correction, minimal discomfort and a rapid recovery.
The Surgeon
Dr. Trujillo has a long and deep experience in LASIK and other vision correction procedures. He started his training as an ophthalmologist in 1995 with Dr. Jose Barraquer one of the pioneers of vision correction surgery in the world. Before LASIK was FDA approved in the US, Dr. Trujillo did 3 years of residency in Colombia and one year of exclusive hands on training in LASIK and other laser vision corrections techniques. He then came to the US for another year of training in cornea surgery and 3 more years of residency in order to become fully credentialed, Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and Cornea Specialsits.
At Vision 3C Specialists we feel strongly that your LASIK surgeon should be a cornea trained physician who is able to carefully examine the patients to ensure they are the best candidates and be prepared to perform an impeccable procedure and care after the procedure.
The Technology
At Vision 3C Specialists, we are constantly evaluating and improving our LASIK technology. We are always in contact with researchers, manufacturers and users of new arising technologies, to evaluate them and to bring the patients the best and safest technologies available.
Currently we use what Dr. Trujillo thinks is the best laser suite available. The wavelight system combines today's most advanced surgical technologies into a procedure that optimized your vision. The wavelight refractive suite that includes the WaveLight® EX500 (Eximer laser) and the WaveLight® FS200 (Femptosecond laser).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PRK?
PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) is a laser vision correction where no flap is created, but instead the outermost layer of the cornea (the Epithelium) is removed and then laser is used to reshape the cornea. After the procedure, the epithelium will regenerate itself in days. However, this procedure may cause some discomfort for several days afterwards. It also takes longer time to heal than LASIK and longer for you to notice improvement in vision. This may be a safer procedure for some people; for example, those with thin corneas. The final results are comparable with LASIK. Nonetheless, the decision to have LASIK or PRK is better made after we evaluate your eyes.
I only need reading glasses is LASIK for me?
The condition where glasses are only needed for reading, but there is good vision for distance is called Presbyopia. LASIK is not usually a good alternative for presbyopia.
I had cataract surgery can I have LASIK?
Yes! There is the possibility of having LASIK or PRK to enhance your visual result after cataract surgery. If nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and/ or astigmatism remains after cataract surgery provided there are no other eye conditions that can prevent you from getting a good result.
What is I-lasik and Z-lasik?
These were terms coined by different companies to market their lasers above their competitors. In the past, LASIK involved the use of a mechanical instrument with a blade to create the flap followed by a laser that corrected the prescription. When a second laser (generically known as a Femptosecond laser) was introduced to create the flap instead of the blade instrument, the companies labeled their suite of machines with different names, to designate the fact that there was no blade to create the flap. They include terms like “all-laser lasik”, “fempto-lasik” and bladeless Lasik and of course Z-Lasik and I lasik.
What is Advanced surface ablation?
Advanced surface ablations is another term used to indicate that there is no flap creation. Instead the correction is created over the surface of the cornea by removing the outer most layer of the cornea called the epithelium. This layer regenerates itself after few days. Although minor variations have appeared in the way to remove the epithelium, the procedure is better known as PRK (photo refractive keratectomy)
